The Liberal government proposes making it easier for federal agencies to share and reuse the personal data of Canadians as part of a major overhaul of the Privacy Act.
The act governs how federal agencies collect, use and disclose personal information, and gives people the right to see and correct data the government holds about them.
In a new policy paper, the government proposes allowing federal agencies to reuse and share personal data with each other and with their provincial, territorial or municipal partners, without consent, if it improves services or programs.
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The paper also suggests bolstering protection by recognizing privacy as a fundamental right and requiring an assessment when a federal program uses personal data to make a decision about someone.
The Privacy Act has not changed substantially since it took effect in 1983.
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The government says comments and feedback on the policy approaches will be collected through an online submission form until July 10.
Liberals table tweaked ‘lawful access’ bill after privacy concerns, backlash
Duck Lake — a Saskatchewan community steeped in history that includes Louis Riel and the Northwest Rebellion — will not be renamed for a corporate sponsor.
The mayor says a campaign accepting bids to buy the naming rights to the town is dead but admits the bad blood it spawned lives on.
“Lots of people still won’t even look at me anymore. They’re quite angry about it,” Mayor Jason Anderson said in an interview.
On Tuesday, the deadline passed for the town, located north of Saskatoon, to accept sealed bids from businesses to pony up and take over the town name.
The minimum acceptable bid was $10 million.
Anderson said there were no bidders in the campaign, which began last fall and would still have still required a vote among residents before final name-change approval.
“I guess it just wasn’t a good enough offer for (companies),” Anderson said.
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“I was expecting at least a few (offers). … Was it wishful thinking? Maybe.”
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Anderson said he had mailed more than 100 letters to Canadian companies to make his case for the town, which he said has thousands of vehicles passing through daily.
“Banks were some of them, some telecoms or somebody that had a name that they actually might be able to increase their business with,” he said.
A small number of people called back, he said, only to say, “This isn’t something they would do.”
The invitation created an intense debate in the town of 500.
Anderson said some residents understood how the money could help the community improve infrastructure, but others were furious about the history behind the town’s name being lost to a corporation.
Duck Lake, set amid aspen groves and fescue grasslands, got its name from the ducks that migrate through the area and rest at a nearby lake.
French-speaking Métis people began settling in Duck Lake in the 1860s and 1870s, before Saskatchewan became a province in 1905. In 1885, the area was the site of the first battle of the Northwest Rebellion, an uprising led by Louis Riel over land rights.
Anderson, who was elected two years ago, said he’s not completely bummed out.
“This has actually drawn up a lot of interest for our town,” he said.
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“We’ve had lot of people coming. We’ve had inquiries from developers, which we haven’t had for years.”
He said the welcome mat remains out for businesses, corporations and curious travellers.
“It’s a beautiful little community,” he said.
“We have an amazing museum and (with) the history alone in our town, there is a lot going on.
“I know most people will want to go into the cities to open up their new business,” he added.
“But if you can do it for half of the price coming to our town, well, why wouldn’t you consider that?”
The prospect of U.S. automaker Stellantis using its Brampton, Ont., facility as a bare bones assembly plant for Chinese electric vehicles is being panned by Unifor.
The union confirmed Thursday that Stellantis is exploring the option of bringing in Chinese automaker Leapmotor to the idled plant to build electric vehicles.
It said the potential move, first reported by Bloomberg, could mean the automaker brings in an operation that relies on much of the manufacturing happening in China, leaving only minor assembly for plants abroad.
“Unifor has very grave concerns about this proposal because it is not manufacturing,” national president Lana Payne said.
“It doesn’t use the Canadian supply chain. There are no jobs in auto parts and very few jobs assembling these knock-down kits.”
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Stellantis did not confirm any talks with Chinese manufacturers, but said in a statement that it is actively evaluating future programs for Brampton and is in discussions with government officials and key stakeholders.
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The automaker bought a roughly 21 per cent stake in Leapmotor in 2023 and has since formed a partnership to expand production outside of China.
Stellantis said it remains focused on a strong Canadian footprint with an objective of ensuring any investment decision is sustainable and a long-term commitment that supports workers and suppliers.
The future of the Brampton plant is unclear after Stellantis announced last year that it was moving production planned for the site to the United States.
The decision, leaving about 3,000 workers furloughed, came after the U.S. imposed tariffs on auto imports with an aim to bring more production in-country.
Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s office said in a statement that the automaker’s decision to move Jeep Compass production to Illinois was unacceptable and that it’s working with the company, Unifor and the Ontario government to secure production.
The potential of bringing Leapmotor to Canada comes after the federal government announced it was lowering tariffs on 49,000 Chinese EVs per year to 6.1 per cent from a prohibitive 100 per cent.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said at the time that he expected the deal would drive “considerable” new Chinese joint-venture investment in Canada and create new auto manufacturing careers for Canadian workers.
Unifor and Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized the deal, saying it would end up being harmful to the Ontario manufacturing base.
Taxpayers in Kingston and Loyalist Township could be on the hook for $400,000 following alarming revelations of financial mismanagement at the Kingston Area Taxi Commission (KATC).
A new public report bound for city council on Tuesday details severe operational and financial failures within the KATC, prompting urgent calls from local leaders for a forensic audit.
Greg Ridge, who took over as KATC chair after moving a motion to replace the previous commission last November, said the discoveries made by the new commission and city staff were “far worse than expected.”
The ongoing review uncovered a $262,000 Ontario Superior Court judgment against the KATC for creating a “toxic and hostile work environment,” along with an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 in unpaid payroll remittances to the Canada Revenue Agency.
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The report also flagged approximately $167,000 spent on consultants and legal fees in 2025, accounting for nearly half of the commission’s operating budget. Furthermore, meeting minutes and agendas from 2025 are missing entirely.
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“People are right to be angry. I am angry. This is a breach of public trust,” Ridge stated. He noted that prior to the leadership change, previous commission members had assured city council that operations were stabilizing, failing to disclose these critical liabilities.
City Council. Brandon Tozzo, who resigned from the KATC in July 2025 over a lack of financial transparency, is urging his council colleagues to support a full, independent forensic audit.
“This situation is unacceptable,” Tozzo said in a statement. “I am calling on my fellow Council members … to ensure that any evidence of wrongdoing is immediately referred to law enforcement.”
Both Ridge and Tozzo stressed that the financial chaos has serious implications for vulnerable residents, particularly those who rely on the Kingston Accessible Taxi Program, which was already grappling with a $230,000 deficit last fall.
Under KATC bylaws, the City of Kingston and Loyalist Township are responsible for outstanding liabilities if the commission dissolves, meaning the $400,000 burden will ultimately fall to taxpayers.
Family members of a 15-year-old girl killed in a drive-by shooting in Montreal in 2021 delivered emotional victim impact statements today at her killer’s sentencing hearing.
Salim Touaibi bowed his head as Meriem Boundaoui’s parents, siblings and other family members described their loss and pain in letters read in court.
A jury found Touaibi guilty last week of murdering Boundaoui, and also convicted him on four counts of attempted murder.
Touaibi’s co-accused, Aymane Bouadi, was acquitted of all charges.
The victim’s sister, Safia Boundaoui, told the court that Meriem was not only a beloved daughter, sister and aunt but also the symbol of her family’s hopes for their life in Canada.
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She said her sister was a person full of hopes and dreams whose smile was extinguished the day of her murder.
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“We will always live with this absence that can never be filled,” she said.
The Superior Court trial heard that Boundaoui was sitting in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen Jetta in Montreal’s St-Léonard borough on Feb. 7, 2021, when a white Mercedes with two men inside pulled up and one of them opened fire.
Touaibi testified to being the shooter, but said he didn’t realize Boundaoui or anyone else was in the Jetta when he shot at it with the intention of scaring those nearby.
He automatically faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. But the judge still needs to determine Touaibi’s sentence on the four counts of attempted murder related to the several people who were standing near the Jetta when he opened fire.
Prosecutor Simon Lapierre suggested Touaibi should be given a life sentence for the attempted murders given the violent nature of the crime, the number of victims and his criminal history.
A 70-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for the death of a 25-year-old woman in 1988 has died while in custody at Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick, according to Correctional Service Canada.
In a news release issued Wednesday, CSC said Melvin Glen Stanton died on Tuesday while incarcerated at the federal institution.
Stanton had been serving a life sentence since March 16, 1971.
According to a CSC document, Stanton escaped from a community corrections centre in Toronto in 1988 and went on to kill 25-year-old Tema Conter, who was born and raised in Halifax.
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The Tema Foundation, established in Conter’s memory, says she was murdered on Jan. 27, 1988, while on her way to work.
The offender, who had been placed in a halfway house in midtown Toronto, entered her apartment building and attacked her, according to the foundation’s website.
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The organization said Conter was known for her humour, warmth and strong connections with those around her, and that her death had a lasting impact on her family, friends and front-line workers who responded to the incident.
In a statement, the Tema Foundation said it remains committed to honouring Conter’s legacy.
“By advancing this work, we honour Tema’s legacy in a way that is both purposeful and transformative … ensuring that her memory lives on through positive change and continued care for others,” said Cheryl Matthews, CEO of the Tema Foundation.
CSC said the inmate’s next of kin have been notified and the coroner has been informed, as required in all deaths in custody.
Thousands of soccer fans descending on Toronto for the FIFA World Cup are planning trips outside of the city, a new report suggests.
Destination Ontario, in partnership with Context Research Group, released a report Thursday indicating that among potential visitors from the United States and European markets, some are either interested in, actively planning or have booked travel to Ontario for the tournament.
The findings, which are based on computer-assisted web interviews conducted between Feb. 14 and 20, show nine in 10 travellers are likely to explore other regions or destinations during their FIFA World Cup trip; more than half (54 per cent) are most likely to travel outside Toronto after the tournament ends.
Toronto will host six matches during the tournament, which will also see games played in Vancouver, the United States and Mexico between June 11 and July 19.
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Toronto’s group-stage matches, which include Canada’s tournament opener on June 12, will feature nations such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Croatia, Ghana, Panama, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Iraq.
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Toronto’s final match will be an as-yet-undecided Round of 32 knockout match on July 2 at 7 p.m.
“Niagara stands out as the leading extension, followed by Ottawa and a set of secondary regions within a manageable travel radius. In practice, most visitors see two to three hours as the upper limit for day trips and around four hours for overnight travel, which effectively defines the realistic catchment for tournament-driven dispersion,” the report reads.
“Families travelling with children and couples are particularly likely to explore beyond Toronto, as are travellers who have previously visited other parts of Ontario. Timing also varies by market. Travellers from the U.S. and U.K. are more likely to explore after the tournament, while those from Germany and France are more likely to do so during the tournament period.”
Toronto shares FIFA World Cup 2026 mobility plan
The report added visitors’ travel choices within Ontario are primarily driven by practical constraints like time and cost.
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“The same themes reappear as barriers to going beyond Toronto, where limited trip time, overall budgets, the extra cost of travelling further, and concerns about travel duration or congestion all dampen appetite for regional exploration,” the report reads.
“Against this backdrop, information needs are highly functional. Travellers want clear guidance on food, navigation, attractions, travel times, budgets, and accommodation both before and during their trip, with first-time event travellers especially reliant on help with restaurant and cost information.”
FIFA said in December 2025 the tournament could generate up to $940 million in positive economic output for the Greater Toronto Area, including $520 million in GDP growth, $340 million in labour income and $25 million in government revenue.
The City of Mississauga has followed in Toronto’s footsteps by ending the practice of raising international flags at city hall to celebrate various holidays across the globe.
Previously, national flags for other countries could be hoisted on the flagpole in Mississauga, Ont., to celebrate heritage months and independence days.
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The practice has now been ended, Mayor Carolyn Parrish said, with only charities and associations allowed to use the flagpole. That, according to the mayor, is what it was “originally intended” for.
“Our citizens come from all over the world, leaving conflicts to become Canadians,” Parrish wrote in a social media post after council approved the plan.
She said all new Canadians with proof of address in Mississauga could collect a full-sized Canadian flag from city hall for free.
Toronto city council also recently banned the raising of national flags for other countries.
Federal Conservatives are calling for Ottawa to drop the tax on gas and diesel fuel for the rest of this year.
The Tories say their plan would eliminate the Fuel Excise Tax at 10 cents per litre, the Clean Fuel Standard at seven cents per litre, and the Goods and Services Tax at eight cents per litre.
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Combined, they say the cuts would save Canadians 25 cents a litre.
After the year, the Conservatives say they would make the cut to the fuel standard tax permanent.
The party’s statement says Canadians are currently paying 20 per cent more than Americans are paying for gas. It notes that other countries have already taken action to lower gas prices by reducing fuel taxes, including Australia, Spain and Ireland.
To pay for the tax relief, the Conservatives say they would cut what they call the Liberals’ “wasteful spending on the gun buyback, bureaucracy, consultants, foreign aid, and boondoggles.”
Ontario Provincial Police say officers are looking for “multiple people” accused of climbing the boards at a hockey rink, taking their shirts off and breaking the glass.
OPP said that on March 26, a hockey team was playing a game at the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre in Bracebridge when a group of youth and young adult fans climbed the boards between 9:30 and 10 p.m.
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When they were reportedly atop the boards, they apparently rocked the glass until it broke. Some involved reportedly pulled off their shirts and were waving them around in the air.
“The conduct of this group of spectators was unacceptable and caused significant damage to the glass and supports,” police said in a news release.
“Multiple people were recording this incident, and police are aware that many of those videos are circulating online.”
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The OPP did not provide a description of the individuals they’re looking for.
An investigation is underway.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
