National

National


Canada’s Genetic Non-Discrimination Act has only had a limited impact on the use of genetic information by life insurers

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. ___ The advancement of genetic technologies in the past three decades has spotlighted the urgent need to address genetic discrimination. Genetic discrimination is the differential adverse […]

Read More


N.L. hastily approved ride-hailing application from man accused of sex crime

An application submitted by a man accused of sexual assault to provide Newfoundland and Labrador’s first ride-hailing operation was approved in just one day, according to emails obtained through access to information legislation. The messages show the submission from Yosief Tesfamicael, owner of Redsea Riding, included an eight-page company policy that was heavily copied from […]

Read More


Ontario documents show patient complaints over cataract billings

As Ontario prepares to expand the number of private clinics that perform publicly funded cataract surgeries, documents show those procedures form one of the most common complaints the province receives from patients about unfair billing practices. The Canadian Press submitted a freedom-of-information request for copies of complaints made under the law banning medical professionals from […]

Read More


Could Canadians lose access to Pornhub? Depends on what happens with a Senate bill

The owners of Pornhub say blocking access to Canadians is among options they’re considering as they try to persuade parliamentarians to reject an approach for age verification outlined in a controversial Senate bill.  “We’ve taken different options in different jurisdictions,” said Solomon Friedman, a partner and vice-president of compliance at Ethical Capital Partners, which owns […]

Read More


To protect user privacy online, governments need to reconsider their use of opt-in policies

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. ___ Internet users — almost all of us — are growing used to seeing requests for consent to gather our information: “Do you accept cookies from […]

Read More


RCMP use of private-sector surveillance services worries federal privacy watchdog

A federal watchdog is urging the RCMP to do a better job of assessing the privacy implications of commercial surveillance and monitoring services before using them. In a report released Thursday, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne also recommends the Mounties be more transparent with Canadians about their collection of personal information from open-source intelligence gathering.  Dufresne […]

Read More


Inadequate security led to federal breach that compromised Canadians’ info: watchdog

Government departments lacked adequate protections to fend off a “sophisticated and co-ordinated” cyberattack that compromised the sensitive information of tens of thousands of Canadians, the federal privacy watchdog has found. In a report tabled Thursday, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne describes how the lapse at the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada in […]

Read More


Evolving ‘Freedom’ movement fighting perceptions of ‘government overreach’: CSIS

The loosely knit collective that vocally opposed COVID-19 health measures has morphed into a movement waging a broader fight against “perceived government overreach,” says a newly released assessment from Canada’s spy agency. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s analytical brief traces the evolution of the “Freedom” movement that began to emerge following the early 2022 protests […]

Read More


Alberta Mountie accused of accessing police records for Rwanda

A front-line Alberta Mountie has been accused of accessing police record systems to help the Republic of Rwanda, RCMP said Tuesday.  The officer was arrested Saturday and the alleged breach involved records that were not top secret, the RCMP Federal Policing Integrated National Security Enforcement Team said in a news release.  “Upon learning of the […]

Read More


Minister was warned lifting international student work limit could undermine program

Allowing international students to work more than 20 hours a week could distract from their studies and undermine the objective of temporary foreign worker programs, public servants warned the federal government in 2022. The caution came in documents prepared for former immigration minister Sean Fraser as Ottawa looked at waiving the restriction on the number […]

Read More


Contract rules disregarded in costly development of ArriveCan app: auditor general

Disregarded policies and a failure of management led to the development of the inordinately costly and much-maligned ArriveCan app, an investigation by Canada’s auditor general has found.  The federal government launched the app in April 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to […]

Read More


More Canadians using AI tools, despite ‘deep-rooted’ fears about the tech: poll

Despite worries artificial intelligence lacks empathy and could be coming to steal their jobs, a growing number of Canadians are turning to AI tools, a new poll suggests. Thirty per cent of Canadians now use artificial intelligence tools, the Leger poll suggested, up from 25 per cent a year ago, though two-thirds of respondents said […]

Read More