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Dean Beeby

@deanbeeby.bsky.social
521 followers 88 following 421 posts

Independent Canadian author and journalist, specialist in freedom-of-information laws, Ottawa-based. deanbeeby.ca | deanbeeby.substack.com. Co-author of forthcoming 24 Sussex: The Past & Future of Canada's Official Residence (Oct 2026)

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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
OP-ED: Journalists’ fine usage of Nova Scotia freedom-of-information law shows the need for reform. By Stanley Tromp. saltwire.com/cape-breton/... #cdnfoi #nsfoi #nspoli
saltwire.com
OP-ED: Journalists’ fine usage of Nova Scotia freedom-of-information law shows the need for reform
Freedom of information laws ensure that you have the legal right to see official records.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New substack from me: Official residence at 24 Sussex needs rehab, not a grand redesign deanbeeby.substack.com/p/24-sussex-... #cdnpoli
deanbeeby.substack.com
24 Sussex needs rehab, not a grand redesign
Danger of transforming official residence into “designer fortress”
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Longtime FOI advocate Stanley Tromp today released a rich database of 700 Nova Scotia news articles that are based on FOI releases in the province over the years. canadafoi.ca/nova-scotia-... #cdnfoi #nsfoi #nspoli
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
A new substack from me: RCMP warns of risks at restored 24 Sussex. deanbeeby.substack.com/p/rcmp-warns... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #rcmp
deanbeeby.substack.com
RCMP warns of risks at restored 24 Sussex
Cutting costs for security at residence will have consequences: commissioner
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Don't ignore access to information request, University of Saskatchewan told. theijf.org/article/dont... #cdnfoi #saskfoi #saskpoli
theijf.org
Don't ignore access to information request, University of Saskatchewan told
The university said the information request was frivolous. The privacy commissioner refused their argument.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New from me, for the IJF: RCMP still can't sell used patrol cars, though it's costing them millions theijf.org/article/rcmp... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #rcmp
theijf.org
RCMP still can't sell used patrol cars, though it's costing them millions
Moratorium on used vehicle sales has been in place since mass shooting incident in Nova Scotia
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Cda prepared to send ships to Iraq in 2003 if UN approved action, access-to-info cabinet records show. By Darren Major. (Note: Cabinet records are accessible after 20 years.) cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
cbc.ca
Canada was prepared to send ships to Iraq in 2003 if UN approved action, records show | CBC News
Canada, a notable objector to the 2003 Iraq war, was preparing to back the U.S.-led invasion by sending naval ships into combat if the UN Security Council gave the go-ahead, according to cabinet recor...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The indefatigable Matt Malone has a new book on FOI and secrecy. ottawacitizen.com/public-servi... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
ottawacitizen.com
New book shows how Canada's government is too secret
Matt Malone says proposed reforms could make Canada's access-to-information regime even worse.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Freedom of information? Here’s what Ontario’s government doesn’t want you to know. By the IJB's Anna Mehler Paperny ijb.utoronto.ca/news/freedom... #cdnfoi #ontfoi #ontpoli
ijb.utoronto.ca
Freedom of information? Here’s what Ontario’s government doesn’t want you to know - Investigative Journalism Bureau
We filed an FOI for refused FOIs. Here’s what we found.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Readers of my substack knew about this RCMP policy change two months ago & could even download the access-to-info document. Subscribe! deanbeeby.substack.com/p/numbers-to... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #rcmp theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
deanbeeby.substack.com
Numbers to replace names on RCMP badges
New name-tag policy intended as a defence against doxxing
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Almost $50K in hospitality costs to install new Governor General on June 8 in Ottawa - including a snack run to Costco. #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Court orders Ottawa to release details about resettlement of Nazi war criminals in Canada. The Rodal Report has been withheld despite many access-to-info requests. theglobeandmail.com/politics/art... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Court orders Ottawa to release details about resettlement of Nazi war criminals in Canada
B’nai Brith challenged redactions in 40-year-old report concerning U.S. efforts to help Nazi collaborators gain entrance
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Five American FOI users offer their tips for generating ideas, phrasing requests, launching appeals. Although geared to U.S., principles apply to Canadian context as well. rcfp.org/how-to-file-fo… #cdnfoi
rcfp.org
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Documents obtained thru access-to-info reveal Ambassador Bridge owner's private meeting with Ottawa ahead of Gordie Howe opening. By CBC's Colin Butler. cbc.ca/news/canada/... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
cbc.ca
The Ambassador Bridge's monopoly was ending. What its owner wanted from Ottawa is largely a secret | CBC News
Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun sought a meeting with senior Canadian officials as the bridge's nearly century-old monopoly on commercial traffic between Windsor and Detroit faced a new competi...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
State secret: Carney's personal gift to the GG, details redacted in full under access-to-info as a cabinet confidence. #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Lawyers concerned by proposed changes to federal access-to-information law. By CP's Emilie Bergeron. ctvnews.ca/politics/art... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
ctvnews.ca
Lawyers concerned by proposed changes to access to information system
Ottawa proposes to define which documents would be deemed “official,” and therefore covered by the law. This approach is too restrictive, according to Koltun, who is a member of the Canadian Immigrati...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Ottawa commissions project to track 'news deserts' in Canada. Story based on access-to-info memo. By CP's Anja Karadeglija. nationalnewswatch.com/2026/08/08/o... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
nationalnewswatch.com
Ottawa commissions project to track 'news deserts' in Canada
National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Border agency chartered luxury private jets to deport foreign nationals: access-to-info documents. By Marie Woolf theglobeandmail.com/politics/art... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #cbsa
theglobeandmail.com
Border agency chartered luxury private jets to deport foreign nationals
Canada Border Services Agency spent almost $1-million on private planes to fly foreign nationals home, and to detention centres within Canada
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Internal DFO memo warns Trump-backed bill threatens right whale survival. By CP's Sarah Smellie. "The memo was sent to senior officials in ... May and released to The Canadian Press through an access to information request." nationalnewswatch.com/2026/08/06/i... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
nationalnewswatch.com
Internal DFO memo warns Trump-backed bill threatens right whale…
National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Canada's dairy sector is lobbying hard in USMCA talks. The federal government didn’t want you to know. Matt Malone used access-to-info to get at the truth. theglobeandmail.com/business/com... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #usmca
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: The dairy sector is lobbying hard in USMCA talks. The government didn’t want you to know
While Canada’s trade negotiators need confidentiality, special interests trying to influence the outcome of negotiations do not
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
A new substack from me: A modest proposal for 24 Sussex Drive. deanbeeby.substack.com/p/a-modest-p... #cdnpoli
deanbeeby.substack.com
A modest proposal for 24 Sussex Drive
Fixing the problem no one is talking about
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Some Canadians tell Carney that Ottawa's spelling protocol should lean British. Story based on records obtained under access-to-information. By @jimbronskill.bsky.social l nationalnewswatch.com/2026/08/03/s... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
nationalnewswatch.com
Some Canadians tell Carney Ottawa's spelling protocol should lean…
National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Ottawa destroyed some of its financial records about the Gordie Howe International Bridge. theglobeandmail.com/business/com... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Gordie Howe International Bridge report shows how Ottawa shirks accountability for major projects
Bridge report is yet another stain on Ottawa’s troubled track record on transparency and serves as a cautionary tale
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Billionaire has the ear of the prime minister. Some of the discussion points censored. #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
RCMP security for Prince Harry's visits to Canada topped all international VIPs: documents obtained under access-to-info. By CBC's Elizabeth Thompson cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #rcmp
cbc.ca
Security for Prince Harry's visits to Canada topped all internationally protected persons | CBC News
Canadian taxpayers spent more to protect Prince Harry during his visits to Canada over a five-year period than for any other internationally protected person who visited Canada during that time. An RC...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
CBC won't disclose Eurovision costs as internal memo says Ottawa can't order it to take part. Memo obtained under access-to-info. By Anja Karadeglija nationalnewswatch.com/2026/07/28/c... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
nationalnewswatch.com
CBC won't disclose Eurovision costs as memo says Ottawa can't order…
National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Ford flew short haul across southern Ontario as jet purchase was finalized. Schedules obtained under freedom-of-info. By Isaac Callan & Colin D'Mello globalnews.ca/news/1197340... #cdnfoi #ontfoi #ontpoli
globalnews.ca
Ford flew short haul across southern Ontario as jet purchase was finalized | Globalnews.ca
Schedules reveal that Ford took four short-haul domestic flights on the OPP plane over less than two months and chartered a jet to travel to Texas.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Library and Archives to end proactive declassification work. By Mzwandile Poncana. ‘A disaster’ for access, says one expert. hilltimes.com/2026/07/21/a... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
hilltimes.com
‘A disaster’ for access, expert says as cuts push Library and Archives to end proactive declassification work - The Hill Times
'It's just another tragedy in the access story,' says historian Timothy Sayle of the decision to axe the three-year-old program, and part of a 'broader pattern of underfunding access to information an...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Agency flags 'high-risk' Cdn crypto shops helping to launder funds for organized crime & Iran-linked groups. Document obtained under access-to-info. By Emma McIntosh & Sheila Wang thestar.com/news/investi... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
thestar.com
Fintrac flags ‘high-risk’ Canadian crypto shops knowingly helping to launder funds for organized crime and Iran-linked groups
An internal Fintrac memo reveals Canadian crypto-to-cash desks are knowingly facilitating money laundering, organized crime and sanctions evasion.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Ken Whyte substack relies on briefing note obtained under Access to Information Act. open.substack.com/pub/shush/p/a-… #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
open.substack.com
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Officials scrambled behind the scenes as Trump took aim at bridge project: emails obtained under access-to-info. By By @jimbronskill.bsky.social nationalnewswatch.com/2026/07/17/o... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
nationalnewswatch.com
Officials scrambled behind the scenes as Trump took aim at bridge…
National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Non-response to access-to-info request, because "expected to be injurious to the conduct of international affairs, the defence of Canada or any state allied or associated with Canada or the detection, prevention or suppression of subversive or hostile activities" (Section 15.1) #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
In March, the federal cabinet permitted emergency use of toxic strychnine to kill gophers in Alta/Sask, despite environmental harms. Here's what an access-to-info request for Carney's briefing on the issue produced, including a "Background" section. #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #broken
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Inside the investigation that saw StubHub refund 'devastated' Taylor Swift fans. Story based on a "trove of Consumer Protection B.C. documents CBC News obtained through Freedom of Information ..." By Jason Proctor. cbc.ca/news/canada/... #cdnfoi #bcfoi #bcpoli
cbc.ca
'Absolutely crushed': Inside the investigation that saw StubHub refund 'devastated' Taylor Swift fans | CBC News
Heartbreak, panic, anger. Those are just some of the emotions contained in customer complaint logs StubHub provided B.C.'s consumer protection agency during an investigation into alleged wrongdoing re...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
‘I am frustrated’: Emails show Blanche’s role in Trump’s retribution campaign. Trove of emails were obtained by a gov't watchdog through a request under the US Freedom of Information Act. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/u... #foia
nytimes.com
‘I Am Frustrated’: Emails Show Blanche’s Role in Trump’s Retribution Campaign
The cooperation of Todd Blanche will be a flashpoint in his confirmation hearing to be attorney general on Wednesday.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
New Canadaland podcast on Canada's failing access to information regime: Noor Azrieh interviews Ken Rubin, Matt Malone and yours truly. canadaland.com/podcast/190-... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
canadaland.com
#190 Mark Carney's System of Secrecy
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Canadians' privacy rights won't mean much if access rights count for nothing. Another trenchant analysis by legal scholar and transparency advocate Matt Malone. cigionline.org/articles/can... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
cigionline.org
Canadians' Privacy Rights Won't Mean Much if Access Rights Count for Nothing
The review would route 75,000 annual requests for personal information through an access system already drowning in complaints and delays.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
New from me: Ottawa to press UK for return of looted grave goods deanbeeby.substack.com/p/ottawa-to-... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
deanbeeby.substack.com
Ottawa to press for return of looted grave goods
Scottish museum holds spiritual artefacts from last of the Beothuks
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Ontario runs $8M tab storing U.S. alcohol, as province's plans for stockpile still uncertain. CBC obtained internal records under Ontario's freedom-of-info law, and posted them online. By Colin Butler. cbc.ca/news/canada/... #cdnfoi #ontfoi #ontpoli
cbc.ca
Ontario runs $8M tab storing U.S. alcohol, as province's plans for stockpile still uncertain | CBC News
The Ontario government won't explain what will happens to its $79 million U.S. alcohol stockpile, even as new figures obtained by CBC News show taxpayers have spent about $8 million storing it and tha...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Grifols allowed donors to give plasma despite disease concerns, Health Canada report shows. Document obtained under access-to-information. By Chris Hannay theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Grifols allowed donors to give plasma despite disease concerns, Health Canada report shows
Inspectors found multiple cases of the company allowing people to donate who should have been denied because of risks associated with a fatal brain disorder
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Trucking companies deemed unsafe permitted to employ temporary foreign workers. Analysis based in part on data obtained through freedom-of-information requests. By Sara Mojtehedzadeh & Mahima Singh theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Trucking companies deemed unsafe permitted to employ temporary foreign workers
A company linked to a recent fatal collision in Manitoba is among those that got the rubber stamp to hire migrants, a Globe analysis has found
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Cda's data-centre capacity could soar to 20 GW in planned projects: access-to-info document. By CP's Anja Karadeglija nationalnewswatch.com/2026/07/08/d... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
nationalnewswatch.com
Data centre capacity could soar to 20 GW in planned projects:…
National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Missing context re: current effort to film Shackleton's ship Quest, sunk off Nfld: the crew in 1922 despised the vessel, which never reached the Antarctic mainland & did almost no exploring. Shackleton died before the venture got underway. deanbeeby.substack.com/p/shackleton...
deanbeeby.substack.com
Shackleton's last ship was a dud for polar exploration
The 1921-22 crew of Quest, located in the Labrador Sea this week, reviled the vessel
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Conservatives call on Liberals to reverse course on proposed federal access-to-information changes. By Hill Times' Marlo Glass UNLOCKED: hilltimes.com/2026/07/06/c... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
hilltimes.com
Conservatives call on Liberals to reverse course on proposed access-to-information changes - The Hill Times
Veteran investigative journalist Dean Beeby says the Liberals’ proposed changes, including shielding emails and texts from access-to-information requests, is 'regressive' and 'should be scrapped.'
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Manitoba allocates $1M a year to U.S. trade office, freedom-of-info documents show. By Bartley Kives & Kristin Annable cbc.ca/news/canada/... #cdnfoi #mbafoi #mbapoli
cbc.ca
Manitoba allocates $1M a year to U.S. trade office, documents show | CBC News
Manitoba sets aside $1 million a year to spend on its U.S. trade office — $200,000 more than the NDP government previously disclosed, according to documents obtained by CBC News.
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Ontario pushed ahead with strong mayor powers expansion despite 'predominantly negative' feedback. Summary of consultations ... obtained through a freedom-of-info request. By CBC's Shawn Jeffords cbc.ca/news/canada/... #cdnfoi #ontfoi #ontpoli
cbc.ca
Ontario got 'predominantly negative' feedback on expanding strong mayor powers. It went ahead anyway | CBC News
Premier Doug Ford’s sweeping expansion of strong mayor powers to nearly half of the Ontario’s municipalities was met with “predominantly negative” feedback during consultations, with respondents calli...
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
A new substack from me: Numbers to replace names on RCMP badges - new name-tag policy intended as a defence against doxxing deanbeeby.substack.com/p/numbers-to... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli #rcmp
deanbeeby.substack.com
Numbers to replace names on RCMP badges
New name-tag policy intended as a defence against doxxing
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
New substack from me: Indigenous groups call for community awards in Order of Canada; only individuals are currently eligible for Canada's top civilian honour deanbeeby.substack.com/p/indigenous... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
deanbeeby.substack.com
Indigenous groups call for community awards in Order of Canada
Only individuals are currently eligible for Canada's top civilian honour
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
A new substack from me: Government's jarring reality gap when it comes to access-to-info deanbeeby.substack.com/p/a-jarring-... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
deanbeeby.substack.com
A jarring reality gap in access to information
Treasury Board's regressive FOI policy proposals signify two solitudes
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Dean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
When will these horrible attacks like the one in Montreal end? When we admit that misogyny is an ideology: "it is a gateway to violence" By @lizrenzetti.bsky.social www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
thestar.com
Elizabeth Renzetti: When will these horrible attacks like the one in Montreal end? When we admit that misogyny is an ideology
Violent attacks can be stopped if government, tech giants, take action against tide of hatred
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