Scott Pettigrew

The Ontario information and privacy commissioner has released a report following a massive privacy breach through technology used by many schools in the province.
The PowerSchool incident, which affected millions of Canadians across the country, saw personal information stolen in December of 2024. The company admitted to paying a ransom to recover the information

The key findings of the investigation:

• Failed to include certain privacy and security-related provisions in their contractual agreements with PowerSchool to ensure that the educational bodies meet the requirements of applicable provincial public sector privacy law.
• Lacked policies and procedures to effectively monitor and oversee PowerSchool’s technical and security safeguards to ensure the company complied with its contractual terms and conditions, including in respect of user access privileges for remote support personnel and the use of multi-factor authentication.
• Failed to limit remote access to their student information systems by PowerSchool support personnel for only as long as necessary to address specific technical issues.
• Lacked adequate breach response plans or protocols.

Among the recommendations made in the report:

• Review and, as needed, renegotiate agreements with PowerSchool to include the recommended privacy and security related provisions to ensure that the educational bodies meet the requirements of applicable provincial public sector privacy law.
• Implement effective monitoring and oversight over PowerSchool’s technical and security safeguards to ensure they are compliant with applicable provincial public sector privacy law and leading industry standards, including, by conducting a privacy impact assessment of their student information systems.
• Limit remote access to their student information systems on an as-needed basis only.
• Ensure they have adequate policies and procedures to respond to breaches in the future.

The Keewatin Patricia District School Board says we take the IPC’s findings and recommendations seriously. Since the incident, we have worked with PowerSchool to strengthen security measures and will continue to ensure our technology partners meet the highest standards for the privacy and data protection of students and staff.

We are updating our agreements, improving oversight, implementing new response policies and procedures, and enhancing our privacy practices in line with the IPC’s recommendations. We are also collaborating with other Ontario school boards to ensure a coordinated approach to vendor security.

“Protecting the personal information of our students, families, and staff remains our top priority,” said Christy Radbourne, Director of Education at KPDSB. We thank the IPC for its guidance and will report on our progress as we implement these important changes.“

By: Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative ReporterSource: TBnewswatch.com

ATIKOKAN — The town of Atikokan may soon get some more splashes of colour with a distinctly Remembrance theme.

Local legion officials say they’re working on having memorial banners for fallen soldiers publicly displayed, similar to projects already unveiled in Fort Frances and Thunder Bay, said Elizabeth Shine, the first vice president of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Atikokan branch. Shine also sits on town council.

She said the idea initially came to her in 2022 when she visited Espanola and saw banners publicly honouring soldiers there.

“They had all these banners up of soldiers with the dates of their age to when they passed away — World War II, Navy, Army, Air Force,” she said.

“So, I was like, ‘wow, this is awesome.’”

Shine said she contacted the legion in Espanola who sent information and since then, “we’ve been trying to get this on for this long a period of time.”

“It’s really nice to be able to come into your own town and be able to see the people that we cherish on a day of Remembrance,” she said. “Because we’re remembering them as well as everyone else that is fighting today.”

Another proposal in the works, Shine said, is to paint a pair of crosswalks that service the recently-paved O’Brien Street. One would be at the MacKenzie Avenue intersection, and the other, a block north at Main Street. The legion branch is in the middle of that block on O’Brien.

The crosswalks, Shine said, would be similar to ones in several other Canadian communities, which are adorned in red and white with poppies and “Lest We Forget” displayed.

Shine said work continues on the legion building itself, updating the hall and making it more accessible — including the addition of a universal washroom that will also be able to properly accommodate wheelchairs.

The town, like many across the region, held its annual Remembrance Day ceremonies on Nov. 11; this year, there were some changes, with local officials hoping they will continue into the future.

This year’s ceremony saw a dozen members of the local 600 Starfighter Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron guard and hold vigil over the local cenotaph the night before the Remembrance Day ceremonies. Capt. Crystal DeGagne, the cadet squadron’s commanding officer, said the 30-minute shifts started at 9 p.m. on Nov. 10 and continued up until the ceremonies started the next day.

DeGagne said the idea came from when she was with the army cadets in Burk’s Falls, northeast of Parry Sound, and decided to bring it north.

“I just feel that the veterans and the past deserve the respect and the cadets believe that too,” she said. “We just wanted to honour (that) in the best way that we could.”

DeGagne said it’s something she wants to see become an annual tradition.

“I would absolutely love to do that,” she said. “The cadets enjoyed it — we all had a great time.”

That sentiment was shared by the Atikokan legion’s current president, Sue Gaudette.

She said it was great the cadets were showing their support in such a public way, and that it was “showing the community what they do and showing the younger children what this is all about.”

“It’s opening some eyes in this community with younger kids and I think that is a blessing for us, and it’s a plus — a hundred per cent.”

By: Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative ReporterSource: The Chronicle-Journal

The expensive spring ritual of fixing potholes on small-town routes could be offset somewhat by a new provincial fund for road repairs in rural communities.

The province announced last week that municipalities with a maximum population of 10,000 can apply to the $10-million fund.

Eligible municipalities could receive up to $38,000 under the fund, a provincial news release said. Applications have to be in by Dec. 12.

The province estimates that nearly 60 per cent of Ontario’s 444 municipalities could qualify.

“This program could be very useful not only for the infrastructure of roads, but also bridges that are very costly to replace and repair on a regular basis,” Conmee Mayor Sheila Maxwell said on Wednesday.

Bridges are inspected twice a year, Maxwell noted.

The new fund “will help local governments tackle long-standing maintenance needs, protect critical transportation corridors, and improve safety for families and workers who rely on these roads every day,” Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association president and Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas said in a provincial news release.

The Riverside “Santa Helpers” are looking to Rainy River District residents to be a Christmas angel this year.

Riverside Health Care’s annual Trees of Christmas Giving program is now underway at Emo Health Centre, Rainycrest Long Term Care Home, and Rainy River Health Centre.

This much-loved holiday initiative brings joy, comfort, and connection to long-term care residents by inviting community members to select an angel tag from one of the Trees of Christmas Giving and purchase a thoughtful gift for a resident.

Each angel tag includes a simple wish list and basic sizing information to help guide gift selection. No resident names are included on the tags, ensuring privacy is respected. The wish lists are meant only as suggestions; there is no obligation to fulfill the entire list.

Participants are invited to return their unwrapped gift in a gift bag, along with the angel tag, to the home where they selected it no later than December 15th.

Popular wish list items include cozy blankets, rubber-soled slippers, sweaters or adaptive clothing, electric shavers, personal care items, and large-print or activity books.

If you were driving an unsafe commercial motor vehicle in the Kenora area this week there is a good chance you have some fines to pay.

Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week the Kenora OPP, OPP Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement Team, and MTO conducted vehicle inspections in Rush Bay and Kenora.

According to the OPP 20 vehicles were pulled off the road while in total companies were hit with 43 charges and 26 warnings.

The joint effort is part of an ongoing effort by the OPP and MTO to reduce collisions and deter unsafe vehicle operation. 

NOTE: This story contains a photo that may be upsetting to some people

Conservation officers with the Ministry of Natural Resources are asking for the public’s help to identify those responsible for illegally killing and abandoning a bull moose on Larson Lake Road, south of Dryden.

On November 12^th, officers discovered the moose approximately 4 kilometers from Highway 502 on Larson Lake Road.

Investigators believe the animal was killed between November 6 and November 9, 2025.

Anyone with information is asked to call the ministry’s TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667, reach out to your local ministry office or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

By: Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Thunder Bay Source

THUNDER BAY — Turnkey Communications sends people to a lot of mining trade shows and expos, but the Reverse Expo may well be the best of them.

That was the assessment of Darrin Nicholas, Turnkey senior account executive, on Wednesday during the second annual Thunder Bay Mining Connections: Reverse Expo.

Hosted by the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), the event gives local businesses the opportunity to pitch their products and services to big mining companies like Orla, which operates the Musselwhite gold mine about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

Nicholas told Newswatch that last year he “actually commented to CEDC that I thought it was probably the best event we attended all year.”

Turnkey tries to “hit as many of the regional and even national shows as we can,” he said.

“And in terms of bang for the buck, this was a great investment of a half day of our time. Kudos to the CEDC for initiating it and continuing it.”

As in last year’s event, mining companies came to the Superior Inn and gave presentations to local companies that supply and service the sector. Following their presentations, the miners had business-to-business meetings with those supply and service businesses.

This year’s Reverse Expo connected 20 local companies with four active mining operations, according to a news release from the CEDC.

It “provided an invaluable opportunity for local businesses to learn how to become preferred vendors and to build meaningful, long-term relationships within the mining industry,” the release stated.

“We want to ensure that our supply and service companies are getting in front of (mining companies) to be able to show them what they can do in terms of supporting their needs going forward,” said Jamie Taylor, the CEDC’s chief executive officer.

“We have an amazing network of more than 400 service and supply companies, and we want to ensure mining operations across Northwestern Ontario know about and utilize the incredible talent and capacity that exists right here in Thunder Bay.”

Taylor said there are nine operating mines in the Northwest, and more than 18 potential mines “in advanced exploration.”

By: Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative ReporterSource: The Chronicle-Journal

The Ontario government is fine-tuning details in its decision to sole-source the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Line 2 Rocket car production to Alstom in Thunder Bay.

“It is pretty much confirmed that we have the bulk of the major assembly and all the final assembly happening at the Thunder Bay plant,” Justin Roberts, president of Unifor local 1075, said, adding that it’s not finalized.

“The company and the government are still in negotiations on the Canadian content.”

With both the federal and provincial governments mandating to build Canadian content, Roberts said they are not going to go with the typical 25 per cent Canadian content.

“They’re striving for 60, 70 and even 80 per cent for this contract. That being said, the company and the government have to negotiate the inflated costs as they want more and more Canadian content,” he said. ” Because those details haven’t been fully completed yet, we don’t have the contract officially assigned.”

There have been no announcements made to the employees at the plant.

“We’re sitting in a state where we’re 95 per cent guaranteed the work,” Roberts said. “It’s confirmed that the bulk of the work is going to be in Thunder Bay,

and I think final testing is slated for Kingston, and some of the major sub-assemblies like under-frame roof components and such, are going to be done, possibly in the La Pocatiere plant in Quebec.

He added, “Again, those details are all being hashed out.”

MP Marcus Powlowski (L – Thunder Bay-Rainy River), who has been working to have the TTC contract awarded to the Thunder Bay Alstom plant, said all parties agreed to enter into negotiations with Alstom for a sole-source contract.

“My impression is that these negotiations are progressing very well,” Powlowski said. “Furthermore, it is my understanding that the final assembly and a majority of the work on the Line 2 cars will be done at the Thunder Bay plant.”

Powlowski pointed out that the federal government realizes that now is the time to buy Canadian.

“Certainly, the federal government recognizes that the Alstom plant in Thunder Bay has a long and proud tradition of manufacturing world-class rail cars,” he said. “The federal government looks forward to partnering with the province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the TTC, and Alstom to manufacture these subway cars in Thunder Bay, creating hundreds of direct and indirect jobs in the process.”

The $2.3-billion contract for new Line 2 subway trains involves the manufacturing of 70 six-car sets, making up 55 trains to replace aging trains on Line 2 and 15 trains for the Yonge North and Scarborough extensions. There are six cars in each “car-set,” which equates to 420 cars that need to be built.

By: Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative ReporterSource: The Chronicle-Journal

More than 40 treaties continue to “shape the relationship” between Ontario’s Indigenous population and the rest of the province, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford noted on Monday.

Rickford (Kenora-Rainy River) released a statement during the start of the 10th annual Treaties Recognition Week, which occurs in the first week of this month.

“I encourage everyone to take time to learn about the treaties that cover the land where you live, work or study . . . deepening our understanding of these commitments,” Rickford said in a news release.

To mark the 10th anniversary, Anishinabek Nation released a new book — This is My Treaty — for preschool and kindergarten children.

The book, created by Anishinabek educator Kelly Crawford, serves “as a platform to discuss concepts of treaties,” Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige said in a separate news release.

“Students at this age can clearly make connections to these concepts, as they are fundamental to their learning.”

“We hope that our non-Indigenous counterparts will learn about our collective treaty rights and obligations to create greater understanding to build a stronger relationship,” Debassige added.

Anishinabek Nation represents 39 Ontario First Nations and 70,000 Indigenous people.