Morning update: Ottawa spent $90 million in 2021 on flawed access to information system – The Globe and Mail

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Secret Canada: Over the next few months, The Globe and Mail will look at issues at the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels and explore solutions to the country’s culture of secrecy.

Federal Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard has warned a House of Commons committee that her office is on track for a record 10,000 complaints this year, as the government’s access to information systems Canada collapsed under a wave of access requests and insufficient resources.

Every department works to meet its legal obligations regarding access to information, Maynard told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics yesterday. .

“Nobody’s doing well,” Maynard said. Last year, 30% of requests were completed after the legislated deadlines, according to data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Maynard’s office is responsible for mediating access disputes at the federal level. For 90 minutes before the House committee, she discussed the litany of problems that have plagued the Canadian system: long delays, excessive redactions and outdated laws. “We need more resources, we need more innovation, and we definitely need more leaders who believe in access,” she said.

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ArriveCan app spending expected to exceed $54 million, double the amount originally disclosed by Ottawa

Total federal spending on the ArriveCan app is expected to reach more than $54 million this year – more than double what the government recently said it has spent to date – and Ottawa’s approach to outsourcing related raises issues of transparency.

A Globe and Mail analysis of ArriveCan contracts found that the company that received the most federal work on the application – GCstrategies – is an Ottawa-area company with fewer than five employees that relies heavily on dozens of subcontractors. Still, the government and the company say they can’t reveal the identities of those contractors because of the secrecy provisions of the federal procurement rules.

The Canada Border Services Agency has provided conflicting answers over the past few weeks regarding the number of companies that have received ArriveCan-related contracts. After providing the media this summer with a list of five companies that had received contracts, the agency recently submitted documents to Parliament listing 27 contracts involving 23 unique companies.

Pressure mounts on Hockey Canada as Tim Hortons and Scotiabank drop sponsorship and Quebec and Ontario hockey associations withdraw support

Two of Hockey Canada’s most high-profile sponsors and two of the country’s largest provincial hockey associations are throwing their support behind the sport’s governing body as pressure mounts over its handling of an alleged sexual assault involving players of Team Canada.

Tim Hortons and the Bank of Nova Scotia both said yesterday their decision to suspend Hockey Canada sponsorship this summer would be extended for all men’s hockey for the 2022-23 season.

The decision means the national coffee chain and one of the country’s largest banks will have no sponsor presence at the World Junior Championship tournament, to be held this winter in Halifax.

This announcement follows a decision by Hockey Quebec to immediately withhold player registration fees from Hockey Canada, while the Ontario Hockey Federation has begun to prepare the ground for a similar decision.

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Also on our radar

Mass shooting in Thailand kills 34 at daycare: Police have identified the attacker as a former member of the force who was removed from his post last year over drug allegations. After attacking the daycare center, he killed his wife and child in their home before turning the gun on himself, police said.

French author Annie Ernaux wins the Nobel Prize for Literature: Ernaux won “for the courage and clinical acumen with which she uncovers the collective roots, estrangements and strains of personal memory,” the Nobel committee said.

Ontario’s fire chiefs are urging the province to act after the gas explosion: Ontario’s fire chiefs are pushing the provincial government to take action against potentially dangerous abandoned oil and gas wells after an explosion last year in Wheatley, Ont., that ripped through its downtown core and injured 20 people.

Putin claims control of Ukrainian nuclear power plant: Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered his government to take control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, as the UN nuclear watchdog warned that the power supply of the site was “extremely fragile”.

Rising costs and labor shortages hamper Fiona’s rebuild: The desire to rebuild quickly after post-tropical storm Fiona comes up against challenges that existed before hurricane-force winds left a wake of destruction in Nova Scotia: the rising cost of building materials and widespread shortages of skilled labor.

The tech giant is raising the stakes for Bill C-11: As tensions rise in parliament over Bill C-11, YouTube yesterday sent emails to thousands of people who make money by posting on its platform to rally their support to fight against the online streaming bill, warning them that the bill could harm their livelihoods.

Equity trading and M&A activity slowed sharply in the third quarter: Traffic on Bay Street slowed to a frantic pace. Buyback activity and sales of stocks and debt, the lifeblood of investment banks and law firms, have fallen sharply so far this year compared to 2021. Rising interest rates interest, recession fears and a sell-off in the stock market cooled what had been a hot market in which to do business.

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Morning markets

Global stocks rose today as the US dollar eased ahead of jobs data that could offer a signal on the outlook for interest rates, while oil prices jumped after the OPEC+ has agreed to cut production. The MSCI All-World Index of global stocks rose 0.3% on the day, heading for a weekly gain of 5.3%.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei stock index climbed 0.7% to 27,311.30, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.42% to 18,012.15.

In Europe, stocks were mixed. In early trading, Britain’s FTSE slipped 0.1% to 7,045.55, Germany’s DAX rose 0.21% to 12,543.49 and France’s CAC 40 was flat at 5,985.52.

The loonie was trading at 73.24 US cents.

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What is everyone talking about

Campbell Clark: “Both in Quebec and Ontario, fear for health care networks in the event of a pandemic has now given way to regular discussions about finding a family doctor, getting an appointment or waiting lists. The fact that opposition politicians in both provinces have not grasped this is an obvious shortcoming. Some had political reasons for this, but that does not take away from the problem. Politics is disconnected from what Canadians expect most from government.

Rob Carrick: “The construction of new homes, condos and rental units is much needed and should help with affordability. But let’s not over-promise young adults their chances of owning no-compromise homes that previous generations didn’t have to.

Cathal Kelly: “So the gauntlet has been thrown down – Denmark have done absolutely nothing significant to protest the World Cup. What a meaningless, headline-grabbing thing will all other countries do to stand out?It seems like no sport can take place anywhere these days without some kind of protest, but what a sad kind of protest most of the time is.

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Editorial cartoon of the day

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Live better

Thanksgiving Dinner Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful: A Foolproof Guide to Accommodations

Even before COVID-19, Thanksgiving — well, any big holiday really — could be a major stressor for hosts. The pandemic has amplified this. To ease some of the pressure, we asked experts for their thoughts on how to have a safe and fun meeting with minimal stress and worry. The overriding message is clear: Embrace reconnecting, but don’t overdo it.

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Moment in Time: October 6, 1993

Michael Jordan announces his first retirement

Michael Jordan had done it all. Three National Basketball Association MVP awards, three NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVP awards, two Olympic gold medals, sponsorship deals, and Croesus’ wealth. But on this day in 1993 in Chicago, the Bulls star – just 30 and in his prime – shockingly announced his retirement. The 6ft 6in full-back called his career a ‘treasure’ and said: “I have nothing more to prove. I am very happy with my decision. He was also influenced by the recent murder of his father, saying he understood life was short and precious. Yet he left the door ajar. “If I want to come back and play again, maybe that’s what I want to do.” short career in minor league baseball, he joined the Bulls in 1995, won two more league MVP awards, three more Finals MVP awards, and led the Bulls to titles from 1996-1998. retired again on January 13, 1999. , and this time he really meant it. But he joined the Washington Wizards roster in 2001 and at the end of the 2002-03 season, he retired again. And this time he really, really meant it. Philip King

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