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John Bowker

@johnbowker.bsky.social
738 followers 499 following 534 posts

Policy researcher, retired record & book peddler. Transit, housing, land use, energy, infrastructure & misc #onpoli wonkery. #ONDP. Tweets my own

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Reposted by John Bowker
Oliver Moore @oliver-moore.bsky.social · 3h
Not content with blighting the night sky, Loblaw moves on to defacing the public space under our feet. Should be fined
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 6h
“The premier needed a favour from Postmedia”: In a sworn declaration, Postmedia ex-CEO Paul Godfrey claims Doug Ford’s former chief of staff told his son that approval of a Skills Development Fund grant depended on Postmedia publishing the premier’s pre-election letter to voters #onpoli
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TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 17h
Postmedia ex-CEO alleges Doug Ford’s office used ‘leverage’ over son’s company to get newspaper chain to publish pre-election letter
dlvr.it
Postmedia ex-CEO alleges Doug Ford’s office used ‘leverage’ over son’s company to get newspaper chain to publish pre-election letter
Premier Ford’s office calls the claims ‘categorically untrue and completely disconnected from reality’
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Catherine Fife @waterloompp.bsky.social · 22h
“Ford’s failure to properly manage OSAP should not fall on the backs of students. By Minister Quinn referring this scandal to the Ontario Provincial Police,the Minister is admitting that his ministry is calling the cops on their own mismanagement.” - Peggy Sattler 👏👏👏
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 20h
The Ford government had been warned for years that a few private career colleges were ripping off the system. Instead of cracking down, the Ford government used it as an opportunity to cry poor and cut OSAP for all students (Video: CTV) www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/arti... #onpoli
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TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 22h
Ford government refers OSAP ‘criminal allegations’ to police, more than two years after concerns first raised
dlvr.it
Ford government refers OSAP ‘criminal allegations’ to police, more than two years after concerns first raised
The province is also pausing all loans after concerns over some colleges’ ‘high-risk admissions practices’ and ‘compromised participation in asynchronous programs’
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Carney to propose Metrolinx, but for defence spending www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art... #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Ottawa to turn defence procurement agency into Crown corporation, sources say
Move will give Defence Investment Agency and chief executive Doug Guzman far more authority in decision-making
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Reposted by John Bowker
Montreal Gazette @mtlgazette.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
PQ sought meeting with U.S. officials in Washington, State Department says montrealgazette.com/quebec-elect...
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Bruce Arthur @brucearthur.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Maybe more than a whiff of treason. Alberta separatists are flat-out traitors to the nation. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
At least 14 companies associated with Todd Slater’s SIREG have filed for bankruptcy. Condo corporations set up by SIREG reportedly have “empty reserve funds, unfinished engineering reports, and in some cases, loans registered to the corporation” www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #onpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Multiple rental-property companies founded by former talk-radio host file for insolvency
At least 14 companies associated with Todd Slater’s Simple Investor Real Estate Group have filed for bankruptcy, records show
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“Several supporters told me they found Bradford weirdly intense. Chow backers — including many who once stood with Tory — and those with no horse in this race went much further. They told me — almost to a person — that they find Bradford unprincipled and disloyal” #TOpoli
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Reposted by John Bowker
Richard Warnica @rwarnica.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I had breakfast with Brad Bradford and asked him what I think is the defining question of his campaign: Why do so many people from all ends of the political spectrum seem to dislike him so much as a person? www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
thestar.com
Richard Warnica: Does Brad Bradford believe in anything other than himself?
Bradford's relentless pursuit of success may also be his downfall.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
While the Star understandably highlights its fight to get this record, the transcript itself reveals the sincere frustration of mayors left to deal with the consequences of federal & provincial policy failures on housing, homelessness & addiction www.thestar.com/news/gta/cit... #onpoli #cdnpoli
thestar.com
We fought 2 years to see the Ontario mayors’ group chat. Here’s what we found
One organization fought ceaselessly, with the help of a large, well-respected Bay Street law firm, to conceal this correspondence from the public.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The Ford government cut OSAP grants for all students after letting itself get ripped off by a few shady private career colleges toronto.citynews.ca/2026/10/02/c... #onpoli
toronto.citynews.ca
Court records show Ontario's 'serious concerns' about three career colleges
Ontario government officials who inspected three career colleges found evidence suggesting third parties were completing the coursework — sometimes entire courses in one day.
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Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 @emmettmacfarlane.com · 02/10/2026
Why, it is almost as if this is the sort of blatantly unconstitutional anti-Indigenous horseshit we'd have expected from Pierre Poilievre. Summing up much of Carney's time as PM so far.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Welcome to “concierge care”: the Ford govt is underfunding public healthcare providers while enriching private clinics, which are siphoning cash from the public system & using loopholes to charge fees for faster access to medically necessary care www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... #onpoli #ONhealth
thestar.com
Iris Gorfinkel: How Doug Ford’s health plan costs taxpayers billions — and privatization is making it fail
To save universal health care, Ontario must reverse its path. Funding private clinics drains our public system, poaching staff and siphoning taxpayer dollars from front-line care.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Nearly two years into an escalating trade battle with the United States, the Ford government’s signature $5 billion ‘Protect Ontario’ account has spent just $140 million to shore up tariff-impacted businesses globalnews.ca/news/1207783... #onpoli
globalnews.ca
Ford government ‘Protect Ontario’ tariff program spent $140 million so far | Globalnews.ca
On Tuesday, during committee at Queen's Park, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy was grilled by opposition MPPs on how much of that cash has actually been deployed.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Update: the regulator has suspended the licence of Slater’s condo management company, alleging missing deposits www.cmrao.ca/newsroom/med... #onpoli
cmrao.ca
CMRAO Takes Regulatory Action Against SIREG Management Inc., Including Immediate Licence Suspensions
TORONTO, ON, September 29, 2026 – Today, the Registrar of the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) ordered the immediate suspension of the Condominium Management Provider Licence of SIREG…
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Reposted by John Bowker
The Hill Times @hilltimes.com · 28/09/2026
Gerry Nicholls: Harper sees Carney as his ideological heir www.hilltimes.com/2026/09/28/h...
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
FATF slams Canada’s dozy financial watchdogs: FinTRAC fined TD less than $9 million in 2024 for having faulty money-laundering controls, then US regulators fined TD more $3 BILLION after TD pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com... #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Regulators deservedly get their knuckles rapped in review of Canada’s anti-money laundering regime
Rating their overall effectiveness as ‘moderate,’ FATF finds Canada’s efforts to fight financial crime had numerous supervisory shortcomings
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Reposted by John Bowker
Jim Stanford @jimbostanford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is an outstanding refutation of PM Carney's double-speak on proposed Canada Labour Code amendments, from Colleen Bauman and Mark Rowlinson: www.thestar.com/opinion/cont.... Previous misuse of Section 107 would be codified & routinized, even though it's still facing court challenges. #canlab
thestar.com
Mark Carney says he’s protecting Canadian workers. It’s Orwellian doublespeak
Subject to ministerial review, the right to strike is likely to be much weakened by Bill C-39.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Todd Slater’s Simple Investor ads & podcasts were once everywhere, promising easy money to condo investors. Then the payments stopped. Now Ontario’s condo management regulator has opened an investigation, as tenants struggle to get answers www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #onpoli
cbc.ca
Ontario investigates condo management company as investors scramble, tenants left confused | CBC News
Ontario's condominium management regulator is investigating SIREG Management after the company told investors it could no longer guarantee rent payments, leaving some owners scrambling to collect rent...
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Reposted by John Bowker
Tabatha Southey🇨🇦 @tabathasouthey.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"They include — contrary to the premier’s anti-Trump rhetoric — a form enabling U.S. firms to participate." Doug Ford isn’t even promising to buy local vandalism.
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Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 28/09/2026
We've also pulled all three stories on this out from behind the paywall.
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Graeme Bayliss @gbayliss.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I wrote about Premier Doug Ford's apparent indifference to human life for @thestar.com: www.thestar.com/opinion/star...
thestar.com
Graeme Bayliss: His cyclist friend was killed. Why did Doug Ford’s response include ‘lmao’?
No one is expecting the premier to mash out the Bixby letter on his iPhone. Yet we might expect more than this.
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Reposted by John Bowker
Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 28/09/2026
If I’m reading this correctly, Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford’s campaign is asking volunteers to give them full access to their contact lists on their *personal* cell phones? www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/28/i...
'You don't need to freak out about this'
Introducing Bradford's supporters to the app on the Zoom call, Punia instructed them to give the app permission to access all of their contacts.

"Do not give it partial contact ability, give it full. And what I want to say to you guys here is, you don't need to freak out about this," said Punia. He reassured them that only contacts they marked as known or potential Bradford supporters would be given to the campaign.

One attendee hesitated as she had over 2,400 contacts on her phone. She was instructed to give the app access to all of them and mark them one by one according to their level of support for Bradford.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“A really boldly anti-democratic move”: the Ford government is regularly violating legal orders from Ontario’s Information & Privacy Commissioner. Unlike in other provinces, the IPC can’t take the government to court to have these orders enforced www.cp24.com/politics/que... #onpoli
cp24.com
Ontario transparency watchdog warns government is dodging its orders
Ontario’s transparency watchdog is warning that the government is dodging its orders more frequently, including orders that would shed light on how a multi-billion dollar government fund pushed grants...
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Charlie Angus @charlieangus104.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
California company accused of shipping pesticide laden berries to Canada. We can't trust American product we should be able to trust that our government has adequate numbers of inspectors in place to protect us. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Whistleblower alleges millions of Driscoll’s berries sent to Canada with excess chemical levels | CBC News
A whistleblower lawsuit in California is alleging millions of pounds of Driscoll's fruit containing non-compliant levels of pesticides and chemicals crossed the border into Canada, and the company tri...
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Michelle Cohen @docmcohen.medsky.social · 26/09/2026
It's been a rough week, and ranting is my therapy. I wrote about the seemingly COVID conspiracist-inspired shooting at my local synagogue and the simultaneous promoting of COVID conspiracism by Jesse Brown. medium.com/@michelle.co...
medium.com
Guns, Threats, and the Clown King of Jewish Safety
It’s been a bad week. It’s been a weird week. I awoke Monday to photos of bullet holes in the beautiful stained-glass windows of my local…
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Manuela Vega @manuelavega.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A group of Parkdale tenants have ended their six-month rent strike after they say property management company MetCap Living agreed to withdraw a request to hike rents at their rent-controlled apartments 5.4% above the guideline amount. Latest @thestar.com www.thestar.com/real-estate/...
thestar.com
Parkdale tenants end six-month rent strike after landlord withdraws AGI request
Landlord MetCap had asked Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board to raise rates in the rent-controlled Toronto building 5.4 per cent above the provincial guideline.
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Reposted by John Bowker
Mary Grace @emgeekay.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Good fact check. Yes, the Carney government is attacking the right to strike. www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
cbc.ca
Fact check: Is Carney changing the right to strike?
Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government’s proposed set of changes to the Labour Code “absolutely reinforces the right to strike.” Here are the facts.
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Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I often think about the speed camera chopping vigilante who returned to the scene of their crime on Parkside Drive multiple times but Toronto police didn’t catch them & it led to Doug Ford banning speed cameras for 16 million people & now speeding is at epidemic levels & people will die.
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Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Is it weird the police have never said why they couldn’t catch a criminal who returned to the same place to commit the same crime over & over? Is it curious? We will never know in secret Canada.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“The FAO estimates that real provincial operating funding will decrease to $15,074 per student in 2026-27, $14,850 per student in 2027‑28 and $14,775 per student in 2028-29” www.thestar.com/politics/ont... #onpoli #onted
thestar.com
Ontario’s education funding per student is decreasing after inflation, watchdog finds
The government says Financial Accountability Office of Ontario’s figures don’t provide the full picture.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Oh we used to dream of booting DOS from a floppy. Ours had a membrane keyboard, 1K of RAM and loaded software from a cassette player
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Isaac Callan @isaaccallan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
What input did Therme or Live Nation have (if any) crafting the MZO that was eventually issued to bypass approvals for Ontario Place? We’ll never know. And somehow it took the government two years to decide those communications were privileged. #OnPoli
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Bethany Lindsay @bethanylindsay.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
My plan was to tally how many "crisis pregnancy centres" had lost charity status or beefed up disclosure of their anti-abortion stances since tighter restrictions were announced in 2024. Instead I discovered the Liberals had quietly abandoned this promise. theijf.org/article/otta...
theijf.org
Ottawa promised to crack down on anti-abortion ‘crisis pregnancy centres.’ Carney’s Liberals have abandoned that goal
Abortion rights activist who lobbied for changes says surprise news is ‘such a shame’
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Even though expanding Hamilton’s urban boundaries into the Greenbelt was unlawful, the developer argued its proposal should be approved anyway based on “prospective changes to legislation” www.thespec.com/news/hamilto... #onpoli #hamont
thespec.com
Ontario Land Tribunal rejects Ancaster Greenbelt development bid
OLT must “respect the limits” of provincial legislation, says ruling on Sulphur Springs homes proposal.
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T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @tryangregory.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Told ya. www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...
ctvnews.ca
Transport minister won’t guarantee prices won’t go up after airport privatization, promises fees will be ‘partially regulated’
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon won’t guarantee the cost to fly won’t go up for travellers if the federal government follows through on its plan to privatize Canada’s four largest airports but doe...
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 19/09/2026
Carney government promises upcoming "Operation Strike Destroyer" legislation won't discourage future strikes
thebeaverton.com
Carney government promises upcoming "Operation Strike Destroyer" legislation won't discourage future strikes
OTTAWA — After multiple labour sources warned that the Federal government would likely be issuing binding mediation legislation as early as next week, Mark Carney personally assured Canadians that eve...
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Westjet mechanics, Canada Post workers, Vancouver & Montreal dockworkers, CN & CPKC rail workers, and Air Canada flight attendants are some of the workers whose right to strike was compromised by the Liberals in *just the last two years* www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnpoli #canlab
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Several union sources CTV News spoke with are on red alert over the possibility of this legislation and contend it will strip workers of their right to strike” www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art... #cdnpoli #canlab
ctvnews.ca
Feds could introduce new labour legislation as soon as next week: sources
A senior government source tells CTV News that plans are underway to introduce such legislation following a review of the Canadian Labour Code that began in April.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
To be clear, the Ontario government still owns the underlying land and assets of Highway 407, which under private control became one of the costliest toll highways in the world. It’s still privatization, and the Carney Liberals should stop falsely claiming it isn’t #cdnpoli
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Rachel Gilmore @rachelgilmore.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
OH MY GOD PEOPLE THINK THIS BECAUSE THE GLOBE AND MAIL’S BUSINESS COLUMNIST MADE A VIDEO, ON THE GLOBE’S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT, MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE AND IT’S STILL UP!!!!!! UNCORRECTED!!!! CONCESSION AGREEMENT DOESNT JUST MEAN FOOD OH MY GOD THIS IS OUR MOST “SERIOUS” BUSINESS MEDIA BRO 😭😭😭😭
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Barnhardt explicitly expressed indifference to the potential harm caused by the misuse of this information” www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... #onpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Shooter-for-hire attacks linked to Toronto police constable’s licence plate searches, Project South documents allege
Constable Timothy Barnhardt was allegedly paid by criminal figures to search addresses that were later relayed to hired gunmen
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Project South: “It is not just a single rogue cop, but a coterie of allegedly corrupt officers who appeared to have little fear of being found out, given how openly they discussed the allegedly criminal behaviour with their colleagues” www.thestar.com/news/gta/sev... #onpoli #TOpoli
thestar.com
7 takeaways from the stunning new Project South allegations
New information related to the Project South investigation was released Wednesday and it includes shocking allegations of police corruption and criminality by several Toronto officers.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Bird wrote that one of the most concerning allegations in the case is that York police only 'stumbled upon' the alleged police corruption ... 'it demonstrates that a trusted public official can engage in widespread illegal conduct and go undetected'" www.thestar.com/news/gta/stu... #onpoli #TOpoli
thestar.com
Explosive corruption allegations within the Toronto Police Service detailed in newly unsealed court records
A thwarted assassination attempt of a Toronto jail official helped break open one of the biggest police corruption scandals in the city’s history.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The Ford government is spending more public money on for-profit, private MRI & surgical clinics, while letting publicly funded facilities sit idle for hours every day, says a new report from @onthealthcoalition.bsky.social www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/h... #onpoli #ONhealth
haltonhillstoday.ca
Hospital MRIs sit idle overnight as province funds private clinics: report
New report from Ontario Health Coalition lays out why private health clinics are 'not benefiting the public'
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NDP transportation critic @jennkfrench.bsky.social asked the minister about this last year www.ola.org/en/legislati... #onpoli
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Ford government used Microsoft Teams to direct staff to halt all FOIs earlier this year, and repeatedly refused to provide the directives in writing. Why? Teams messages are automatically deleted after 30 days, suggesting an intent to avoid paper trails globalnews.ca/news/1206027... #onpoli
globalnews.ca
Ontario government Microsoft Teams messages set to automatically delete | Globalnews.ca
In May civil servants in charge of processing freedom of information requests were told to put down their pens. The message was sent via Microsoft Teams.
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