Indigenous recruitment conference held in Regina
Regina Watch
WATCH: Workplace recruiters gathered at Hotel Saskatchewan on Tuesday to assess how they can attract and hire more Indigenous employees.
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CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
Doug Ford says he treats First Nations ‘like gold' but they ‘keep coming hat in hand'
FILE - Premier of Ontario Doug Ford speaks to media during the First Minister's Meeting in Saskatoon on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards speaks to media during the First Minister's Meeting in Saskatoon on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is willing to give First Nations what they want for their support in developing mines, but they cannot "keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government" for more money. Ford is set to meet Thursday with several dozen chiefs who are part of Anishinabek Nation, which represents 39 First Nations in the province. First Nations are livid with the province over the passage of Bill 5, which gives cabinet the power to suspend municipal and provincial laws for chosen projects through the creation of so-called special economic zones. The designation of these zones is part of a new omnibus law that Ford's government says is designed to speed up the construction of large infrastructure projects, particularly mines. Ford has said the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario will be declared the first such zone. First Nations have said they want to be part of economic development, but they are outraged by the government's decision to proceed with legislation before consulting them. Ford has repeatedly said that First Nation treaty rights will be respected and the government will fulfil its duty to consult them through a series of meetings this summer. "This is like handing an opportunity on a silver platter to First Nations that, by the way, I have treated like gold," Ford said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference. As proof of his government's good will, Ford pointed to the province's $3 billion Indigenous financing program for loan guarantees to allow First Nations to become owners in big infrastructure projects, as well as $70 million to train Indigenous workers for jobs in construction, development and mining. "When I first came into office, I told Minister (Greg) Rickford, 'Treat them well, give them what they need, whatever they want for them to prosper.' But there's going to be a point that you can't just keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government, you've got to be able to take care of yourselves," Ford said. "And when you literally have gold mines, nickel mines, every type of critical mineral that the world wants, and you're saying, 'No, no, I don't want to touch that, by the way, give me money' — not going to happen." Sol Mamakwa, the New Democrat who represents the Ring of Fire region and the lone First Nation member of the Ontario legislature, called out Ford's remarks. "The premier's remarks today were deeply offensive and racist," he said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "Today's remarks prove that the premier has a fundamental lack of understanding of Ontario's treaty relationship with First Nations." Mamakwa urged Ford to repeal the bill, which was only passed into law two weeks ago. "He is trying to create divisions in our province and is taking us back," Mamakwa said. "This premier has made it clear that he won't bring people together, uphold the honour of the Crown and obtain free, prior, and informed consent." Ford's office issued a statement later on Wednesday saying the premier "looks forward" to his discussions with First Nations. 'The premier expressed his desire to work with First Nations leaders to achieve self determination and economic reconciliation for their communities,' spokeswoman Grace Lee said. 'He looks forward to moving these discussions forward tomorrow.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025. Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
Privacy commissioner says smart vending machines went ‘over and above what you needed to sell snacks'
Ontario's privacy watchdog is sharing new insight on the investigation into the so-called smart vending machines that collected the personal data of users at the University of Waterloo. '[They] went over and above what you needed to sell snacks,' the privacy commissioner told CTV News. Those machines should have never been installed, she said, if the school had followed proper procedures. History of the case Students were alarmed last year when they saw an error message displayed on a machine in the Modern Languages building that read: ' – Application Error.' vending machine facial recognition A vending machine at University of Waterloo displays a facial recognition app error. (Reddit) They filed a formal complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) in Feb. 2024, alleging the vending machines were using facial recognition technology to collect images without their consent. The ensuing investigation determined the university had signed an agreement with Adaria to provide, maintain, monitor and stock the vending machines in Oct. 2023. The University of Waterloo told the IPC that Adaria had purchased or leased the machines from candymaker MARS and MARS contracted another company, Invenda to build and supply the machines. smart intelligent vending machine uw university of waterloo Intelligent Vending Machine (IVM) at the University of Waterloo. (Colton Wiens/CTV News) The school insisted they were not aware they contained facial recognition technology, and the machines were removed from campus when they learned about the students' concerns. smart intelligent vending machine uw university of waterloo Intelligent Vending Machines (IVMs) after being removed from the University of Waterloo. (Source: UW) According to IPC's report, the vending machines recorded purchase and demographic data. 'There was no dispute that the IVMs [Intelligent Vending Machines] captured video images of individuals' faces on the university's campus,' the report read. 'However, the university argued that the resolution of the optical sensor in the IVMs was too low for the device to be considered a camera or create identifiable images of individuals.' The investigator noted the images were of 'photographic quality' but were only held for milliseconds before being converted into grayscale images and numeric descriptors. facial recognition An example of the photos taken by facial recognition software (left) and conversion into grayscale images (right). (Source: Canadian Legal Information Institute) 'Our investigation into this matter has found no evidence to suggest that personal information, beyond the initial temporary capture of facial images, was retained and further used by these vendors,' the report said. The IPC ruled the university violated the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as it failed to do its due diligence to identify potential risks. More from the investigation Ontario's privacy commissioner spoke exclusively with CTV News about the investigation. Patricia Kosseim said the 'over-collection' of personal information was concerning. 'There were other optional features that, to our knowledge, we did not find were turned on in this case,' she said. 'These machines could also detect student's moods, from very happy to very sad, and facial features like a beard or a mustache, or if somebody was wearing sunglasses or not.' vending machine facial recognition Fourth-year University of Waterloo student River Stanley explains where students have been trying to cover a hole on a vending machine that they believe houses a camera. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener) The University of Waterloo, the privacy commissioner added, was not the only school to use the vending machines. 'We've gotten a lot of emails from people that have seen them all over the province.' vending machine facial recognition Students believe there is a camera inside this hole on the vending machine. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener) For Kosseim, the problem started before the contract was signed for the smart vending machines. 'Had they had proper due diligence in the course of their procurement practice… they would have probably twigged onto the fact that there was technology behind them, smart technology, that should have prompted the university to conduct a privacy impact assessment and then, unpack all of these features which would have given them the choice, the option to say, 'No, you can't do this,'' she explained. 'Then they would have seen that there were quite significant risks and… either mitigated the risks by not turning on those features or maybe going with another vendor altogether and avoiding all these problems.' Public institutions in Ontario have limitations on what personal information they can collect. 'They can only do it for a lawfully authorized activity,' Kosseim said. 'Universities are allowed to have cafeteria services and vending machines and provide food for its students on campus, and to collect payment information to pay for those services. But they were not lawfully authorized to go beyond that and collect all this additional information, which was not necessary for the purpose of buying a can of Coke or a bag of chips. That's where the law really draws the line in Ontario for public institutions.' She said the IPC's investigation should serve as a warning to other schools. 'Despite the best intentions, and sometimes unbeknownst to the institution itself, there could be these technologies in the background, in the dark so to speak, which really undermine students' trust or public trust more generally,' Kosseim explained. 'One of our strong recommendations to the institution, the university, going forward was to follow that guidance in the future so that similar oversights won't happen again.' Changes to privacy rules The investigation by the IPC only focused on what the university should have done to avoid potential privacy problems. 'We did not investigate the vending machine manufacturer or the provider or supplier,' Kosseim said. 'Those commercial activities fall under the jurisdiction of the federal commission.' The IPC also does not have the ability to do anything more than provide recommendations. That will change, however, on July 1. 'I'll have the ability, the authority, to exchange information with my federal counterparts or, in fact, any of my provincial or territorial counterparts,' Kosseim explained, adding that the federal commission could then investigate commercial or third-party vendors. 'A joint investigation can come up with consistent findings and work together, which is good for the institution as well.' The privacy commissioner can also go beyond recommendations. 'There are provisions that will come into force that will allow my office to conduct investigations with quite extensive investigative powers,' said Kosseim. 'And the power to issue binding orders, including to order institutions to stop certain practices or to change their practice, or to modify [their practice].' Institutions will also be required to do more due diligence. 'They will have to conduct privacy impact assessments… before collecting personal information or before making significant changes, to the purpose for which they will use or disclose that personal information,' Kosseim said. '[They] have an obligation to notify the students in this case, or the public or citizens or users of government services, of these collection practices and of these technologies. So, there is a positive obligation on institutions to provide public notice of what they're doing and explain the information practice.' The smart vending machine investigation is one of the last she will participate in before the new rules go into effect. Kosseim also praised those who first raised privacy concerns, saying they should be 'proud' of their efforts in this case. 'I want to just highlight how fortunate we were that the students brought this issue to our attention,' she said. 'That kind of proactivity on the part of everyday Ontarians is really important, to stand up for the rights of everybody.' MARS, Invenda and Adaria did not respond to requests for comment from CTV News. - With reporting from Colton Wiens
CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
Residents left in dark after power shut off at Fredericton motel
More than two dozen people living in a Fredericton motel are being forced to relocate. More than 25 residents – many of whom are low-income seniors – at a Fredericton motel have been left in the dark and without water as they search for a new place to live. In a letter dated June 14, the owner of the Airport Inn off Lincoln Road told residents the building is shutting down. The letter came a day after residents were told they would be without power for an unspecified amount of time due to various issues. 'On Friday the 13th around 8:30 a.m., NB Power shut off the power for the building,' Airport Inn owner and manager Yingchun Su told CTV News Atlantic in an email. 'We tried to work with him to run a temporary line from the other building to hook up well and hot water heater. He said it's not safe. If we do that, he will shut the other building off.' Later that same day, officials with the utility sent Su a two-page long list outlining necessary repairs needed for the building. Once she realized the repairs would be too much, she let tenants know the building would be shutting down. 'It was never my intention to give people such a short notice,' says the owner. 'In the 22 years of running the business, I worked really hard to keep the rent as low as possible.' Most tenants were paying anywhere from $530 to $590 a month with utilities, TV, and internet included, which is why many of them have lived at the motel just outside the city for more than a decade. A joint statement from the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety and NB Housing Corporation says significant safety concerns at the Inn were identified earlier in June. When measures to address the problems were not met by a deadline, power to the building was cut off due to safety concerns related to 'significant electrical issues.' The Housing Corporation points out a number of housing programs offered to residents who are finding challenges with securing a new place to live. Many of the programs need people to meet several eligibility requirements, before being put on a housing wait list for an unspecified amount of time. May Wyile has lived at the Airport Inn for 17 years. She admits there have been ups and downs in her time living off Lincoln Road but never anything like this. Mae Wyile Mae Wyile has lived at the Airport Inn for nearly two decades. (Source: Avery MacRae/CTV News Atlantic) She says there hasn't been much communication from the owner about the situation since it began. As she and others look for a new place to live, she is still staying at the Inn without lights or water. 'The first day was devastating enough,' says Wyile. 'Now as the days are going on, it's more devastating because now we get to try to carry our water in the flusher toilet, we got to carry around drinking water, we got to find ways to cook with propane barbecue, and we're buying food every day because our food in the fridge is all rotted.' Wyile says trying to find apartments is hard enough without internet, and the ones she does find are three times more then what she is paying for rent now. 'Some people are kind of trying to keep their sense of humor up by saying they're going to become homeless, get some tents and camp out here,' says fellow tenant Lorna Veniot. 'Well, I'm going to be the one that's watching the stars, because I can't even afford the damn tent right now.' Wylie and Veniot say everyone still living in the powerless motel is working together to help each other. Neither are sure how long they will live in the conditions before finding somewhere else. Green Party Leader David Coon, who is also the MLA for Fredericton Lincoln, calls it a 'horrible situation' and says he has been in contact with the government to try and help affected residents.A representative from his office stopped by the Inn today to help residents with applications forms for various government housing programs. 'Something's got to be done this week,' says Coon. 'This happened to tenants late last week. I found out about it on Monday, and ever since we've been working to try and get it addressed.' Airport Inn Fredericton's Airport Inn is shutting down. (Source: Avery MacRae/CTV News Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
