Jan 4, 2017
“May our lives be filled with more justice and less corrections.” (A New Year’s wish from one of our readers)
Globe and Mail – Patrick White
New senator Kim Pate gives a voice to women in Canada’s prisons
New senators give ‘maiden speeches.’ Here’s an excerpt from Kim Pate’s first speech to the Senate. She is a long-time advocate for justice for women in prison. As her passion for justice unfolded, the senate became more attentive and eventually gave her a standing ovation. Perhaps in the New Year, we may see much greater passion for a review of justice approaches and practices as she calls for. “I started realizing that, okay, we have mostly poor and racialized people in the system,” she said. “Call me slow, but eventually I realized the whole system was not particularly fair. … As I started to look around at who got bail, who got charged, who got taken home – if you had resources and opportunities, you were far more likely to be diverted out of the system.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/new-senator-kim-pate-gives-a-voice-to-women-in-prison/article33469827/ Related article: iPolitics – Michael Harris After Kingston: Women in Canada’s prison system – The 1994 riot triggered a wave of popular outrage — but fundamental reforms still seem far off http://ipolitics.ca/2016/12/23/after-kingston-women-in-canadas-prison-system/
Toronto Star – Faisal Kutty
Legal system not doing enough for racialized members
The Law Society of Upper Canada has just approved a report from a working group established to report on the conditions faced by lawyers who belong to minority groups. Called Challenges Faced by Racialized Licensees Working Group the report offers 13 recommendations around five action steps to address systemic racism in the profession. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/01/03/legal-system-not-doing-enough-for-racialized-members.html Text of report: (60 page downloadable pdf) http://www.lsuc.on.ca/uploadedFiles/Equity_and_Diversity/Members/Challenges_for_Racialized_Licensees/Working-Together-for-Change-Strategies-to-Address-Issues-of-Systemic-Racism-in-the-Legal-Professions-Final-Report.pdf
Globe and Mail – Christopher Barry
Why some charities thrive and others struggle
Barry works with non-profits and reflects on why some charities do very well and others struggle. He thinks there are four reasons that explain the financial and governance problems in charities. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/why-some-charities-thrive-and-others-struggle/article33467876/
Ottawa Citizen – Shannon Gormley
For your air-travel security, please let us grope you
The startling headline is followed by a tongue-in-cheek analysis of the security practices at airports. The article does raise some questions about how much is enough and how far should these practices intrude into the world of privacy and comfort for the passengers. http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/gormley-for-your-air-travel-security-please-let-us-grope-you
Ottawa Citizen – David Paddon
Chew on this: Report says top CEOs to earn more by lunch than average worker in 2017
Here’s a little disquieting news that may raise your hackles in the income disparity debates. Before lunch today, Canada’s best paid CEO’s will have earned more than the average Canadian will for an entire year. “That serves as a very potent symbol, I think, of the growth of income inequality,” says Hugh MacKenzie of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the report’s author. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/report+says+total+compensation+ceos+rose+million+2015/12637652/story.html Full report: (A 28 page downloadable pdf) Throwing Money at the Problem: 10 Years of Executive Compensation https://www.policyalternatives.ca/ceo2017 Related article: CBC News – Pete Evans ‘It’s either overt or covert hostility’: Why only 2 women made list of 100 highest-paid CEOs http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/female-executives-ceo-pay-1.3919414 Related article: CBC News – Associated Press Finland launches basic income experiment with Jan. 1 cheques for those in pilot project – Project could see jobless citizens receive $782 a month with no rules on how to spend it http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/basic-income-finland-1.3918671
Ottawa Citizen – Norman De Bono, Post Media News
Ontario firm’s social-media monitoring software linked to racial profiling by U.S. police
A London firm, Media Sonar, has a software program that allows identification of threats to public safety on the net. But police, especially in California, say the ACLU, are using it against protest groups like Black Lives Matter and without any transparency or accountability. The issue has generated a controversy over who is responsible for the intrusive use of software: the designer / seller or the client using the product? http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/national/ontario+firm+social+media+monitoring+software+linked+racial/12639245/story.html