Politics

Politics


Ottawa puts up $50M in federal budget to hedge against job-stealing AI

Worried artificial intelligence is coming for your job? So is the federal government — enough, at least, to set aside $50 million for skills retraining for workers.  One of the centrepiece promises in the federal budget released Tuesday was $2.3 billion in investments aiming to boost adoption of the technology and the artificial intelligence industry […]

Read More


A bill that could ban TikTok advances to the Senate. What’s next?

The House has approved legislation that would ban TikTok if its Beijing-based parent company doesn’t divest from the popular social media platform, escalating the fight over the hot-button issue. The TikTok legislation, which was included in a package of bills that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel, could become law as soon as next […]

Read More


First major attempts to regulate AI face headwinds from all sides

DENVER (AP) — Artificial intelligence is helping decide which Americans get the job interview, the apartment, even medical care, but the first major proposals to reign in bias in AI decision making are facing headwinds from every direction. Lawmakers working on these bills, in states including Colorado, Connecticut and Texas, came together Thursday to argue […]

Read More


Federal government used AI in hundreds of initiatives, new research database shows

Canada’s federal government has used artificial intelligence in nearly 300 projects and initiatives, new research has found — including to help predict the outcome of tax cases, sort temporary visa applications and promote diversity in hiring.  Joanna Redden, an associate professor at Western University, pieced together the database using news reports, documents tabled in Parliament […]

Read More


Indiana limits abortion data for privacy under near-total ban, but some GOP candidates push back

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana allows so few abortions that health officials stopped releasing individual reports to protect patient privacy — a move some Republicans are now fighting to reverse.  The Republicans, including prominent candidates for office this year, want access to reports detailing each abortion still performed in the state. Advocates for abortion rights and […]

Read More


Napanee appoints seventh acting fire chief in seven years

With both the Chief and Deputy Chief on leave, the Council of the Town of Greater Napanee unceremoniously appointed a new fire chief at a special meeting held on the morning of Monday, Apr. 15, 2024. At the meeting, Kenneth ‘Shawn’ Armstrong was appointed as acting Fire Chief for the Corporation of the Town of […]

Read More


Government documents confirm coal lobbying on Rockies mining, show months of planning

Documents released under Alberta Freedom of Information laws confirm the United Conservative government was talking with the coal industry for years about relaxing a policy that protected the Rocky Mountains from open-pit mines.  The documents also show the province was talking about opening those landscapes to more development generally for at least seven months before […]

Read More


Judge orders Alberta to produce massive trove of coal documents after four-year fight

The Alberta government must produce thousands of documents on its attempts to encourage coal mining in the Rocky Mountains after a judge threw out a bid to block their release.  In denying the government’s request for a judicial review into an order to provide the documents, Justice Kent Teskey warned the province that courts take […]

Read More


B.C. tables anti-racism legislation, promises to hold public bodies accountable

The British Columbia government tabled legislation Thursday that’s designed to hold public bodies accountable for addressing systemic racism in policy and programs, the province’s attorney general said. Niki Sharma said the proposed law would cover provincial ministries, agencies, health-care and social service providers, and require the development of a public action plan using data the […]

Read More


New Jersey county prosecutor resigns amid misconduct probe, denies any wrongdoing

The top prosecutor in a northwestern New Jersey county has resigned amid a state probe into allegations that the office lied about caseloads to pad its budget with state money meant for fraud investigations. James Pfeiffer, who had been the Warren County prosecutor since 2019, resigned Friday “effective immediately,” state Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. […]

Read More


Key lawmakers float new rules for personal data protection; bill would make privacy a consumer right

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two influential lawmakers from opposing parties have crafted a deal on legislation designed to strengthen privacy protections for Americans’ personal data. The sweeping proposal announced Sunday evening would define privacy as a consumer right and create new rules for companies that collect and use personal information. It comes from the offices of […]

Read More


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces billions to build Canada’s AI capacity

The Liberal government is setting aside $2.4 billion in the upcoming budget to build capacity in artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday.  The bulk of that — $2 billion — is going into a fund that will aim to provide access to computing capabilities and technical infrastructure. Trudeau made the announcement at a […]

Read More