Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Talk, as it turns out, is not cheap if your The Prime Minister’s Office .

Prime Minister’s Office spending to jump more than $1-million






24-hour news cycle, rise in ethnic media drive up cost of communications, spokesman says




.Talk, as it turns out, is not cheap.



The cost of running the Prime Minister’s Office will jump by more than $1-million this year, mostly because of communications expenses.



The final number will be published in the government’s official accounting of expenses for 2009-2010, which will be released in the fall.



But The Canadian Press has learned it will hit about $9.89-million, compared to last year’s $8.15-million on spending.



The PMO has hired another 20 people in the last year, including more staff to handle regional and ethnic media, as well as direct government communication, such as the ad blitz on the economic action plan.



Control over whole-of-government messaging has also come to reside within the PMO, keeping staffers busy approving requests for information and interviews with every single government department.



The Prime Minister also took multiple trips abroad and hosted the G8 and G20 summits, which expanded the cost of running his shop.



A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said he believed the costs were essential.



There is more pressure in a 24-hour news cycle for ministers, MPs and the government to respond, said Andrew MacDougall, but the explosion in third-language media has also added to demand.



“We’ve made the conscious effort to really step up our efforts and frankly, in contrast with past communications shops, to be out there more and be more helpful,” he said.



Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office are subject to a wage freeze as part of the government-wide effort to face down its $54-billion deficit.



The office is also currently undergoing strategic review for this year.



During the last decade, the cost of running the PMO has fluctuated between $6.7-million in 2000-2001 and a high of $13.8-million in 2005-2006.



That was also the year that former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin and current Prime Minister Stephen Harper each spent time in the office.



There is no line item tally for 2006-2007.



The way expenses are tallied has also changed over the years, making a direct comparison between previous governments difficult.



Starting in 2008-2009, government ministers were required to begin individually disclosing their expenses under the new accountability act.



Prior to 2006-2007, there was a line item for “office of the prime minister” under the expenses for the privy office, but those costs did not reflect political staff costs.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Call for police watchdogs growing across Canada by SIU

Call for police watchdogs growing across Canada



Peter J. Thompson / National Post

John Minty (L) his mother Evelyn Minty (C) and sister Diane Minty (R) attend hearings at a Toronto courthouse on May 13, 2010 about family member Douglas Minty, who was shot and killed by officers of the OPP




Shannon Kari, National Post · Tuesday, Jul. 27, 2010



Standing on the front steps of the sandstone facade of the Osgoode Hall courthouse in downtown Toronto, Evelyn Minty grieved openly about the loss of her son, Douglas, who was fatally shot by an Ontario Provincial Police officer last year.



"I want answers. I want to know what happened with my son," she said outside a court hearing this spring. "I don't want mothers to go through what I have gone through. It's been a year. I can't forget it. I can't sleep nights."



Her developmentally disabled 59-year-old son had a knife and was allegedly approaching an officer in the small community of Elmvale, about 120 kilometres northwest of Toronto, when he was killed.



The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the civilian agency in Ontario that probes incidents of serious harm or death involving police, ultimately decided not to charge the officers involved. It was not an unexpected decision: No criminal charges have been laid against a police officer in Ontario in any of the 45 fatal shootings of civilians over the past decade.



Frustrated by the lack of information about the case, the Minty family and relatives of Levi Schaeffer, another man fatally shot last year by police, went to Ontario Superior Court. They want the court to order an end to practices such as officers consulting with lawyers before drafting their notes in these types of cases. What is unusual is that the families have the support of the SIU. Its director, Ian Scott, agreed that the vetting of notes and the potential for collusion when several officers retain the same lawyer are preventing the agency from conducting independent and timely investigations.



It is the first time in the two decades since the SIU was created that its director has complained publicly about impediments to investigating police.



Standing on the other side of the court aisle were lawyers representing every major police organization in Ontario.



"We have a pretty good model," said Ron Bain, executive director of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, in an interview. "The SIU has evolved over time to be more operationally sound. I am not hearing anything out of the Atttorney-General's office that the SIU needs changing."



Resisting change, however, may be a futile pursuit. The call for better police oversight is growing.



The Alberta and Manitoba governments are moving to greater civilian oversight of incidents of serious injury or death to a civilian involving police. The Toronto Police Services Board has agreed to a review of the actions that led to the arrest of hundreds of people at the G20 summit in June.



Perhaps most prominent are the recommendations of Thomas Braidwood, who presided over the inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, who died after being Tasered at Vancouver International Airport in 2007. He is calling for the creation of an oversight agency with the broadest powers in the country. "The debate is no longer whether British Columbians should have a civilian-based investigative body, but what it should look like," wrote the retired B.C. Court of Appeal judge in his report released last month.



One recommendation, which by Mr. Braidwood acknowledges is potentially controversial, is that the new agency would eventually be made up only of civilian investigators. This is not the case in Ontario, where most SIU investigators are retired officers.



This is not something police in B.C. would necessarily oppose. "Our concern is only that the investigators have the proper training and expertise," said Clayton Pecknold, president of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police.



The association first said last fall that it supported a civilian oversight agency in B.C. "These investigations take up a lot of resources. We are happy to have an agency take this one on," said Mr. Pecknold, who also serves as deputy chief constable of the Central Saanich Police Service.



"While we have confidence in our past investigations, we need to deal with public perception. Let's get this up and running."



The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is also urging the province to move quickly to implement the Braidwood recommendations. "I am very optimistic. This is what the public wants," said Robert Holmes, president of the civil liberties group. "Oversight is not about criminal charges [against police], it is about public confidence."



For its part, the B.C. government indicated the new oversight agency would be up and running within a year. Attorney-General Michael de Jong declined a request for an interview.



Julian Falconer, who represents the Minty and Schaeffer families, said better oversight will increase public confidence in police. "It does police services no good to justify or conceal bad policing. Good police officers should not be left out of the equation of those who benefit from effective oversight," Mr. Falconer said.



In Ontario, there may also be political obstacles for the SIU, as well as the relatives of Mr. Minty and Mr. Schaeffer.



Superior Court Justice Wailan Low ruled recently that it was not for the courts to decide on whether the vetting of notes and one lawyer representing multiple officers violate Police Act regulations. While two provincial reports recommended an end to the practices, "whether the government adopts the suggestions in the reports and enacts laws to implement them is within its province alone," she concluded.



Lacking confidence that the Ontario government will act on those two reports, the families recently filed an appeal of Judge Low's ruling. That appeal is unlikely to be heard until the fall.

..



Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/Oversight+Force/3325967/story.html#ixzz0vQ742sEJ

Sunday, August 1, 2010

HEALTH HAZARD ALERT Food Safety Investigation - G. Brandt Meat Products Ltd. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

HEALTH HAZARD ALERT



CERTAIN READY-TO-EAT COOKED MEAT PRODUCTS FROM G. BRANDT MEAT PACKERS (EST. 164) MAY CONTAIN FOODBORNE PATHOGENS

Food Safety Investigation - G. Brandt Meat Products Ltd.



OTTAWA, July 31, 2010 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. are warning the public not to consume the ready-to-eat cooked meat products described below because they may be contaminated with foodborne pathogens.



All codes of the following products, bearing Establishment number 164, are affected by this alert:



Brand Product

Borges Smoked Black Forest Style Ham

Brandt All Veal Bologna

All Veal Lyoner Sausage

All Veal Wiener

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

Bavarian Meat Loaf

Beerwurst Sausage

Black Forest Style Salami

Black Forest Style Turkey Breast

Blood Sausage

Blood Sausage Rings

Bologna Rings

Boris Sausage

Chef Style Roast Beef

Chicken, smoked (whole)

Classic Pannonia Ham Hungarian Style

Cooked All-Beef Salami

Cooked German Bratwurst

Cooked Ham (round)

Cooked Jellied Pork Tongue

Cooked Roast Beef

Csabai Sausage (mild)

Dutch Meat Loaf

Estonian Cooked Salami

Flat Smoked Turkey Breast

Gaenseleberwurst (Goose Meat and Pork Liver Pate)

Gammon Ham

Garlic Bologna

Glazed Cognac Pate

Glazed Liver Pate

Gourmet Liversausage with Herbs

Ham Kolbassa

Homemade Style Liversausage

Honey Maple Smoked Ham

Hot Pepperoni

Jagdwurst Sausage

Jalapeno Meat Pate

Jalapeno Sausage with Cheese

Jellied Beef Tongue

Kabanossa Sausage

Knackwurst

Kolbassa Meat Loaf

Kolbassa Sausage

Kosher Style Corned Beef

Krakovska Sausage

Landjaeger Sausage

Liversausage, coarse

Liversausage, fine

Meat Macaroni and Cheese Loaf

Meat Olive and Pimento Loaf

Mini Black Forest Style Ham

Mini Cheesewurst Sausage

Mini Cheesewurst Sausage (Farmer Style)

Mini Farmer Sausage

Montreal Style Smoked Meat

Muenchner Weisswurst Sausage

New York Style Pastrami

Oven Baked Glazed Liver Pate with Peppercorns

Pepper and Garlic Ham

Pepperoni

Pizza Meat Loaf with Cheese and Diced Peppers

Pizza Pepperoni

Polish Sausage

Polish Style Ham

Premium Garlic Roast Beef

Premium Kolbassa Sausage

Premium Oven Roast Chicken Breast

Premium Oven Roast Turkey Breast

Premium Smoked Boneless Pork Loin

Proscuitto Cotto Ham

Ruegenwalder Teewurst Sausage, fine

Sliced Turkey Pepperoni

Smoked Beef Tongues

Smoked Black Forest Style Ham

Smoked Chicken Breast

Smoked Chicken Legs

Smoked Farmer Sausage

Smoked Hungarian Csabai

Smoked Hungarian Farmer Sausage

Smoked Mini Farmer Sausages

Smoked Pig Ears

Smoked Pig Feet

Smoked Pig Tails

Smoked Pork Butt

Smoked Pork Hocks

Smoked Pork Jowls

Smoked Pork Loin, Bone-in

Smoked Pork Tongues

Smoked Side Bacon

Smoked Turkey Breast (rolls)

Smoked Veal Ribs

Spiced Ham Sausage

Summer Sausage

Summer Sausage (cooked)

Swiss Lyoner Sausage

Swiss Style Veal Bratwurst

Thueringer Sausage

Thueringer Sausage Homemade Style

Tongue and Blood Sausage

Turkey and Veal Sausage with Olives and Peppers

Turkey Drumsticks, smoked

Turkey Knackwurst

Turkey Kolbassa

Turkey Kolbassa Loaf

Turkey Pepperoni

Turkey Thighs, smoked

Vienna Cooked Salami Sausage

Westfalian Mettwurst Sausage

Wiener



Longo’s Black Forest Ham

Black Forest Style Turkey Breast

Mini Black Forest Style Ham

Montreal Style Smoked Meat

Our Premium Smoked Chicken Breast

Oven Roasted Chicken Breast (nitrite free)

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (nitrite free)

Premium Honey Maple Black Forest Ham

Sirloin Tip Roast Beef

Smoked Chicken Breast (nitrite free)

The Smoke Master Chicken, smoked (whole)

Turkey Thighs, smoked



The affected products have been distributed nationally.



These ready-to-eat cooked meat products may have been sold pre-packaged under the brands listed above. They may also have been sold at deli counters and the original brand or exact product name may not have been transferred to the consumer packages. Persons who may have purchased these products and do not know the original brand and/or product name are advised to check with their retailer or supplier to determine if they have the affected product.



There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.



To avoid illness, consumers are advised not to eat these recalled ready-to-eat meat products. Throw them out instead.



Food contaminated with foodborne pathogens may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these organisms may cause foodborne illness, sometimes called food poisoning. Symptoms vary by organism, but can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, dizziness and neck stiffness. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may be more at risk.



The manufacturer, G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd, Brampton, ON, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.



For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers:



G. Brandt Meat Packers at 905-279-4469 ext. 227; or

CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).



For information on the common causes of foodborne illness, visit the Food Facts web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml.



For information on all food recalls, visit the CFIA’s Food Recall Report at: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/corp/recarapp_dbe.asp.



To find out more about receiving recalls by e-mail, and other food safety facts, visit: www.foodsafety.gc.ca. Food and consumer product recalls are also available at http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca.



– 30 –



Media enquiries:



G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd.

Caroline Spivak

Media Relations

416-371-9740



CFIA Media Relations

613-773-6600

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Internet search engine tracks down three computers Wikipedia jet edits traced to CFB Cold Lake

The mystery of who at the Defence Department has been vandalizing information on a Wikipedia website critical of the Conservative government’s decision to spend billions on a new stealth jet is now centred on the busiest fighter base in the country.





Defence Department information technology specialists haven’t yet been able to determine where the computers being used to alter the Wikipedia site are located, according to department officials in Ottawa.





But using a readily available search engine on the Internet, the Citizen has tracked the locations of the three computers to CFB Cold Lake, Alta. The base is expected to be a major centre for the Joint Strike Fighter (or JSF) the Harper government wants to buy.





Nine attempts were made July 20 and 21 to alter the online encyclopedia’s entry on the Joint Strike Fighter, including the removal of any information critical of the Conservative government’s plan to spend at least $16 billion on the new fighter aircraft.





Defence Department computers were also used to insert insults, aimed at Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, into the Wikipedia Joint Strike Fighter page. Ignatieff has questioned the proposed purchase.





Quotes from news articles outlining opposition to the arms deal by University of British Columbia professor Michael Byers, a former NDP candidate, were also removed.





Wikipedia recorded the alterations as having come from three computers registered to Defence Research and Development Canada’s Ottawa offices and has labelled the alterations as vandalism.





Defence Research and Development Canada spokesman Martin Champoux confirmed the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for computers used to access the Wikipedia site were registered to DRDC. But he added that other Defence Department computers are associated with those addresses as well.





Software that provides the locations of particular computers based on their IP addresses showed that the three computers in question are at CFB Cold Lake.





The attempts to change the web page, made during government work hours, stopped when Wikipedia administrators temporarily locked down the entry on the new plane. That allowed only recognized editors to work on the page. That particular Wikipedia site is popular, with more than 78,000 page views in the first three weeks of July.





On Friday night, a Defence Department spokeswoman said DND is still investigating the incident and, at this point, does not have any further details.





A DRDC spokeswoman said Friday that the organization does not have staff or computers at Cold Lake.



Meanwhile, after the Wikipedia JSF site was re-opened for editing by the wider public, new attempts were made to remove information critical of the Harper government’s decision on the fighters. Those are linked to a downtown Calgary location.





The Harper government wants to purchase 65 Joint Strike Fighters. But opposition members of Parliament point out that the military just months ago received the last of its modernized CF-18 fighters, which are supposed to keep flying until at least 2017. They question why the Harper government is rushing now to spend billions on new fighters.





The Bloc Québécois, NDP and Liberals have all voiced their concerns, noting that there was no competition for the most expensive military procurement in Canadian history.





Ignatieff has said a Liberal government would review the deal, for which a contract has yet to be signed.



On Friday, the Conservatives circulated talking points criticizing Ignatieff for his stance on the JSF.



Cold Lake expects to receive some of the new fighters, also known as the F-35.



“Alberta and Cold Lake will certainly figure prominently in the life of the F-35,” Edmonton Centre MP Laurie Hawn said shortly after Defence Minister Peter MacKay made the announcement about the proposed fighter deal.





“When we get the new fighters delivered in 2016, the first ones will probably end up going to Cold Lake, as happened with the CF-18 program. We’ll wind up with airplanes at Cold Lake — probably a couple of squadrons. All that is to be determined.”





Hawn said the aircraft will operate in the Arctic and intercept Russian airplanes.







Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Wikipedia+edits+traced+Cold+Lake/3344252/story.html#ixzz0vEPiCAbG

Thursday, July 29, 2010

No charges for man arrested under G20 fence law! : Good.

TORONTO — The only person believed to have been charged under the controversial G20 five-metre rule showed up for his first court appearance Wednesday only to find that no charges existed.




Dave Vasey, a 31-year-old environmental justice organizer, was arrested on June 24 near the security perimeter downtown Toronto during the G20 summit.



Howard Morton, Vasey’s lawyer, said his case wasn’t on the court list and there was no charge provided.



“I’m wondering whether there was even a charge in the first place,” he said. Police have reportedly described the lack of a charge as an administrative error.



The summit fence rule was passed as part of the Public Works Protection Act by the provincial Liberals shortly before the G20 began and was interpreted by police to mean anyone who came within five metres of the fence was subject to arrest.



Toronto police Chief Bill Blair later admitted that police had no such special powers.







Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/charges+arrested+under+fence/3334524/story.html#ixzz0v2pIaxwD

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Rubber bullets were fired at the crowd at G20.

Rubber bullets were fired at the crowd outside the Eastern Ave. set up during the G20 Summit, a Toronto Police spokesman said Tuesday — one day after releasing erroneous information.




Mark Pugash corrected a statement he made Monday to the Toronto Sun saying no rubber bullets were fired outside the temporary prisoner processing centre, saying he had received the wrong information.



The person who provided the mistaken information called him Tuesday and said that rubber bullets were fired outside the centre, Pugash said.



He originally said rubber bullets were only used during a heated protest at Queen’s Park.



The correction comes as a B.C. woman who claims she was injured by rubber bullets on Eastern Ave. intends to file suit against Toronto Police.



Natalie Gray, 20, of Maple Ridge, alleges she was hit twice by rubber bullets.



Her lawyer Clayton Ruby told the Sun that one of wounds became infected, but has since improved.



No legal documents have yet been filed.



Gray told the Sun outside the 1000 Finch Ave. W. court on the Monday after the summit she had been hit in the chest and arm by rubber bullets.



She was one of hundreds of people arrested during the summit.



“Canadians rightly get upset when civilians get shot,” Ruby said Monday. “It’s an abuse of police power of the worst sort.”



The Toronto Community Mobilization Network said last week some women are considering launching a class-action suit over allegations of sexual assault, including alleged strip searches and sexually charged comments by



officers at the detention centre.



None of the allegations have been proven in court.



Meanwhile, there will be two reviews into police procedure and activities during the summit.



One will be launched by the Toronto Police Services Board and the other by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, which received about 275 complaints.