Ford Government Rushes Secretive FOI Changes

0:00Ontario's Ford government is rushing through big changes to freedom of information laws in its budget bill Aiming to block access to records from the Premier his cabinet and their staff They're skipping the usual public hearings and committee debates to speed things up This move comes right after a court ruled that premier Doug Ford used his personal phone for government business Ordering some records released in a long fight with global news over transparency during key events like the Greenbelt land removal Opposition leaders are fired up with Indie P's Marit Stiles calling it a cover-up for shady dealings and liberal John Frazier demanding full public Review since it rewrites access rules for everyone from journalists to elected officials Polls show most people oppose the secrecy boost and the province's transparency Watchdog warns it'll make Ontario the most closed-off in Canada plus huge cyber risks from the changes Meanwhile the government's house leader had stayed vague, but now confirms bypassing committee despite a light agenda

1:02Though they've logged nine hours of house debate already the bill packs and ticket caps and Conservation tweaks to keeping the transparency fight front and center as it barrels forward Local news powered by AI. This is Canada news today I'm Corey with the story