Ontario's FOI fight just kicked up a notch

So long, HST on new homes

ABOVE THE FOLD

A big news Friday — the Ford government is taking major flak for gutting Freedom of Information laws, accused of creating a distraction with a late-in-the-game injunction to stop a weekend Al Quds rally, and are getting mixed reviews for their decision to cut off funding for supervised drug injection sites. Let’s hop to it.

Secret secrets: Changes are coming to FOI laws that will shield the offices of the Premier, Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentary Assistants — leaving a handful of backbenchers on the political side, as well as public servants — from public scrutiny.

Public and Business Service Delivery Minister STEPHEN CRAWFORD gave word Friday, as part of a broader package of cybersecurity enhancements, insisting it’s a long overdue modernization that will ensure Cabinet decision-making can remain candid.

But, and it’s a biggie: Several exemptions already exist in the law, including cabinet confidence, which doesn’t allow for the release of the most sensitive documents su…