Freedom-of-information or access-to-information laws are not something that the average person thinks about every day, but they are a part of laws in every province and territory in the country and are designed to give people the right to obtain records from public institutions. Having access to the information they need to make informed decisions […]

VANCOUVER — Holding a single trial in British Columbia to determine damages for each province and territory related to opioid health-care costs would be a “monster of complexity,” one of the dozens of lawyers for pharmaceutical firms told a court on Wednesday. Gordon McKee, a lawyer for Janssen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, told the […]

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s auditor general is repeating himself over concerns about the way the provincial government keeps its books, just as the Ministry of Finance’s quarterly report projects a $5.6-billion deficit. Michael Pickup says if B.C’s financial statements followed Canadian public sector accounting standards there would be about another $7 billion in the revenue column, and liabilities would […]

OTTAWA — Federal security officials have been briefing leaders of major energy and utility firms on cyberthreats, one element of a concerted government effort to underscore the serious risks to the sector. A newly disclosed Public Safety Canada memo reveals a secret-level June meeting was part of a strategy to raise awareness among company executives […]

An attorney for the Law Society of Manitoba has hinted the watchdog plans to request the disbarment of a former dean of law who is accused of filing more than $500,000 in phony work expenses. The society’s disciplinary committee — a panel of two lawyers and a public representative — heard final submissions in the […]

An ex-law dean accused of embezzling more than a half-million dollars from the University of Manitoba asked an employee to set up a Swiss bank account as a payee and, on another occasion, told her to “stop asking questions” about his expense claims. The professional disciplinary hearing of Jonathan Black-Branch heard from two witnesses — […]

Hospitals must do more to protect patients’ personal data from cyberattacks that can lead to disruptions in care, urges an article published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. About 16 separate cyberattacks have occurred at health organizations across the country since 2015, but more go unreported, said lead author Vinyas Harish, a medical student at the University of […]

OTTAWA — A company that provides encrypted email service is disputing a former RCMP official’s claim that it secretly worked on behalf of an intelligence agency. Cameron Jay Ortis testified in Ontario Superior Court that a foreign ally told him of a plan to encourage targets to begin using Tutanota, an online encryption service that […]

OTTAWA — As the deadline to repay pandemic loans and receive partial forgiveness approaches, small businesses are still hoping the federal government will reverse course and extend it for another year. Nearly 900,000 organizations applied for and received a Canada Emergency Business Account loan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal program offered up to $60,000 […]

TORONTO — Ontario employers could soon be required to include salary ranges in job postings under new legislation announced Monday, while the province is also considering curtailing the use of workplace non-disclosure agreements. Mandating salary ranges in job postings as well as requiring businesses to disclose if artificial intelligence is part of their hiring process […]

The investigation into the cyber attack that continues to cripple communications at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance has expanded to an international search. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Interpol have joined local police and the Ontario Provincial Police to find the culprits and the depth of the ransomware attack on the CKHA and four other regional hospitals. […]

OTTAWA — The head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service told employees he stood by the spy agency’s handling of sensitive information following a “troubling” leak of classified material, a newly released memo shows. In a Feb. 24 message to staff, CSIS director David Vigneault expressed continuing faith in employees’ dedication and adherence to the […]