Alberta government failed to follow access to information rules
In a new report, Alberta's information and privacy commissioner has found that the provincial government relied on policies that broke access to information laws and were used to improperly refuse to process some requests for public records.
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The report was released Friday and comes after a 21 month-long investigation into how the provincial government handles requests made under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).
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In the report, Information and Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod outlined how 27 public bodies relied on policies that 'do not align with the purposes of the act', with McLeod noting, 'accountability is the cornerstone of the exercise of good governance.'
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'There is only one choice that these public bodies have, and that is to administer these provisions in accordance with the act and in such a manner that ensures Albertans are able to effectively exercise these rights.'
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The investigation centred around how government departments interpreted three sections of the FOIP act related to the wording of requests, the creation of records in response to requests, and the department's duty to assist the public in accessing records.
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McLeod found multiple breaches of the act around how the government required requests to be structured, including: limiting requests to one topic, restricting the time frame of the search for records, and splitting requests with multiple topics into several new requests at the cost of more fees.
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She noted the government refused to combine multiple existing records and create one new record, as required for the act.
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Departments also did not live up to part of the act requiring them to 'make every reasonable effort to assist applicants' in accessing information, according to the report.
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McLeod recommended overhauling those policies to better align with the act and improve responses to information requests.
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The office for Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally acknowledged Postmedia's request for comment Friday afternoon.
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Vancouver Sun
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- Vancouver Sun
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A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'The bottom line is that Canadians across the country envision the process as much more complex than a simple majority vote on a referendum question,' said Jack Jedwab, president of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies. Public discussion about Alberta separating from Canada drew more mainstream attention in May, after the federal election returned the Liberal Party to government and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled provincial legislation to make it easier for Albertans to trigger a referendum on the province leaving the rest of Canada. Smith said she would hold such a referendum if a citizen petition called for it. 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National Post
4 hours ago
- National Post
As separatist talk simmers in Alberta and Quebec, Canadians say breaking up will be hard to do: poll
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Toronto Sun
5 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
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Published Jun 06, 2025 • 5 minute read American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen performs during Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris's campaign rally at James R Hallford Stadium in Clarkston, Georgia. Photo by Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, an ally-turned-critic of President Donald Trump, says he recently reached out to another target of the president's ire: rock legend Bruce Springsteen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Springsteen opened his European tour by calling Trump 'unfit.' The president fired back, dismissing The Boss as a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker.' As a regular Trump punching bag, Christie could relate. Christie 'fell in love' with Springsteen and his music when he first saw him perform some 50 years ago – and loyalty to party or president won't change that. 'The politics, if I take some hits – and I do take some hits – that's fine,' he said. Christie is far from the only Republican standing with Springsteen, with several Republican operatives saying the rocker's music is bigger than politics – even if that means they have to compartmentalize a bit. 'I don't think it matters that he is a liberal,' said Chris Pack, a longtime Republican operative whose office wall has images of Republicans such as former speaker John A. Boehner and former president George W. Bush alongside the framed lyrics to Springsteen's 'Darkness on the Edge of Town.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'These amazing life lessons aren't Democratic or Republican lessons. They're just lessons,' said Pack, who described Springsteen's music as a soundtrack to his life, with 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' inspiring him to leave state politics in New York and take a shot at national politics in D.C. 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The Republican operative even remembers making a pizza for Springsteen during his high school job at Federici's Family Restaurant – immortalized by a signed take-out menu that now hangs on Marinella's office wall. 'He is a hometown hero, even if we don't always agree with what he says.' Pack and Marinella exemplify Republicans whose love of Springsteen is bigger than politics, conspicuous in a world where everything – sports, music, movies, arts – is political. Springsteen's politics are no secret: He has endorsed every Democratic nominee since 2004. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But the rift with Trump, someone known to disown Republicans who buck him by supporting his opponents, has made the relationship between the Republican political class and Springsteen more challenging. Not a single member of New Jersey's congressional delegation responded when asked about Trump's feud with the Jersey icon, nor did the three top Republicans running to be the party's gubernatorial nominee. And when Pack spoke of a 'ton' of Republican Springsteen fans in Washington, he declined to provide names. 'I don't want to out people,' he said with a laugh. Christie, whose relationship with Springsteen has gone through rough patches, questioned New Jersey Republicans declining to back Springsteen. 'What the public wants from their politicians more than anything else is authenticity, and so it is not only weak personally, but it is also stupid politically, to act as if you don't have an opinion,' he said, noting that Springsteen is arguably the greatest entertainer from the state, alongside Frank Sinatra. 'If you are a New Jersey person and you are trying to claim you don't have an opinion on this, people know that you are full of it,' he added. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Democrat who succeeded Christie as governor, agreed. 'Bruce Springsteen is a Jersey – and American – icon,' said Murphy. 'If you want to win an election in this state, you don't criticize The Boss.' A representative for Springsteen declined to respond to questions when asked about the artist's rift with Trump and exchanges with Christie. Springsteen's music has long been intertwined with politics, most notably during the 1984 presidential election when President Ronald Reagan invoked Springsteen, whose 'Born in the USA' was topping the charts, to say his Republican agenda was 'all about' trying to 'make those dreams come true.' Springsteen disagreed and let it be known days later. Politicians including Reagan and other right-wing commentators at the time treated 'Born in the USA' as a patriotic anthem – in reality, it is an anti-war protest song that tells the story of a Vietnam veteran unable to find his way in the country. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Anyone who is surprised by Springsteen's position on the current administration … isn't maybe the truest Springsteen fan they think they are,' said Frank Luna, a former Republican campaign operative who has worked for multiple New Jersey Republicans and lives on the Jersey Shore. 'The people who, over the years, have told Bruce Springsteen to shut up and sing are the same people dancing in the aisles to 'Born in the USA' with an American flag.' While Springsteen's politics have appeared consistently liberal, the politics of some of his fans – and the men and women he wrote about for much of his career – have shifted. Much of his early work focused on the plight of the working class versus the rich: His 1980 ballad 'The River' tells the story of a working-class couple looking to make it out, his 1984 song 'My Hometown' is about the boom-and-bust nature of some small manufacturing towns and his 1978 song 'Badlands' is about greed, wealth and feeling unseen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But where Democrats were once seen as the party of the working class, under Trump the GOP has made such successful inroads with working class Americans that a recent CNN poll found Democrats and Republicans are tied when it comes to public perception about which party better represents the middle class, a marked departure from the last decades. 'A lot of it has to do with the flight of industrial jobs. The jobs he remembers, the jobs his dad had at the rug factory, don't really exist in the U.S. anymore,' said Marc Dolan, the author of 'Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock 'n' Roll,' invoking Springsteen's 1978 song 'Factory' about what his father's factory work gave him and took away. Dolan said he believes Springsteen is aware of this shift, which may be why he made these comments abroad. 'He is very good at pulling the audience in, making them feel like they are having a collective experience, but also challenging them,' said Dolan. 'He has never been one to totally turn off his audience. He is one to put them in a pickle where they don't know how they feel for a bit. But … how do you challenge the congregation without them leaving the church?' Pack was intentionally vague when asked why he thought so many New Jersey Republicans declined to respond to questions about Springsteen amid his spat with Trump. 'Don't wanna piss off the boss,' he said. 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