Latest news with #BrentJolly
Cision Canada
7 days ago
- Politics
- Cision Canada
Sault Ste. Marie Police Service recognized with national award for imposing a transparency tax on public records
TORONTO, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service has been selected as this year's recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy, in the law enforcement category, for its sweeping new plan to increase service fees to access documents and records. "This is a transparency tax, plain and simple," said Brent Jolly, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ). "This is a weaponization of fees to prevent people from gaining access to records. Public information should not be turned into a revenue stream by a publicly-funded body." According to the Sault Star, the fee increase will apply to all sorts of documents, ranging from court subpoenas to officers' notes. The police board will also introduce fees for several new services, including police body-worn camera and in-car camera footage, and will charge for redactions to remove sensitive information. Requests for information under the Municipal Freedom of Information law will incur a $15 fee for every 15 minutes of staff time. The police board said the fee increase, the first since 2011, is needed to offset increased labour costs. "The math just doesn't add up," Jolly said. "The public is paying a dollar a minute for staff time to access information, but the staff accessing those records are paid less than a dollar per minute." The Code of Silence Awards are presented annually by the CAJ, the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University (CFE), and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). The awards call public attention to government or publicly-funded agencies that work hard to hide information to which the public has a right to under access to information legislation. Previous winners in the law enforcement category include: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Toronto Police Service. The law enforcement award completes this year's Code of Silence Awards program. In addition to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, other 'winners' in this year's program included Canada's federal government for its ongoing fight with Indigenous groups seeking access to records surrounding residential schools; Doug Ford's Ontario government; and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Cision Canada
26-05-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
Canada's news industry launches peer support program to boost journalist mental health Français
TORONTO, May 26, 2025 /CNW/ - Journalists and news professionals across Canada today are launching an industry-wide mental health support program to combat stress, burnout and trauma exposure. Twenty volunteers were trained this month and are now officially open for business to offer confidential colleague-to-colleague help through the Canadian News Industry Peer Support (CNIPS) program, a pilot initiative of the Canadian Association of Journalists. "Canadian journalists are experiencing unprecedented levels of pressure in their service of the public's right to know, whether it's because of online harassment, deadline pressures, vicarious trauma," said Brent Jolly, president of the CAJ "The peer support program will offer colleagues a way to reach out, contact helping peers, and get help to work out problems, talk confidentially, and heal." Formal peer support programs are being adopted by major news organizations around the globe, from Reuters, to BBC, to NPR and CBC, to combat work stress. CNIPS is a first-of-its-kind program in North America that brings together journalists and news professionals from across the industry. The first cohort of peer supporters, along with their contact emails are available at The CNIPS program will hold an official launch celebration on Friday May 30 at 2 PM (MT) at the CAJ annual conference in Calgary. "There's really nothing like a peer for understanding what you're going through, right?" said volunteer peer supporter Nasuna Stuart-Ulin, a freelance photojournalist from Montreal. "Being able to talk to people who understand a shared context is really invaluable and kind of rare. I'm really very excited to be part of - hopefully - creating a healthier industry." CNIPS peer supporters include reporters, editors, producers, a podcaster, photojournalists, freelancers, host/anchor, from across the country who are available to assist any news industry professional. The program plans to expand to 100 trained volunteers by the end of 2026 to meet demand. "The pressures and demands journalists face are often hard for those outside the industry to understand. We hope a peer support network – that importantly includes freelancers – will prove to be a valuable resource for those working in Canadian media," said Melissa Stasiuk, Head of Newsroom Development at the Globe and Mail which is one of the program's founding sponsors. Dave Seglins, a CNIPS advisor who established a peer support network inside CBC/Radio-Canada in 2023 says there's a strong business case for the project. "Peer support is a proven strategy used in other stressful industries such as policing, fire and emergency services used to debrief and talk through difficult job stressors," Seglins said. "It helps to reduce absenteeism and conflict, and improves people's happiness, productivity and creativity in a news industry that so often is focused on tragedy and suffering." said Seglins. Peer supporters are not clinicians. They are experienced colleagues trained to listen, have confidential conversations, and connect people to professional services where needed. CNIPS FOUNDING SPONSORS INCLUDE: The Globe and Mail CBC/Radio-Canada Unifor Canadian Media Guild The Canadian Press Canadian Mental Health Association / BC Division Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma Carleton University School of Journalism and Communication SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Canada's news industry launches peer support program to boost journalist mental health
TORONTO, May 26, 2025 /CNW/ - Journalists and news professionals across Canada today are launching an industry-wide mental health support program to combat stress, burnout and trauma exposure. Twenty volunteers were trained this month and are now officially open for business to offer confidential colleague-to-colleague help through the Canadian News Industry Peer Support (CNIPS) program, a pilot initiative of the Canadian Association of Journalists. "Canadian journalists are experiencing unprecedented levels of pressure in their service of the public's right to know, whether it's because of online harassment, deadline pressures, vicarious trauma," said Brent Jolly, president of the CAJ "The peer support program will offer colleagues a way to reach out, contact helping peers, and get help to work out problems, talk confidentially, and heal." Formal peer support programs are being adopted by major news organizations around the globe, from Reuters, to BBC, to NPR and CBC, to combat work stress. CNIPS is a first-of-its-kind program in North America that brings together journalists and news professionals from across the industry. The first cohort of peer supporters, along with their contact emails are available at The CNIPS program will hold an official launch celebration on Friday May 30 at 2 PM (MT) at the CAJ annual conference in Calgary. "There's really nothing like a peer for understanding what you're going through, right?" said volunteer peer supporter Nasuna Stuart-Ulin, a freelance photojournalist from Montreal. "Being able to talk to people who understand a shared context is really invaluable and kind of rare. I'm really very excited to be part of - hopefully - creating a healthier industry." CNIPS peer supporters include reporters, editors, producers, a podcaster, photojournalists, freelancers, host/anchor, from across the country who are available to assist any news industry professional. The program plans to expand to 100 trained volunteers by the end of 2026 to meet demand. "The pressures and demands journalists face are often hard for those outside the industry to understand. We hope a peer support network – that importantly includes freelancers – will prove to be a valuable resource for those working in Canadian media," said Melissa Stasiuk, Head of Newsroom Development at the Globe and Mail which is one of the program's founding sponsors. Dave Seglins, a CNIPS advisor who established a peer support network inside CBC/Radio-Canada in 2023 says there's a strong business case for the project. "Peer support is a proven strategy used in other stressful industries such as policing, fire and emergency services used to debrief and talk through difficult job stressors," Seglins said. "It helps to reduce absenteeism and conflict, and improves people's happiness, productivity and creativity in a news industry that so often is focused on tragedy and suffering." said Seglins. Peer supporters are not clinicians. They are experienced colleagues trained to listen, have confidential conversations, and connect people to professional services where needed. CNIPS FOUNDING SPONSORS INCLUDE: The Globe and Mail CBC/Radio-Canada Unifor Canadian Media Guild The Canadian Press Canadian Mental Health Association / BC Division Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma Carleton University School of Journalism and Communication SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists View original content to download multimedia:
Cision Canada
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Cision Canada
CAJ launches fifth annual Newsroom Diversity Survey Français
TORONTO, /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) Newsroom Diversity Survey is back for a fifth consecutive year. "As diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are under attack south of the border, it is more important than ever to double down on our efforts to empower journalists of all backgrounds and identities," said Brent Jolly, CAJ president. "The CAJ's Newsroom Diversity Survey is a critical data collection project that serves as a mirror to reflect how newsrooms continue to strive to better reflect the voices of the communities they serve." Previous versions of the Newsroom Diversity Survey can be found on our website: Last year's survey gathered data on 5,806 journalists working in 270 newsrooms. For some findings from our 2024 survey, please visit: The deadline for newsrooms to complete the 2025 survey is June 18. The Canadian Race Relations Foundation has generously provided six years of funding to strengthen the administration of the survey. Qlik has kindly provided data analysis and an interactive website for every year of the survey since launch. Check out the 2024 site here. This survey was also made possible through the support of numerous generous partners, including the News Leaders Association and the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec.
CBC
27-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Calgary police ending news media access to police radio channels, citing privacy concerns
Social Sharing For the several years, Calgary has been the only major Canadian city where police allowed news outlets to keep an ear on their response to criminal activity by letting them listen in on their radio chatter. But that won't be the case much longer. While some police radio channels have long been blocked from media monitoring — allowing officers to have private tactical discussions, for example — soon none of the digital frequencies will be open to media to listen to. Media access will be revoked Feb. 23. The Calgary Police Service says it's making the change for privacy reasons and to comply with provincial privacy legislation. But critics worry the move could reduce police accountability and filter information about what's happening in their communities. "Details aired on the police radio system are extremely sensitive and need to be treated as such," said a CPS spokesperson in a prepared statement. "Although we have an agreement in place preventing media from using this information in the news, we cannot control who hears that information on the police radios they currently have access to." Journalists monitor the radios so they can quickly dispatch resources to possible crime or accident scenes, and inform the public about what's happening. Calgary media outlets have long agreed not to report directly from the radios, requiring journalists to confirm details with officials before reporting. CPS is working on an alternative solution to ensure news outlets can continue keeping the public informed. It's developing a system where local media will be advised of potential incidents after police have determined what is happening and the scene is safe. CPS met with media last week to discuss the approach. News outlets will continue to have access to CPS's media team and social media. The public also used to be able to listen to police radio chatter until CPS moved to an encrypted radio system in 2018, giving access only to authorized media. For Brent Jolly, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists — which represents journalists across the country — the impact of such decisions goes beyond newsrooms. While he understands police concerns with privacy, Jolly said cutting off radio access in other cities has limited journalists' ability to examine how police operate, and from holding them accountable when necessary. "The media is an independent monitor and society needs that and democracy needs that," he said. "And this is kind of the last vestige of a system that has completely been overhauled, that has prevented media from adequately doing its job." Last one standing Once Calgary police pull the plug next month, no police radio activity in Canada's 10 biggest cities will be monitored by so-called "scanners," either by the public or the media. Citing privacy concerns, Edmonton police moved to an encrypted radio system in 2021, locking out the public and the media from listening to police radios. Access in the capital city was nearly lost years earlier, in the late 1990s, following changes to privacy legislation. But then-premier Ralph Klein, a former television news reporter, had the regulations tweaked so media in that city could continue listening in. Regina and Saskatoon police revoked media access to their radio scanner channels in 2019. A few months later, Saskatoon launched a secure online portal that gives news outlets automatically generated information from dispatch call entries. It's now been a decade since Toronto police moved to an encrypted radio system, instead keeping the media and public informed through police social media accounts. Kelly Sundberg, a professor of criminology at Mount Royal University, says he's surprised it took Calgary police so long to follow in the footsteps of other police services across Canada. He sees this change as a good thing, and said he's optimistic CPS will come up with a good alternative to keep the media apprised. He speculates the change is an outcome of a number of breaches within the RCMP that made headlines last year. In Alberta, an RCMP officer was accused of leaking information from a police database to the Rwandan government. Sundberg said he wouldn't be surprised if that database was being audited more closely now. "If there's a risk that someone's name and criminal record could be broadcast and that a media outlet receives that information, that's a blatant breach of that person's privacy. And it would be irresponsible for the police not to pull back on those devices." In a statement to CBC News, Alberta RCMP said that's one reason why they moved to an encrypted system in 2016. "One of the benefits of switching to an encrypted radio system is to control the distribution of information from databases … which are protected under the privacy act," said Alberta RCMP spokesperson Troy Savinkoff. While it's generally more publicly accessible to tune into police radio transmissions south of the border, many U.S. police departments — including in New York, Chicago and Denver — have recently encrypted their radio systems. 'A lot of stuff can get missed' As a former overnight and crime reporter with the Calgary Sun, Bryan Passifiume said he relied heavily on scanners to cover fatal collisions, murders and other crimes — "the news that the public deserves to know," he said. Now the Ottawa bureau chief with the Toronto Sun, Passifiume said he thinks the public should be concerned. "A lot of stuff can get missed when the police 100 per cent control the narrative and the police 100 per cent control the information that goes to the media." Passifiume said many newsrooms in Toronto stopped covering police-related breaking news because it became unattainable once access to police channels was lost. "Despite what people may think of our profession, all we want to do is provide information. We want to give the best information as quickly as possible, as accurately as possible," he said. "And sometimes what is in the best interest of the public is not in the best interest of the police." Public transparency Tom Engel, an Edmonton-based criminal defence and civil rights lawyer, said he questions if this move actually has to do with privacy. If it does, he said, CPS would've gone to Alberta's privacy commissioner for an opinion. "If the privacy commissioner had concerns about it and they weren't remediable, then yeah, if I was a lawyer advising the Calgary Police Service, I would give them advice indicating that you better stop doing that," said Engel. "If we conclude that it's not really for privacy … then you have to look at, what would the other motive be? And that is to decrease public transparency in policing, which is a problem given that the public has an interest in knowing about how their police service operates." CPS confirmed to CBC News that it "didn't need to contact the privacy commissioner as most law enforcement agencies in Canada have already removed their radios." Elaine Schiman, spokesperson for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, said she couldn't speak to specifics of this case. But generally speaking, she said, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act) applies only to recorded information. CPS pointed to that provincial privacy legislation as a reason it's making this move. "If the scanner info is recorded, then it would be subject to the right of access under the FOIP Act and subject to any exemptions to the right of access.… Even if the scanner info is recorded and subject to the privacy provisions, disclosure is discretionary if permitted," said Schiman in a statement. But Sharon Polsky, president of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, supports the move by CPS. She said the legislation is extremely nuanced and there are still risks of breaching privacy, even if newsrooms aren't keeping records of scanner audio. She pointed to Section 38 of the FOIP Act, which states: "The head of a public body must protect personal information by making reasonable security arrangements against such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure or destruction." "In any organization — whether it's a media organization, the police themselves, a hospital, any organization — people are the weakest link," said Polsky. "A contract is great, but can you be certain that everybody in the office has read it, understands it correctly? Contracts, laws — they're in place, but a lot of people disregard them, they don't follow them." Unlike what Ralph Klein did in the 1990s, it seems doubtful the provincial government will get involved in the CPS decision. A provincial spokesperson declined comment on the move, saying it was an internal policy change and not a legislative one. The Calgary Police Commission is also aware of the change. A spokesperson for the oversight body said the commission hasn't had a chance to discuss the particular decision, but it expects CPS to comply with privacy legislation and be proactive in keeping the community informed.
