Weekly News (May 31, 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.

(May 24 – May 30, 2022)

Canadian News 

• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Ottawa rejects internet rates appeal, sets new CRTC policy to boost telecom competition (The Star)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Smaller telecoms cautious on Ottawa’s new CRTC policy directives (The Star)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Creator of popular kids’ YouTube channel slams federal online-streaming bill (Toronto Star)
• [COMPETITION POLICY] Competition watchdog calls for ‘vigorous enforcement’ to combat rising prices (Financial Post)
• [OFFICIAL LANGUAGES] Is Quebec about to push Canada into another language war? Five things you need to know (Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] Technology used by educators in abrupt switch to online school shared kids’ personal information, investigation shows (Globe and Mail)   
• [PRIVACY] Privacy watchdog examining dossier City of Toronto compiled on homeless (National Post)
• [EMERGENCY BROADCAST] These Ontario residents didn’t receive a storm alert — and want to know why (CBC)
• [COPYRIGHT] The Shaw Festival’s Gaslight rewrite is a gas – too bad copyright extension is going to spoil the fun (Globe and Mail)
• [OBSCENITY] One of Alberta’s most predatory pedophiles is refused a lighter sentence because of his Métis status (National Post)
• [PRIVACY] Scarborough Health Network warns of data breach involving patient information (The Star)
• [STREAMING SERVICES] Streaming services face ‘subscription fatigue’ after pandemic overload (Globe and Mail)
• [CENSORSHIP] How a protest against book bans led to a fireproof copy of Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale (Globe and Mail)   
• [CULTURAL INDUSTRIES] How the hit show Paw Patrol became a Canadian export success (Globe and Mail)   
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Editorial Board: Ottawa wants to search your phone at the border, but its proposed rules are unreasonably suspicious (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Sims: Big Tech won’t like paying for Canadian journalism. Stand firm, Canada (National Post)

International News

• [PRIVACY/DATA PROTECTION] The Era of Borderless Data Is Ending (NYT)
• [PRIVACY] Ukraine War Shows Need for Global Data-Privacy Agreement, EU Officials Say (WSJ)
• [BRAOCASTING POLICY] Dutch journalists, rights group file lawsuit challenging EU ban on RT, Sputnik (Reuters)
• [PATENT] Pfizer to offer all its drugs not-for-profit to 45 lower-income countries (The Guardian)
• [CYBERSECURITY/TELECOM] Our battle with China over the future of the Internet is just beginning (Washington Post)
• [FACE RECOGNITION] Tech Leaders Say Facial-Recognition Clampdown Will Spur Innovation (WSJ)
• [FACE RECOGNITION] A Face Search Engine Anyone Can Use Is Alarmingly Accurate (NYT)
• [CONTENT MODERATION] Want to regulate social media? The First Amendment may stand in the way (Washington Post)
• [NET NEUTRALITY] Poll finds Republican voters support bringing back net neutrality (Washington Post)   
• [ONLINE HARMS] Tech critics linked the Uvalde shooting to social media. The connection appears thin (Washington Post)           
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION] The Marriott lawsuit explores the conundrum of how to value stolen data (Washington Post)           
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Accused of Cheating by an Algorithm, and a Professor She Had Never Met. (NYT)       
• [CUTLURAL INDUSTRIES] In Iran, a New Wave of Repression Hits Acclaimed Filmmakers (NYT)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Bensinger: How Illinois Is Winning in the Fight Against Big Tech (NYT)
• [INTERNET POLICY] OPINION: Tarnoff: The Internet Is Broken. How Do We Fix It? (NYT)

(May 24 – May 30, 2022)

Canadian Heritage

• The governments of Canada and British Columbia support French-language postsecondary education
• Government of Canada and Government of New Brunswick support French-language post-secondary education in New Brunswick
• Minister Petitpas Taylor launches national consultations for the next Action Plan for Official Languages 
• The governments of Canada and British Columbia invest more than $4.7 million in French-language postsecondary education in British Columbia 
• Governments of Canada and New Brunswick provide more than $6.6 million to Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Governments of Canada and Quebec invest nearly $200,000 each to ensure 55 households in rural Quebec can access high-speed Internet services 
• Technical briefing on new telecommunications policy

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Privacy Commissioner delivers final annual address at Canada Privacy Symposium 2022 before end of mandate
• The state of privacy as I end my term

Twitter

• FTC settlement: Our commitment to protecting your privacy and security

CRTC

    Broadcasting Decisions

•  2022-138 – BCE Inc. – Across Canada – Complaint by BCE against Videotron alleging non-compliance in regard to the offering of its Vrai hybrid video-on-demand service
• 2022-137 – Blue Ant Media Inc. on behalf of all proposed partners in the partnerships that would carry on business as SN Channel General Partnership (13334805 Canada Limited, 8946337 Canada Limited and SN Channel ULC) and Blue Ant Television General Partnership (13334805 Canada Limited and 8946337 Canada Limited) – Across Canada – Application for authority to effect a corporate reorganization where all the partnership interest owned by Blue Ant in the partnerships would be transferred to Newco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blue Ant
• 2022-136 – CJRO Radio Inc. – Carlsbad Springs, Vars, Embrun and Sarsfield, Ontario – Application to acquire from Carlsbad Springs Community Association the assets of the low-power English- and French-language community radio station CJRO-FM Carlsbad Springs
• 2022-134 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Ottawa and Deep River, Ontario – Application to change the authorized contours of CBCD-FM-1 Deep River

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, June 2, 2022. This list is subject to change

• [TRANSLATED COMMUNICATIONS]  Ahmed Abdullahi v. Her Majesty the Queen (Ont.) (Criminal) (As of Right / By Leave) (40049)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Anton Oleynik v. Memorial University of Newfoundland, et al. (N.L.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40033)

Senate of Canada

Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate is sitting from May 30 to May 31, 2022.

• DEFENCE
  • May 30, 2022, 2 PM ET: Bill S-7, An Act to amend the Customs Act and the Preclearance Act, 2016

Canadian House of Commons

Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The House sits all week

• INTERNATIONAL TRADE 
  • May 30, 2022, 11 AM ET: Canada’s Export of Environmental and Clear Technology Goods and Services 
• CANADIAN HERITAGE
  • May 30, 2022, 11 AM ET: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
  • May 30, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
  • May 31, 2022, 11 AM ET: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
  • May 31, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
  • May 31, 2022, 6:30 PM ET: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
  • June 1, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
• OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
  • May 30, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Government Measures to Protect and Promote French in Quebec and in Canada
  • June 1, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Importance of Official Languages at Canadian National 

CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 24 to May 27 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decisions:

• BCE Inc.
  Complaint by BCE against Videotron alleging non-compliance in regard to the offering of its Vrai hybrid video-on-demand service
  Public record: 2021-0860-5

•  Blue Ant Media Inc. on behalf of all proposed partners in the partnerships that would carry on business as SN Channel General Partnership (13334805 Canada Limited, 8946337 Canada Limited and SN Channel ULC) and Blue Ant Television General Partnership (13334805 Canada Limited and 8946337 Canada Limited)
  Various discretionary services – Acquisition of assets (corporate reorganization)
  Public record: 2021-0698-9

•  Radio Nord-Joli inc.
  CFNJ-FM Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon – Technical changes
  Public record: 2021-0285-4

• CBC/Radio-Canada engaging with Indigenous communities across Canada about better reflecting Indigenous cultures (April 26 – September 27, 2022)

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