Weekly News (April 26, 2022)

Compiled by Fizza Kulvi, Meaghan Wester, and Nick Gertler with Sara Bannerman, Fenwick McKelvey, Guillaume Dandurand, Marek Blottière, and Kevin Morin
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

The Communications Governance Discussion Group meets every few weeks by Zoom.  Email organizer Derek Hrynyshyn <derekh@yorku.ca> for details.

(April 19 – April 25, 2022)

Canadian News 

• [ONLINE HARMS] Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQ groups and sex workers criticize online hate bill (National Post)
• [ONLINE HARMS] Ottawa faces blowback for plan to regulate internet (Globe and Mail)
• [ONLINE HARMS] Haine sur l’internet : Des groupes minoritaires doutent de l’efficacité du projet de loi (La Presse)
• [COPYRIGHT] Publishers press Ottawa to review Copyright Act, citing $190-million loss (Globe and Mail)
• [COMPETITION/TELECOM OWNERSHIP] Globalive criticizes Freedom Mobile sale process as bidders circle (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] RBC and CIBC join banking group helping to finance Elon Musk’s bid for Twitter (Globe and Mail)
• [CENSORSHIP] Few details emerge at school board meeting about why Cree author’s book removed from library collection (The Star)
• [PRIVACY] St. Joe’s has reported more than 2,000 privacy breaches since 2018 (Hamilton Spectator)
• [ONLINE HARMS] OPINION: Geist: Not an Outlier: What the Government’s Online Harms Secrecy Debacle Says About Its Internet Regulation Plans (Michael Geist Blog)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Scoffield: Musk’s moves on Twitter should concern Ottawa (Toronto Star)
• [AUTOMATION/LABOUR] OPINION: Harvey: Companies are mitigating labour shortages with automation – and this could drastically impact workers (The Conversation)
• [ONLINE NEWS] OPINION: Macdonald: Canada’s Online News Act: Repeating Australia’s mistakes? (Policy Options)

International News

• [DISINFORMATION/PLATFORM REGULATION] Barack Obama Takes on a New Role: Fighting Disinformation (NYT)
• [PRIVACY] Mobile carriers can use your online history for ads (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY] The U.S. won’t catch up to Europe on tech regulation anytime soon (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Elon Musk strikes deal to buy Twitter for $44bn (BBC)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] It’s not rocket science, why Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover could be bad for privacy (TechCrunch)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Twitter bans climate change propaganda ads as deniers target platforms (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Sheryl Sandberg allegedly leant on Daily Mail news site to drop stories about ex-boyfriend (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] The 2020 Census Has Thousands of Errors Added on Purpose (NYT)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation (NPR)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Among top hacking nations, North Korea’s the weirdest (Washington Post)
• [DATA PROTECTION] Investors in the dark on China industrial transport as data curbs bite (Reuters)

(April 19 – April 25, 2022)

Federal Court of Appeal

• The following judgements were made on April 21, 2022:
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/RELIGION] Right to Life Association of Toronto and Area v. Canada (Employment, Workforce and Labour) (2022 FCA 67) (Dismissed) 

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Governments of Canada and Ontario announce more than $56 million in new funding to bring high-speed Internet access to thousands of more households 
• Government of Canada invests over $5 million to bring high-speed Internet to over 3,300 households in British Columbia
• Government of Canada highlights more than $16 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 3,330 households in Ontario
• Government of Canada invests over $1,075,000 to bring high-speed Internet to more than 625 households in Newfoundland and Labrador 
• Government of Canada highlights more than $63 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 13,748 households in Ontario 
• Government of Canada highlights more than $15 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 1,948 households in Ontario
• Government of Canada highlights more than $51 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 4,086 households in Ontario
• Government of Canada highlights nearly $15.5 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 3,659 households in Ontario
• Government of Canada highlights more than $32 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 4,485 households in Ontario
• Government of Canada highlights more than $96 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 22,456 households in Ontario
• Government of Canada highlights more than $163 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 7,772 households in Ontario

Office of the Privacy Commissioner

• OPC publishes updated guidance on public interest disclosures by federal institutions under the Privacy Act

Google

• Data Commons: Making sustainability data accessible

Twitter

• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility Q1 2022: Our Global Approach

Meta

• What the Research on Social Media’s Impact on Democracy and Daily Life Says (and Doesn’t Say)
• New Lessons Learned in Building COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance

CRTC

    Decisions

• 2022-110 – Golden West Broadcasting Ltd. – Airdrie, Alberta – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language radio station CFIT-FM
• 2022-109 – Burns Lake & District Broadcasting Society – Burns Lake, British Columbia – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate a radiocommunication distribution undertaking to serve Burns Lake

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada announced today that judgment in the following leave applications will be delivered at 9:45 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 28, 2022. This list is subject to change.
  • [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY/COPYRIGHT]  Anderson T. Walcott v. Toronto Transit Commission (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39992)
  • [DEFAMATION] Kipling Warner v. Kevin Hobbs, et al. (B.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39922)

Senate of Canada

·         Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate meets all week.

• Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
  • April 27, 2022, 4:00 PM ET: Bill S-208, An Act respecting the Declaration on the Essential Role of Artists and Creative Expression in Canada
• Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications
  • Wednesday, April 27, 2022, 6:30PM ET: Study the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors and the consequential impacts on their interdependencies

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The House meets all week.
  • Public Safety and National Security (SECU)
    • April 28, 2022, 11AM EDT: Rise of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism in Canada 

CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 25 to 29 April 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decision:

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  CBI Sydney and its transmitter CBHF-FM Northeast Margaree – Technical changes
  Public record: 2022-0065-8 

Upcoming hearings

• May 12, 2022: Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-62 (broadcasting licence application)

Public Consultations

• CRTC: Video Relay Service Review (Mar 11, 2021-May 16, 2022)
• CRTC: Call for comments – Introduction of a three-digit abbreviated dialing code for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services (Nov 30, 2021 to Jan 31, 2022) (Mar 29, 2022 to Apr 30, 2022)
• Canadian Heritage: Be Part of the National Action Plan on Combatting Hate (Complete online questionnaire by May 8, 2022.)
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office fee adjustment (Mar 31, 2022 to Apr 29, 2022)
• Proposed requirements respecting police record checks for individuals involved in the provision of services governed by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998. Comments due: May 4, 2022                  
• CBC/Radio-Canada engaging with Indigenous communities across Canada about better reflecting Indigenous cultures (April 26 – September 27, 2022)

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings 
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Public consultations

• Stakeholder engagement on fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news media: Closed Consultation 
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office fee adjustment (Open – Accepting Input)
• Proposed requirements respecting police record checks for individuals involved in the provision of services governed by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998.

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