PressProgress Sources

What changes to Freedom of Information laws mean for Ontario

PressProgress Sources

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A wave of changes is hitting Ontario, including one that is going to make finding things out about the province more difficult for reporters and the public. 

In March, Doug Ford announced that his government was going to change Freedom of Information Laws to exempt correspondence from himself and his cabinet ministers. 

These changes come after a court ruled that Ford’s personal cell phone records were subject to information requests. It’s been known for a long time that Ford conducts provincial business on his personal phone, so obviously - reporters have been trying to get to those records. 

Now - if these new rules are put in place, they can’t. 

The Trillium’s Queen’s Park Reporter Jack Hauen joins Ontario reporter Eric Wickham to talk about these proposed changes. 

Note:

This interview was recorded on Wednesday April 1, so there is no mention of the province’s most recent proposal to change regional government by slashing councils in Simcoe and Niagara and giving an appointed regional chair “strong chair powers.”

This new development was announced Thursday afternoon before the long weekend. 

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