OTTAWA — A group of technology and human rights organizations are calling on the federal government to take immediate action to address concerns around artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology. In an open letter to the ministers of privacy and industry, the group asks for a moratorium on facial recognition technology by police services and […]

HALIFAX — A Cape Breton-based employment services organization mismanaged more than $1 million in government funds in what Nova Scotia’s auditor general says was a “perfect storm” of deliberate, systemic actions that benefited select managers and staff. Kim Adair’s audit of the Island Employment Association found numerous instances of “gross mismanagement of public funds,” including […]

OTTAWA — The RCMP says it is not investigating allegations of political interference in the federal handling of criminal charges against engineering firm SNC-Lavalin. In a statement today, the Mounties set the record straight after a recent response to a public interest group’s Access to Information request suggested the Mounties were conducting such a probe. […]

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is taking out more advertising in the lead-up to the Oct. 3 provincial election and has more leeway to do so under recent changes to provincial law. The Progressive Conservative government has budgeted $375,500 for the latest phase of advertising promoting its recent agreement with the federal government to offer […]

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Cybersecurity Minister Colton LeBlanc says his department has identified thousands more people affected by a recent global data breach, and this week it is beginning the process of notifying the “most vulnerable” victims of the hack. But LeBlanc told a news conference Wednesday it’s hard to give a precise estimate of […]

OTTAWA — The federal government’s key transparency provision has steadily eroded to the point where it no longer serves its intended purpose, says information commissioner Caroline Maynard. In her annual report to Parliament tabled Tuesday, Maynard said chronic issues continue to plague the access-to-information system, with no solutions in sight. For a $5 fee, Canadians […]

Hong Kong’s government is betting that Canadian companies and other overseas businesses will put profits over politics as it tries to lure talent and industry back to the city that has been cracking down on dissent after quashing a pro-democracy protest movement. A Toronto-based official involved in the pitch that was advertised in Canadian newspapers […]

OTTAWA — The families of convicted killer and rapist Paul Bernardo’s victims didn’t learn that he was being transferred to a different prison until the day it happened, the correctional service confirmed Friday. Tim Danson, who represents the families of two of Bernardo’s victims, said in an open letter Friday that the family of Kristen […]

HALIFAX — Officials in Nova Scotia have identified thousands of files stolen in a global data breach affecting the personal information of at least 100,000 people in the province. Cybersecurity and Digital Solutions Minister Colton LeBlanc said Friday that a number of current and former teachers were victims of the hack, as were students, inmates […]

OTTAWA — Canada requested use of the European Union’s compound in Kabul to help with tasks such as fingerprinting for those fleeing Afghanistan, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly made the request on Jan. 20, 2022, according to documents obtained through an access-to-information request. “Minister Joly asked EU […]

LONDON (AP) — A lawyer for Prince Harry finished setting out the royal’s case against a newspaper publisher on Thursday, quizzing a former tabloid reporter about information inserted into stories by then-editor Piers Morgan. On the final day of evidence, attorney David Sherborne grilled former Daily Mirror royal correspondent Jane Kerr, whose byline appears on […]

TORONTO — Ontario is set to increase the wages of early childhood educators in a bid to boost recruitment and retention amid a staff shortage that advocates warn could hamper the growth of the national $10-a-day child-care program. The government has drafted — but not yet released — a child-care workforce strategy based on consultations […]