With the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre noting there were 41,111 victims to fraud in 2023, fraudsters and scammers can get creative in fashioning a scenario that can manipulate unsuspecting individuals into forwarding over their hard-earned cash. Often, those instances create a sense of urgency or panic, or may pull on the heartstrings of their victims. In […]

Residents of Thessalon First Nation (TFN) are looking for answers after a community nurse allegedly accessed their private records without a “legitimate reason” to do so, according to a local health agency. The TFN members were informed of the alleged mass privacy breach last week via a series of letters from Maamwesying North Shore Community […]

A town in Ontario’s Muskoka region has shared more details about a cybersecurity incident earlier this month. The Town of Huntsville says it was hit on March 10 by a ransomware attack, in which vital digital information is held hostage for payment. Denise Corry, the town’s chief administrative officer, says an “unauthorized user” infiltrated the […]

The Ontario government tabled a budget Tuesday that forecast a ballooning deficit, investments in the home and community care sector, and support for a first-of-its-kind medical school. Here are the highlights:  BALLOONING DEFICIT Ontario is projecting a deficit of $9.8 billion in the coming fiscal year, almost double what was projected in its fall economic […]

Two more beluga whales have died at Marineland, bringing the total number of whale deaths since 2019 to 17.  Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services has been investigating the Niagara Falls tourist attraction since 2020. “The ministry has been made aware that two beluga whales at Marineland have passed away this March,” said Brent Ross, a spokesman […]

Hospitals and long-term care homes spent nearly $1 billion last year to fill shifts with nurses and personal support workers from private staffing agencies, a Ministry of Health document estimates. A November 2023 staffing agency update obtained by The Canadian Press through a freedom-of-information request shows that agency use increased from 2021-22 to 2022-23 by […]

Aurora will soon explore the feasibility of developing a Digital Data charter that would protect residents’ privacy in an increasingly digital world. Sitting at Council’s inaugural Committee of the Whole meeting, Council approved a motion from Ward 2 Councillor Rachel Gilliland tasking staff to come back with a report on just such a framework “centred […]

The cost of insurance for local municipalities continues to rise. Springwater Township received its annual insurance renewal notice last Friday at a cost of $625,709.52. That’s almost $42,000 more than last year, or slightly more than seven per cent.  According to a report prepared by Renée Ainsworth, Springwater’s clerk and director of corporate services, which […]

After a damning report from the Ontario Health Coalition accusing the PC government of purposely underfunding public health systems to finance the private sector, the organization’s local chapter has announced April 22 will be a day of protest at Brampton Civic Hospital to demand “Truly Universal Healthcare”.  The demonstration is currently scheduled to take place […]

A national organization that advocates for the rights of tenants is calling for all municipalities to require a building permit and engineering report to verify residents have to be vacated in order to do renovation work which is often just a guise to remove renters so that prices can be significantly increased. On February 28th, […]

Integrity commissioner Peggy Lovelace of E4m municipal advisors, which is retained by Cobalt council, attended a special meeting of Cobalt council Thursday, March 7 where she strongly advised council to stop bringing in resolutions at the last minute. By doing so, the staff is not given enough time to prepare background information, she pointed out. […]

A town in Ontario’s Muskoka region has become the latest municipality to be hit by a cyberattack.  The Town of Huntsville said its municipal office would remain closed for a second day Tuesday and some municipal meetings were being rescheduled as specialists investigate a “cybersecurity issue” that came to light over the weekend.  The town […]