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Crabs, coupons and spies: How one database helped us reveal Canada’s secrets

Our Open By Default database contains millions of pages of federal records. Some led to big stories

Zak Vescera

30 Dec 2025 • 5 min read

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A woman holds pages of paper that have been significantly redacted.

The IJF's Open By Default database makes tens of thousands of federal access to information requests publicly available and searchable. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Zak Vescera

Zak is a Vancouver-based reporter focusing on white-collar crime in British Columbia. He previously reported for The Tyee and The Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

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