Aug 16, 2022
Toronto Star Editorial (Aug 11, 2022)
Policing police data collection – It’s time to regulate the police collection of data including emails, text messages and image from cellphones and other devices
Privacy practice in Canada is under the supervision of a federally appointed commissioner. “Federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne said he learned of the program through a media report rather than from the RCMP.” Besides already upside down for reporting and surveillance, the technology for RCMP eavesdropping seems to race ahead of the laws governing the process such that the police themselves are deciding what is legitimate. “At his testimony on Monday, Dufresne said the law should create an environment of “privacy by design.” To that end, he urged Parliament to amend the Privacy Act to ensure organizations complete a privacy impact assessment before employing new technologies.” https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2022/08/11/policing-police-data-collection.html?source=newsletter&utm_content=a10&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=404CAADEF7EB839FC77B1B04F0C251E1&utm_campaign=top_139159
Global News – Liam Casey, Canadian Press
Ontario health minister won’t rule out privatization as option to help ER crisis
The true face of the Ford government may be more exposed in this commentary by Health Minister Sylvia Jones who has suggested that private health care is on the table in the growing health crisis in Ontario. The crisis whose root causes seem to be dwindling and under paid staff has resulted in both emergency wards and specialty departments of hospitals closed temporarily and government without any plan to correct the problems except to invoke fast tracking foreign qualified professionals for certification. https://globalnews.ca/news/9050636/ontario-emergency-room-crisis-privitization/ Related article: Tweet from Armine Yalnizyan “Dear Premiers: Healthcare is a shambles everywhere so you want $28B/year more from the feds, no questions asked. Me and the Care Economy team say: show us the plan for how you’d use it to address our 5 big problems No plan? No money.” cf string https://twitter.com/ArmineYalnizyan/status/1558434655455551491?s=03
Tweet from Coalition against the Proposed Prison Kemptville, ON
“We’re taking the Ontario govt to court to stop the construction of the proposed provincial prison on the grounds of the #Kemptville Agricultural College. Read our press release to learn more.” The more includes a press release and an explanation of the strategy. https://twitter.com/CappKemptville/status/1559141697552060416?s=03
CTV Atlantic
Wildfires came after difficult years for Newfoundland’s volunteer town councils
The link is not so much justice news as news indicating a growing need in our small municipal re-actions to a crisis that calls on officials to devote an extra-ordinary amount of time from their real time employment to their part time, voluntary pre-occupations, many of these officials long serving. The illustration comes from the impact of the current forest fires in Central Newfoundland. The policy changes on the authority of the mayor are also under consideration for political reasons in Ontario (cf below) https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/wildfires-came-after-difficult-years-for-newfoundland-s-volunteer-town-councils-1.6027828 Related article: City News (Toronto) -Lucas Casaletto, The Canadian Press Doug Ford to extend ‘strong mayor’ powers outside of Toronto, Ottawa https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/08/15/ontario-strong-mayor-system-doug-ford-housing/
National Newswatch – Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
MPs to hear more testimony about alleged political meddling in N.S. shooting probe
The Nova Scotia killings have moved the stage from there to an inquiry in house as two of the accusers of Brenda Lucki, RCMP commissioner, will be heard this week before a House of Commons Committee. “RCMP Chief Supt. Darren Campbell and Lia Scanlan, a strategic communications director, each accused Commissioner Brenda Lucki of saying she faced pressure from the federal government to ensure information about the gunman’s weapons was released at a news conference.” Lucki denies any such effort to respond to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair. https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2022/08/16/mps-to-hear-more-testimony-about-alleged-political-meddling-in-n-s-shooting-probe/#.Yvuv1qfx63C
The Guardian (UK, US desk) – Sam Levin in Los Angeles
Bid to recall Los Angeles district attorney fails, a win for criminal justice reform – Campaign to remove George Gascón did not have the required signatures in a major blow to police unions and conservatives
The US justice reform attempts have had setbacks in the efforts to recall progressive district attorneys who favour reform of the both the criminal judicial process and the associated bail and parole processes. Disgruntled votes in Los Angeles did not get sufficient numbers to put the recall on the ballot – the measure fell short by about 20% of the 250,000 votes needed. “The failure of the initiative to remove Gascón in the middle of his first term is a victory for criminal justice reform advocates and a major blow to police unions and conservative groups that have staunchly opposed efforts to reduce mass incarceration and hold officers accountable for misconduct.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/15/los-angeles-district-attorney-george-gascon-recall Related article: Pew Foundation (US) – Julie Wertheimer and Jake Horowitz Public Safety Performance Project https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/public-safety-performance-project?utm_campaign=2022-08-16+PSPP&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Pew&subscriberkey=00Q0P00000oErugUAC
Human Rights Law Center (Victoria, Australia)
More than 65,700 Victorians call on the Andrews government to raise the age
The movement to increase the minimum age for criminal responsibility is finding resonance elsewhere as well (in Canada, Eva Marszewski of the Peace Builders is an advocate – emarszewski@peacebuilders.ca ). The movement is driven by the increasing evidence of the way the adolescent brain develops and the fact that youth under 21 years frequently offend while still in the process of developing control of their behaviour. (Cf also the British research recently quoted in the newsletter regarding the impact of childhood trauma.) https://www.hrlc.org.au/news/2022/8/15/more-than-65700-victorians-call-on-the-andrews-government-to-raise-the-age
Universal Basic Income (Canada)
“Many of you have probably heard the common (but incorrect) criticisms of Basic Income, that ‘it would make people lazy’, ‘it would bankrupt our country’, or even ‘it would raise taxes on the middle class and working people’… Basic Income works. Here’s the proof.
Decades of research already shows that Basic Income supports our people and our economy. We have the data.” https://www.ubiworks.ca/blog/basic-income-works-heres-the-proof