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The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has launched a tool to help teachers and community leaders talk with younger Canadians about protecting their privacy online.

The youth presentation package – Protecting Your Online Rep – comes right in time for back-to-school. It offers people who work with youth the information necessary to offer an engaging and effective presentation in their own schools and communities. Read the rest of this entry »

Canadians are heavy users of social networks and other communications technologies, but many are not taking basic steps to protect their personal information, a comprehensive survey of 2,000 randomly selected adults has determined. Commissioned by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and published late last week, the survey found that three-quarters (74 percent) of respondents own at least one mobile communications device, such as a cell phone, smart phone or tablet – yet only four in ten use password locks for the devices, or adjust their settings to limit the sharing of personal information that may be stored on the devices.

The 2011 Canadians and Privacy Survey also found that one-third of Canadians use public Wi-Fi sites, such as those located at coffee shops and airports, where online communication may not always be protected by encryption. Of those, fully 85 percent admitted to some concern about possible risks to the security of their personal information.

The poll, conducted in late February and early March by Harris/Decima, also found that just over half (51 percent) of respondents use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn. Fortunately, four in five said they take advantage of privacy settings that allow them to control access to their online content. Even so, 45 percent of all respondents who use social networking sites acknowledged that they are concerned about the associated risks to their privacy.

“Canadians are recognizing that their personal information is not safe in this new digital environment, unless they take concrete measures to protect it,” Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart observed. “Unfortunately, however, too few are taking even the most basic precautions, such as setting passwords on their mobile devices.”

“We encourage people to use passwords, encryption, privacy settings and every other available measure to safeguard their personal information, because the meaningful protection of privacy has to start with the individual.”

Indeed, the survey detected widespread concern about the impact of technology on people’s privacy. Four in 10 respondents felt that computers and the Internet pose a risk to their privacy, up from one-quarter (26 percent) in a similar survey just two years ago. Levels of concern about a range of technologies and applications, including cellphones, online banking, and credit and debit card transactions, all rose since 2009.

While younger Canadians aged 18 to 34 are the most enthusiastic users of technology, they are also the most likely to use available mechanisms to protect their privacy.

“This was a gratifying finding,” Commissioner Stoddart said. “Young people are sometimes stereotyped as digital exhibitionists who are quite uninhibited in posting comments and personal images. And yet, this new data shows that they not only care about privacy, they are actually leaders in protecting it.”

Other highlights of the poll include:

• Six in 10 respondents felt that their personal information enjoys weaker protection than it did 10 years ago. Indeed 65 percent said the protection of personal information will be among the most pressing issues confronting Canadians in the decade ahead.
• Canadians are deeply suspicious about the collection and use of personal information by public- and private-sector organizations. Only 22 percent of respondents said governments are taking their obligations to protect privacy seriously, and 14 percent said businesses take their responsibilities seriously.
• An overwhelming majority want tough sanctions against organizations that fail to properly protect the privacy of individuals. More than eight in 10 respondents wanted to see measures such as publicly naming offending organizations, fining them, or taking legal action against them.
• There was widespread concern about businesses that request too much personal information, don’t keep it secure, sell it to other organizations, or use it to send spam or make other unsolicited marketing contact. About nine in 10 respondents found such practices disturbing.
• More than eight in 10 respondents (83 percent) said Internet companies should ask their customers for permission to track their online behaviour and Internet usage.
• With respect to the personal information that Canadians provide at airports and border crossings, a substantial majority (85 percent) said they are somewhat or very concerned when it is shared with foreign authorities.
• More than eight in 10 respondents (82 percent) opposed giving police and intelligence agencies the power to access e-mail records and other Internet usage data without a warrant from the courts.
• There was little appetite for genetic testing to find out whether people have a heightened risk of developing certain diseases. Only one-quarter (26 percent) of respondents said they are somewhat or very interested in such services.
• Only 30 percent of respondents felt they had a good or very good grasp of their privacy rights under the law. Still, three-quarters (74 percent) of respondents felt they are doing a good or very good job of protecting their own privacy. Younger respondents were the least likely to rate their knowledge of privacy rights as very good, or to have confidence in their ability to protect it.

The OPC commissioned the poll in order to gauge public understanding and awareness of privacy, particularly as it is affected by the Office’s four priority issues: information technology, public safety, identity integrity and protection, and genetic technology. Similar surveys were conducted in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

A PDF version of the  complete survey, which has a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percent, 19 times out of 20, is available for download from the Privacy Commissioner’s web site.

The Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada officially opens Fakes & Forgeries: Yesterday and Today, a Royal Ontario Museum-produced exhibition featuring 115 real and fake objects running the gamut from historical specimens and cultural artifacts, to household items and designer name brands.

Eleven displays are featured, each devoted to a different category of artifacts and their corresponding forgeries. Each display offers hints on how to tell the real from the fraudulent and a chance for visitors to see if they can pick out the authentic piece from the forgery. The exhibition is on display to the public from 26 August to 9 December 2011.

Export Development Canada (EDC) has formalized a partnership with C-100, a select group of Canadian entrepreneurs based primarily in Silicon Valley who leverage their collective expertise to grow a new generation of successful Canadian-led technology companies.

“Canada’s high tech sector has among the most energetic and aggressive exporters in the country, and their global mentality is an approach that partners well with EDC’s own interest in growing Canada’s export trade,” said Benoit Daignault, Senior Vice-President, Business Development, EDC.

“EDC’s partnership with C-100 will focus on enhancing EDC’s support of the Canadian technology community by gaining greater insights into the challenges and opportunities within the Canadian venture capital industry.”

Under the partnership, EDC will undertake an active involvement in the C-100 mentorship program, including having an EDC representative on the panel of C-100’s signature “48 hours in the valley” conference series, as well as participating in C-100 events in Canada and in the Silicon Valley.

EDC is Canada’s export credit agency, offering innovative commercial solutions to help Canadian exporters and investors expand their international business. EDC’s knowledge and partnerships are used by more than 8,200 Canadian companies and their global customers in up to 200 markets worldwide each year. EDC is financially self-sustaining and a recognized leader in financial reporting and economic analysis.

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced today an investment of $3.4 million in 16 projects through its 2011-2012 English Point-of-View (POV) Program. This program is designed to encourage English POV documentary production.

Of the 49 applications received for the English POV Program, the CMF has approved the funding for 16 projects. $2.7 million has been committed to television components and $0.7 million to digital media components. Fourteen projects were presented with a rich and substantial digital media component, of which 11 will be financed by the CMF, while two are using video on demand (VOD) and/or digital distribution as their additional platforms.

Of the approved projects, two are from British Columbia, one is a co-production between Nova Scotia and Nunavut, six are from Ontario, six from Quebec, and one from Saskatchewan. These decisions and funding commitments are preliminary, as all requests must undergo a contracting process.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced today that GoodLife Fitness Centres has paid a penalty of $300,000 to the Receiver General for Canada as part of a settlement over its telemarketing practices. The CRTC issued a notice of violation after its investigation found that GoodLife had used automated calling devices (robocalls) to solicit its members without obtaining their prior express consent.

“We appreciate GoodLife’s cooperation during our investigation,” said Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer. “Telemarketers that inundate Canadians with unwanted phone calls are not engaging in a legitimate marketing practice. We expect the business community to follow the rules at all times, and we will vigorously investigate breaches.”

GoodLife was making robocalls to inform its members of new club openings and invite them to grand opening events. In addition to paying an administrative monetary penalty, GoodLife has agreed to:

• immediately cease using automated calling devices for telemarketing purposes without obtaining its members’ prior express consent
• organize a business education event with the CRTC at the Can-Fit-Pro Consumer and Wellness Show to foster compliance with the telemarketing rules
• publish corrective notices in newspapers and on its website, and
• review its compliance policies to ensure ongoing adherence with the CRTC’s telemarketing rules.

The CRTC applies the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules in order to reduce unwanted calls to Canadians. According to its enforcement process, the CRTC can discuss corrective actions with telemarketers, which may lead to a settlement that includes a monetary penalty or monetary payment.

To date, the CRTC’s enforcement actions have resulted in over $2.1 million in penalties collected on behalf of the Receiver General for Canada and $740,000 in payments made to post-secondary institutions.

Reference documents:

Key facts for consumers

Key facts for telemarketers

How does the CRTC enforce the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules?

Consumers may register on the National Do Not Call List or file a complaint about a telemarketer by calling 1-866-580-DNCL (3625).

A coalition of eight of the leading advertising industry trade associations in Canada today announced a framework for industry self-regulation regarding Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) in Canada. The initiative, which is similar to those adopted by groups in the US, Europe and Australia, is the culmination of over 2 years of work; including regular submissions, dialogue, research and status updates to The Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada (OPC). Although the programme will be coordinated by IAB Canada (Interactive Advertising Bureau), it is also fully-supported by the Members of the following industry associations:

• Advertising Standards Canada (ASC)
• L’Association des agences de publicité du Québec (AAPQ)
• The Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA)
• The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA)
• The Canadian Media Directors’ Council (CMDC)
• Le Conseil des directeurs médias du Québec (CDMQ)
• Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA)
• The Interactive Advertising Bureau Of Canada (IAB Canada)

The framework includes the following four elements:

Transparency – Providing Consumers with immediate notice when the Websites that they are visiting are supplying them with Online Behavioural Advertising. This would be done via an “icon” placed on the Online Behavioural Ads themselves/or in other prominent areas on the Websites being visited.

Education – Providing Consumers with one-click access to clear and concise Web-based educational information about Online Behavioural Advertising, so that Consumers can understand the nature of these practices; how and when their privacy is protected within various targeted advertising processes; and to learn how to protect themselves in areas on the Internet which represent security risks to their privacy.

Choice – Consumers can already control cookies via altering their Web browser’s preferences — essentially determining whether or not an individual Publisher’s Website, Ad Network or other 3^rd-party service can collect and record information about their Websurfing habits/or interactions with Online ads.

The industry’s self-regulatory initiative goes a step further, by providing Consumers who may not be familiar with how to change their browser’s security settings, with one-click access for a full opt-out of Online Behavioural Advertising, should they desire to do so. While many Online Publishers and Ad Networks already provide such an opt-out option, the coordinated initiative will extend this practice across the Canadian Online advertising industry.

Accountability – An accountability program that ensures that Consumers’ opt-out of preferences are retained over the long-term is being developed utilizing a variety of providers, as well as an independent consumer complaint mechanism in consultation with Advertising Standards Canada.

“With Canada’s framework now finalized, the scope of the self-regulatory initiative regarding Online Behavioural Advertising is now truly global in nature,” says Paula Gignac, President, IAB Canada. “Canadian Online Publishers and Ad Networks are moving forward within the framework even as we speak, and in fact, because so many of IAB Canada’s Members also have operations in the US and across the globe, many are already well on their way to completing all four steps within the process.”

Bob Reaume, Vice President, Policy & Research, Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) confirms the readiness of Advertisers to implement their part of the plan: “We’re pleased to see the work of the all-industry group ready to go forward, as this initiative enhances Advertisers’ commitment to advertise responsibly in all media.”

“Agencies are also working to ready clients for the self-regulatory program,” notes Arthur Fleischmann, CEO of John St. and Chair of the ICA’s Interactive Committee. “The ICA and its Member Agencies endorse and strongly support the initiative, and are committed to ensuring that the OBA self-regulatory framework is rigorously delivered in Canada.”

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has published two reports in which it reiterates its commitment to official-language minority communities (OLMC). The reports highlight recent CRTC decisions, which will lead to improved access to broadcasting and telecommunications services, and increased OLMC representation within the broadcasting system.

Over the past three years, the CRTC has taken steps to encourage OLMCs to participate in its public processes. “OLMCs have increased their participation in processes that affect their development. They have shared their viewpoints and priorities,” said CRTC Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “As a result, the Commission can systematically take OLMC interests into account in its analyses and deliberations.”

For example, the CRTC required Shaw Communications to provide satellite receivers and antennas, including installation and free programming to qualifying households across Canada, including those in OLMCs. This requirement will ensure affected viewers continue to receive the signals of their local and regional stations through Shaw Direct after the transition to digital television. In addition, as a result of the review of CRTC’s satellite distribution policy, OLMCs will enjoy additional regional stations, including CBLFT Toronto and CBKFT Regina, as well as increased coverage of these stations.

The CRTC will continue to keep OLMCs appraised of issues that affect them and seek their participation in relevant public processes through its website and dedicated working groups.

Annual report on results – Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act (2010-2011)

Results-Based Action Plan – Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act (2011-2014)

The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, accompanied by Ed Holder, Member of Parliament for London West, today visited the London Children’s Museum to promote the new children’s arts tax credit, a new non-refundable credit passed this year in the 2011 federal budget.

“Parents whose children participate in paid artistic, cultural, recreational, and developmental programs will now enjoy the same benefit as parents whose children participate in paid programs of physical activity. Our Government believes whether a child is inspired by Justin Bieber, Karen Kain, Brett Lawrie, or The Tragically Hip, parents should receive a tax credit to help pay for the programs that will help their children live out those dreams,” said Minister Shea. (Editor’s note: what if your child is inspired by ReBoot, How To Be Indie, Club Penguin or their favourite iPhone app? Are these considered Visual or Creative Arts? The broad language of Canada Revenue leaves much to interpretation and the whim of the tax auditor, it seems.)

“One need not look further than the London Children’s Museum to be reminded of the infinite curiosity and thirst for knowledge our kids possess. I am pleased that our government’s Children’s Art Tax credit will help London families enrich their children’s lives in developing their cultural knowledge and creativity” added Ed Holder.

In addition to fitness programs covered by the children’s fitness tax credit, parents can now claim money spent on programs that focus on fine arts, music, performing arts, outdoor wilderness training, learning a language, studying a culture, tutoring, and more. When parents claim the children’s arts tax credit—up to a maximum of $500 of the cost of programs—they save as much as $75 at tax time per child claimed.

More Information From The Art Tax Credit Web Page:

1. What is the Children’s Art Tax Credit (CATC)?

For 2011 and subsequent years, the budget proposes a new non-refundable tax credit based on eligible expenses paid for the cost of registration or membership of your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s child in a prescribed program of artistic, cultural, recreational or developmental activity (eligible program). Read the rest of this entry »

Telefilm Canada has announced its support of four English-language feature films from the Atlantic, Quebec and Ontario & Nunavut regions under the selective component of the Canada Feature Film Fund (CFFF).

“This new crop of regional English-language projects is very promising,” said Michel Pradier, Director of Project Financing at Telefilm Canada. “The subjects are diverse and the creators are talented. Telefilm believes these bold, innovative projects will contribute to the development of Canadian talent and have wide audience appeal at home and abroad.”

To be eligible as a regional project, the project must have a budget under $2.5 million and request a contribution of less than $750,000 from Telefilm.

Atlantic Region

Beat Down
Director: Deanne Foley
Writer: Iain MacLeod
Producer: Pope Productions Ltd.

Fran, 18, wants to wrestle. Her single father, Whitey, is a former pro with broken dreams who won’t let her follow his example. Fran is determined though and when Whitey’s old rival, Jimmy, comes to town she runs away with his tour. But Jimmy’s only using Fran to get at Whitey and ultimately daughter and father have to reunite and defeat the villain.

Quebec Region

Stay
Canada-Ireland coproduction
Director and writer: Wiebke Von Carolsfeld
Producer: Amérique Film inc.

Stay tells the story of an unlikely love between Abbey, a young Canadian, and a much older Irish man who has lived for years as a recluse in a remote Irish fishing village. Through their failures they ultimately find redemption, hope and love.

Ontario & Nunavut Region

Dead Before Dawn
Director: April Mullen
Writer: Tim Doiron
Producer: Way of the Tosser Inc.

Casper Galloway is afraid of everything in life, especially his future.  With only two weeks until college graduation he still lives with his mother, has never touched a girl and is one credit away from failing.  But just when Casper thinks things couldn’t get any worse, he and his friends accidentally unleash a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons.  That’s right… Zemons. Armed with a slew of homemade weapons and a Winnebago the team races through the night, killing Zemons and fighting time, frantically searching for a way to reverse the curse.  But as the Zemon army starts to overpower the team, Casper finds himself with no choice but to face his fears and become the unlikeliest of heroes.  Will Casper be able to reverse the curse and save the world, or will he and all his friends be “dead before dawn”?

The Mithras Conspiracy
Director and writer: Chris MacBride
Producer: Resolute Management Group Inc.
Distributor: Entertainment One Films Canada Inc.

Two childhood friends and filmmakers make a documentary about the incredible growth of the global conspiracy culture.  But their tiny project takes a mysterious turn when the chief subject of their film disappears without a trace.