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The Ford government has negotiated a break fee to cancel its $100 million contract for Starlink internet, Global News has learned, officially ending its deal with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX. The now-defunct agreement between Ontario and SpaceX was first signed in November to provide satellite internet to roughly 15,000 homes in the north of the province.A spokesperson for the provincial government confirmed to Global News the deal had ended.“Our government has cancelled the Starlink contract,” they wrote in an email. “We are seeking an alternate solution as we continue our efforts to secure long term, stable high-speed internet access across the province.”Ending the deal meant the province had to pay a fee, although it is unclear how much that was.A senior government source, speaking on backgr...

The provincial agency overseeing Ontario’s home care system was informed about a massive data breach in April, Global News has learned, more than two months before the public, along with hundreds of thousands of impacted patients, were notified. Ontario Health atHome, a Crown agency recently created by the Ford government to coordinate resources for home care and palliative patients, has been under scrutiny after a cyberattack that impacted one of its vendors was kept under wraps for months.The attack, believed to have affected as many as 200,000 patients, took place sometime in March but was only revealed to the public in late June.Now, officials with the agency have confirmed that they were made aware of a cybersecurity incident as early as April 14, but waited until the end of May to in...

Elections Canada says voters in the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection won’t have to worry about a typo spoiling their adapted ballot as long as it’s clear who they mean to vote for. The agency announced Monday it was changing how the Aug. 18 byelection will be conducted after more than 200 people registered to run. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is running for a second shot at getting elected to the House of Commons after losing the Ottawa-area seat he had held for 20 years in the federal election in April.To avoid another very long ballot form, an adapted ballot has been created. It is similar to the special ballots used by some Canadians in general elections, where people fill out the name of their preferred candidate to cast their vote.When asked if a spelling error might lead to a...