BPC Bulletin June 15, 2022

BPC Bulletin: Student Press Freedom in British Columbia (2)

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.

In Vancouver, students at Eric Hamber Secondary School have prepared a bill to protect the interests of student journalists in British Columbia.

Spencer Izen and Jessica Kim, who produce the school’s newspaper, The Griffin’s Nest, sent the Student Press Freedom Act to David Eby, B.C.’s attorney general. They hope the legislature will enact the bill into law.

REPORTAGE

In The Tyee, Katie Hyslop reports:

Vancouver School Board Is Violating Charter Rights, Say Student Journalists | The Tyee

Tahmina Aziz of CTV News reports:
Vancouver School Board restricts free expression: students | CTV News

In Healthing, which is part of the Postmedia Network, Susan Lazaruk reports:

https://www.healthing.ca/news/local-news/bc-high-school-students-want-law-to-enshrine-their-press-rights-after-critical-article-stalled

INTERVIEW ON VIDEO

At the Centre for Free Expression, James L. Turk interviews Izen and Kim.

Video length: 1 hour, 28 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVYXDtS2zss

The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.

Blog March 26, 2024

Ontario Government Agency Imposing Corporate Secrecy Practices on the Public

Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx, both provincial mega-agencies using, exclusively, public-private infrastructure partnerships, have imposed a requirement on the public that is supposedly being served, according to a Toronto Star article (March 19). That is, any community member that wants to participate in the ‘consultations’ regarding the expropriation and tearing down of the local Riverdale Plaza (one of the many sites designated by the province as a future ‘transit-oriented community’, known by locals as ‘developer-oriented transit’) needs to sign a “non-disclosure” agreement.

Mariana Valverde

Censorship, Access-to-Information

BPC Bulletin February 17, 2024

BPC Bulletin: Manitoba Chiefs Declare Support for Criminalizing "Residential School Denialism"

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) has declared its support for the criminalization of the denial of the existence of Indian residential schools in Canada.

Censorship

Policy Submission February 9, 2024

CFE Closing Submission to the Foreign Interference Commission

CFE urged the Commission to act on the testimony of expert panels and witnesses that there is an immense public interest in transparency regarding foreign interference. "The Commission cannot defer to the Government of Canada’s conclusions on what can and cannot be disclosed [but must] be prepared to seek recourse in Federal Court on an expedited basis" in the event the Government attempts to overly restrict public access to essential documents about foreign interference.

Access-to-Information, Freedom of the Press