News Summary May 9th, 2026

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 9th.  This week, we begin with the still-unfolding Alberta voter list breach, where nearly three million electors' personal information may have been exposed through a searchable database tied to separatist organizing.  The latest developments now include investigations by Elections Alberta, the RCMP, and Alberta’s Privacy Commissioner—along with serious questions about whether recent changes to Alberta election law made it harder for the watchdog to act sooner.  We’ll also look at the national implications of that breach, including why FIPA and civil society partners launched VoterPrivacy.ca and are calling for real privacy rules for political parties.  On access to information, we track major transparency concerns in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, a quick note on developments in BC, and how access leads to better accountability, revealing public health, education, and governance issues across the country.  Don’t forget you can find links to all the reporting that informs these summaries in our show notes.  Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260509-access-and-privacy-online  Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-19 FIPA Voter Privacy  House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237  Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca   Bill C-4 Backgrounder: https://fipa.bc.ca/bill-c-4-background/  Donate to Help Us Reach More Canadians: https://fipa.bc.ca/pr/donate-c4/  Support these efforts by subscribing or donating.  Send comments to [email protected]  Our Contributors:  Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder   Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/   News stories through the Canadian Press, Feedly, and ICLMG.  Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes,  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM. ListenNotes,  Podchaser, Boomplay