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I can’t imagine how they’ll be able to run again in 2011 with a campaign promise of wanting to make this the most “open and transparent” civic government in Canada. If they do, they’ll be laughed out of the room.”
City refuses to release noise exemption letter signed by Mayor – CityCaucus.com
Oshawa council spends expense cash on BlackBerries, advertising, meals, galas – Newsdurhamregion.com
Oshawa council spends expense cash on BlackBerries, advertising, meals, galas
Newsdurhamregion.com
Oshawa This Week recently filed a Freedom of Information request to obtain line-by-line details of what Oshawa councillors and the mayor bought
Scotland’s LibDems FOI Request Shows Massive Data Losses Across Government
See all stories on this topic »“
Image via Wikipedia“A Freedom of Information petition by the Liberal Democrats has revealed massive data losses in government organisations across the UK and Scotland. …
LibDems FOI Request Shows Massive Data Losses Across Government:
Offshore oil boards not in conflict of interest with industry
Image via Wikipedia Offshore oil boards not in conflict of interest with industry: “
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| Hill Times |
Both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland governments are now planning to amend the … in submitting five access to information requests to the Newfoundland board …
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Opposition undeterred by Tory refusal to hand over emails
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Opposition undeterred by Tory refusal to hand over emails
Gloria Galloway
Ottawa
From Monday’s Globe and Mail Published on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010 9:11PM EDT
The federal government’s refusal to give a Commons committee the e-mail records of a Conservative staff member has not deterred opposition members who say they will fight to get the documents into their hands.
Conservative House Leader John Baird wrote last week to the clerk of the opposition-dominated Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics committee to say the government would “not be acceding” to the committee’s demand for the electronic correspondence of a political aide who blocked the release of an Access to Information request.
Conservative House Leader John Baird wrote last week to the clerk of the opposition-dominated Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics committee to say the government would “not be acceding” to the committee’s demand for the electronic correspondence of a political aide who blocked the release of an Access to Information request.
Mr. Baird defended the decision, saying cabinet ministers, and not their staff, are responsible to Parliament. More than that, said Mr. Baird, parliamentary and constitution convention dictates that the political communications related to decisions and actions of cabinet ministers are never disclosed.
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/opposition-undeterred-by-governments-refusal-to-hand-over-emails/article1689506/
Unlock sex offender data
Scottish housing providers were refused statistics on sex offenders but have won an appeal.
Emma Gilpin, senior solicitor in public law at Brodies, explains.
The Court of Session in Scotland has upheld an appeal by Craigdale Housing Association and a number of other housing associations against a decision of the Scottish Information Commissioner to refuse them access to information about numbers of sex offenders living within the housing association’s area.
The request
The housing associations made the request to Strathclyde Police under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to help them work out whether there was a greater ‘burden’ placed on those areas served by the housing associations – in terms of the numbers of registered sex offenders living in those areas – than on areas deemed to be more ‘affluent’.
Strathclyde Police refused to provide the information and argued that it was ‘exempt’ from release. The Scottish Information Commissioner – who is responsible for checking that public authorities comply with their duties under FOI – upheld the police’s decision to withhold the information.
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/ihstory.aspx?storycode=6511381
Projet Montreal wants documents public
Image via Wikipedia Projet Montreal wants documents public
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Gazette
MONTREAL- Genieau, the consortium that lost Montreal’s $355.8-million water-management contract, says it hasn’t decided whether it will fight the city to keep it from making parts of its $34-million claim for the cancellation of the controversial contract public.
Opposition party Projet Montreal filed an access to information request with the city to see the bills and other documents that Genieau submitted with its claim last month.
The city clerk’s office, which handles access requests, wrote to the party yesterday saying that certain documents are confidential, including contracts Genieau had signed with subcontractors. The city clerk’s office also said it thinks the company’s summary invoices, covering assorted supplies of goods or services, should be public.
Genieau has 15 days to file an appeal with Quebec’s access to information commission to try to keep the invoices secret.
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.montrealgazette.com/mobile/iphone/story.html?id=3448652
UK MPs abuse watchdog staff over new expenses regime
Image by Jessicamulley via Flickr MPs abuse watchdog staff over new expenses regime
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has revealed the way their staff were treated by MPs as a result of the new rules on expenses.
The scheme came into effect on 7 May 2010, and was devised by the independent watchdog to ensure that expenses are based on reimbursement as opposed to “paying allowances”.
As a result of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the IPSA has published a document which reveals the extent to which MPs and Houses of Commons employees treated watchdog staff when they were handling their expenses. It revealed that IPSA staff reported ten separate incidents of abuse, which included an MP repeatedly calling the new systems an “abortion”, another individual striking the laptop of his facilitator’s desk and one MP using expletives to one IPSA staff member and said they would “murder someone today”.
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thegrapevinemagazine.com/?newsid=3170
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