Tag: government

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Here are some ways to support the CUPE strike

Roughly 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) walked off the job on Friday as school support workers protest at Queen’s Park and at offices of Ontario members of provincial parliament (MPPs). Support staff include early childhood educators, custodians, educational assistants, and library technicians.

If you haven’t been following the details, Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government rammed through controversial legislation that overrides workers’ Charter rights. It also imposes a four-year contract on school support staff and includes an annual salary increase of 2.5 percent for employees making less than $43,000 per year, and an increase of 1.5 percent for employees making more than that. Meanwhile, per Ontario’s 2021 Sunshine List, Ford makes $208,974 per year, up about 85.3 percent since 2018, and Education Minister Stephen Lecce makes $165,851.04 per year, up roughly 10.2 percent since 2019.

Alongside forcing an unlivable wage on education support workers, Bill 28 uses the notwithstanding clause to bypass the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and includes provisions to exempt it from the Human Rights Code. It also threatens fines of up to $4,000 per day to individuals and up to $500,000 per day to unions who don’t comply.

Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, the use of the notwithstanding clause to trample workers’ rights is shameful and establishes a concerning precedent.

How to stand with CUPE

There are a variety of ways to support CUPE and school support workers. CUPE hosts a picket line finder on its website to help Ontarians find and join protests.

For those who can’t join protests, there are other ways to voice support, such as contacting the MPP for your riding, Education Minister Lecce, or even Ford himself. You can find a full list of Ontario MPPs here — click the MPP for your riding to view details about them, including contact information. You can also view a list of all contact information for MPPs here. Ford’s contact information can be found here, while Lecce’s can be found here.

If you’re unsure what to say or write, the key things to include are your name and your displeasure at the anti-worker legislation. It’s also important not to be an asshole. Alternatively, CUPE and the Ontario Federation of Labour both offer pre-written letters — simply fill in your information and sign your name to have it sent to the appropriate MPP (these can also work as inspiration for your own letter if you prefer to go that route).

Finally, you can share support on social networks with the hashtag #IStandWithCUPE.

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Mobile Syrup

Government says it fixed ArriveCAN bug that told iPhone users to quarantine

The federal government acknowledged that an ArriveCAN app glitch told fully vaccinated travellers they needed to quarantine last week. However, the government says it fixed the bug.

As reported by Global News, ArriveCAN told fully vaccinated travellers who showed no signs of having COVID-19 that they had to quarantine. The mistaken warning was reportedly delivered to roughly three percent of travellers and it appears to have only gone out to those using Apple devices.

A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told Global that the CBSA and public health officials determine whether someone needs to quarantine, “not the app.”

However, the glitch has boosted growing concerns about ArriveCAN. The government introduced ArriveCAN during the pandemic, but unlike other pandemic-related tech (looking at you, COVID Alert), the government doesn’t plan to do away with ArriveCAN.

Instead, the government wants to modernize the border by getting people to use ArriveCAN to do pre-customs screening in an effort to speed up processing times at the border. So far, that hasn’t gone well. ArriveCAN is one of many factors contributing to chaos and delays at airports (although far from the biggest one), while some 40 percent of travellers at the Windsor border crossing aren’t using it. It’s created a situation where border service officers are just helping people fill out information in the app.

Moreover, others have pointed to issues with the app’s mandatory nature and data collection, highlighting privacy concerns. Bianca Wylie, a partner at Digital Public and co-founder of Tech Reset Canada, has written and tweeted extensively about issues with ArriveCAN.

The mandatory nature of ArriveCAN is especially concerning given the app’s various reliability issues. Mistaken warnings, bugs and other problems could be more easily forgiven if travellers didn’t need to use the app.

Header image: Shutterstock

Source: Global News

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Mobile Syrup

Government tracked Canadians’ movement via smartphones amid the pandemic

A new report sent to the House of Commons ethics committee has revealed that Canadians’ movements were tracked by the government via their smartphone amid the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

According to The Canadian Press’ reporting, outbreak intelligence analyst BlueDot created reports for Public Health Canada using anonymized movement data pulled from Canadians’ smartphones. The public health agency then utilized this anonymized data to gain an understanding of Canadians’ travel patterns during the height of the pandemic in an effort to better manage its response.

The report goes on to reveal that the data included trips to the grocery store, visits to family and friends, time spent at home and movement outside of provinces and the country. Members of Parliament that are part of the ethics committee stated that they were surprised by the amount of detail included in the report.

“Questions remain about the specifics of the data provided, if Canadians’ rights were violated, and what advice the Liberal government was given,” said Damien Kurek, Conservative MP for Battle River-Crowfoot, Alberta, in a statement to The Canadian Press. 

Public Health Canada says that it took protecting the privacy of Canadians seriously and emphasized that the analysis of the data wasn’t focused on individual citizens’ activities and instead was focused on “understanding whether the number of visits to specific locations have increased or decreased over time.”

The data given to BlueDot didn’t include names or identifying personal information, said Public Health Canada.

The committee says that in the future the government should inform Canadian if it is collecting data about their movement and allow them to opt-out.

Source: Canadian Government Via: The Canadian Press (CP24) 

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Mobile Syrup

B.C. project to improve Highway 3 cell coverage between Hope and Keremeos

British Columbia (Canada) flag waving on the wind | 155594780

The B.C. government announced a new project to improve cellular coverage along Highway 3 between Hope and Keremeos.

The project will see the addition of 11 new cell towers along an estimated 93km of the highway. In a release, the B.C. government said the added towers will improve safety for users as the province works to strengthen highway infrastructure following recent flooding.

“We are working hard to expand connectivity where it’s most needed in the province,” said Lisa Beare, B.C.’s minister of citizens’ services, in the release.

“Cellular coverage along key transport routes like Highway 3 is important for both commercial and recreational travellers, as it will enable people to stay connected and to access road safety updates and important emergency services while on the road.”

The release notes that cell coverage along the described section of Highway 3 is intermittent. The coverage gaps between Hope and Manning Park, and the gaps between Princeton and Keremeos present the greatest challenge. However, the project should lead to consistent coverage along the whole route.

The provincial government will invest up to $3.1 million through the Connecting British Columbia grant program. The Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) will administer the grant, which will partially fund the project’s $9.7 million cost. Rogers Communications will foot the rest of the bill.

B.C. expects the project to be completed by fall 2024.

Thanks Kris!

Header image credit: Shutterstock

Source: B.C. government

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Mobile Syrup

Government releases ‘What We Heard’ report on online harms proposal

OTTAWA, CANADA – NOVEMBER 10, 2018: Canada Wordmark, the official logo of the Canadian government, on an administrative building next to a Canadian flag waiving

The government of Canada released its What We Heard: The Government’s proposed approach to address harmful content online report detailing responses to the proposed regulation of online harms.

The report highlights that the majority of respondents agree with the government about regulating online harm, but also raised numerous concerns about the complexity of the issues, unintended consequences, and more.

What We Heard draws from consultation with Canadians, social media platforms, stakeholders, industry, academia, civil society, and others from July 28th to September 25th, 2021. Notably, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) claimed the Liberal government hadn’t consulted with it back in October, which is concerning given the online harm regulations’ potential to undermine Canadian privacy rights.

In the report, the government said that respondents were “largely supportive” of some proposed elements, including:

  • A framework that would apply to all major platforms;
  • The exclusion of private and encrypted communications and telecommunications services;
  • Accessible and easy-to-use flagging mechanisms and clear appeal processes for users;
  • The need for platform transparency and accountability requirements;
  • The creation of new regulatory machinery to administer and enforce the regime;
  • Ensuring that the regulatory scheme protects Canadians from real-world violence emanating from the online space; and
  • The need for appropriate enforcement tools to address platform non-compliance.

The report also outlined several areas where respondents expressed concern, including:

  • Apart from major platforms, what other types of online services would be regulated and what the threshold for inclusion would be;
  • What content moderation obligations, if any, would be placed on platforms to reduce the spread of harmful content online, including the 24-hour removal provision and the obligation for platforms to proactively monitor their services for harmful content;
  • The independence and oversight of new regulatory bodies;
  • What types of content would be captured by the regime and how that content would be defined in relation to existing criminal law;
  • The proposed compliance and enforcement tools, including the blocking power; and
  • Mandatory reporting of content to law enforcement and national security agencies or preservation obligations.

Next steps and other concerns

In the coming weeks, the Department of Canadian Heritage plans to “engage a group of experts” who will collaborate with stakeholders and Canadians to provide advice to the government on how to adjust the proposal. In a press release, the government said that the work “will be carried out in a transparent and expedited manner.”

Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, will propose a revised framework “as soon as possible.” Further, the government says it’s committed to “getting this right” and doing it “as quickly as possible,” although those two commitments seem at odds with each other.

Some expressed concern about the What We Heard report as well. Advocacy group OpenMedia shared on Twitter that the government’s acknowledgement of wrongdoing “barely scratches the surface” and called for concrete changes in upcoming versions of the proposal.

Those interested in learning more can find the What We Heard report here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: What We Heard, Government of Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Government releases ‘What We Heard’ report on online harms proposal

OTTAWA, CANADA – NOVEMBER 10, 2018: Canada Wordmark, the official logo of the Canadian government, on an administrative building next to a Canadian flag waiving

The government of Canada released its What We Heard: The Government’s proposed approach to address harmful content online report detailing responses to the proposed regulation of online harms.

The report highlights that the majority of respondents agree with the government about regulating online harm, but also raised numerous concerns about the complexity of the issues, unintended consequences, and more.

What We Heard draws from consultation with Canadians, social media platforms, stakeholders, industry, academia, civil society, and others from July 28th to September 25th, 2021. Notably, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) claimed the Liberal government hadn’t consulted with it back in October, which is concerning given the online harm regulations’ potential to undermine Canadian privacy rights.

In the report, the government said that respondents were “largely supportive” of some proposed elements, including:

  • A framework that would apply to all major platforms;
  • The exclusion of private and encrypted communications and telecommunications services;
  • Accessible and easy-to-use flagging mechanisms and clear appeal processes for users;
  • The need for platform transparency and accountability requirements;
  • The creation of new regulatory machinery to administer and enforce the regime;
  • Ensuring that the regulatory scheme protects Canadians from real-world violence emanating from the online space; and
  • The need for appropriate enforcement tools to address platform non-compliance.

The report also outlined several areas where respondents expressed concern, including:

  • Apart from major platforms, what other types of online services would be regulated and what the threshold for inclusion would be;
  • What content moderation obligations, if any, would be placed on platforms to reduce the spread of harmful content online, including the 24-hour removal provision and the obligation for platforms to proactively monitor their services for harmful content;
  • The independence and oversight of new regulatory bodies;
  • What types of content would be captured by the regime and how that content would be defined in relation to existing criminal law;
  • The proposed compliance and enforcement tools, including the blocking power; and
  • Mandatory reporting of content to law enforcement and national security agencies or preservation obligations.

Next steps and other concerns

In the coming weeks, the Department of Canadian Heritage plans to “engage a group of experts” who will collaborate with stakeholders and Canadians to provide advice to the government on how to adjust the proposal. In a press release, the government said that the work “will be carried out in a transparent and expedited manner.”

Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, will propose a revised framework “as soon as possible.” Further, the government says it’s committed to “getting this right” and doing it “as quickly as possible,” although those two commitments seem at odds with each other.

Some expressed concern about the What We Heard report as well. Advocacy group OpenMedia shared on Twitter that the government’s acknowledgement of wrongdoing “barely scratches the surface” and called for concrete changes in upcoming versions of the proposal.

Those interested in learning more can find the What We Heard report here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: What We Heard, Government of Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s a map of the government’s Universal Broadband Fund projects

The federal government’s Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) has seen some $2.75 billion put towards high-speed internet projects across the country.

Intended to bring internet with 50Mbps download and 10Mbps upload speeds to rural and remote communities, the government has steadily announced projects over the last several months. You’ve likely seen coverage of some of the projects appear on MobileSyrup. But, when I wrote about them, I often noticed I had no idea where some of the places were. So, I’ve put together a custom map highlighting all the locations receiving funding for internet projects through the UBF.

The locations shown in the map above are based on the details from this government website that lists all the UBF projects. It’s worth noting the map is intended as a visual tool and some markers are placed at rough approximations of where projects will be based on details provided by the government. Projects are sorted by province and territory — you can click the side-bar button in the top-left corner to view a menu and toggle what the map displays if you want to focus on specific regions.

You can also view a bigger version of the map by clicking the ‘square’ icon in the top-right corner.

Additionally, projects are colour-coded based on the telecom company working on the project. Colours generally match to respective telecom companies (i.e. dark blue for Bell, red for Rogers, purple for Telus), although there may be some overlapping colours among smaller companies. Finally, you can click each icon to view which telecom company received the funding, how many households the project will serve, the amount of funding received for the project and any connected locations (some funding covers projects in multiple communities).

Source: Government of Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Canadian government investigating cyberattack on Global Affairs

Canadian flag waving with Parliament Buildings hill in the background Ottawa,Ontario, Canada

Several federal departments and agencies are working together in response to a recent cyberattack on systems at Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

According to a CBC News report, the government said the “cyber incident” took place on January 19th, but was limited to GAC. Further, the government said there was no indication that other government departments were impacted.

“This investigation is ongoing. We are unable to comment further on any specific details for operational reasons,” read a government statement.

The statement goes on the specify that the Treasury Board Secretariat, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Shared Services Canada, the Communications Security Establishment and its Canadian Centre for Cyber Security are working to respond to the incident.

Although the federal government didn’t say which GAC systems were targeted or whether any damage was done, it did confirm the systems haven’t returned to normal use. Moreover, the government said that critical services are current;y functioning but that some “internet-based services are not currently available” due to mitigation measures.

The government didn’t say where the attack originated from or who might be responsible. Worse, a government source told CBC News that it may be days before a source can be identified due to the complexity of the attack. CBC News also notes that internal emails show Canadian missions abroad experienced electronic communications issues.

Finally, CBC News noted that the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security put out a bulletin warning of potential cyber threats, “including by Russian-backed actors to target Canadian critical infrastructure network operators, their operational and information technology.” The publication goes on to indicate the possibility of Russian cyberattacks related to rising tensions over Ukraine.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: CBC News

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Mobile Syrup

Canadian government to test Alert Ready system on November 17th

The federal government has another Alert Ready test slated for November 17th, 2021.

That means on Wednesday, Canadians with a compatible mobile phone should receive a test alert on their phone. The Alert Ready system serves as a way for the government to quickly communicate critical, potentially life-saving information to people across the country.

For example, it could be used to warn about a natural disaster, like a dangerous storm or earthquake. In Ontario, it’s been used several times for Amber alerts. Unfortunately, those alerts also resulted in some of the less thoughtful among us tying up emergency resources by calling 9-1-1 to complain about Amber alerts.

Speaking of which, this upcoming test might be a great time for you to test out ways to mute the incoming alert if you find they often disturb you. I usually keep my phones on Do Not Disturb at night and I’ve never had an emergency alert wake me up (which may come back to bite me someday).

Anyway, for Ontario, the test alert will deploy at 12:55pm ET on November 17th. All the other provinces and territories will have alert tests on the 17th, but the times can differ. You can check out the full schedule on the Alert Ready website.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Canadian government to test Alert Ready system on November 17th

The federal government has another Alert Ready test slated for November 17th, 2021.

That means on Wednesday, Canadians with a compatible mobile phone should receive a test alert on their phone. The Alert Ready system serves as a way for the government to quickly communicate critical, potentially life-saving information to people across the country.

For example, it could be used to warn about a natural disaster, like a dangerous storm or earthquake. In Ontario, it’s been used several times for Amber alerts. Unfortunately, those alerts also resulted in some of the less thoughtful among us tying up emergency resources by calling 9-1-1 to complain about Amber alerts.

Speaking of which, this upcoming test might be a great time for you to test out ways to mute the incoming alert if you find they often disturb you. I usually keep my phones on Do Not Disturb at night and I’ve never had an emergency alert wake me up (which may come back to bite me someday).

Anyway, for Ontario, the test alert will deploy at 12:55pm ET on November 17th. All the other provinces and territories will have alert tests on the 17th, but the times can differ. You can check out the full schedule on the Alert Ready website.