The G-20 leaders have left and the fences have been torn down. The media coverage focused attention on the alarming costs for security and the clashes between police and protesters. Unfortunately, this distracted the general public from the important question: what did the leaders actually accomplish at this summit?

Amy Miller, one of the arrested independent journalists at the G20 summit last month (see previous blog post), tells me that all the journalists and others she knows who recorded police arrests/abuse/beatings etc. had their cameras wiped or "gone missing" while they were in the detention centre. That video would obviously be useful for the public record about those fateful two days. It may be evidence for someone's defence. It could be damning evidence about the actions of the police. Or it...

It's comforting to know that groups far and wide are coming to the support of the media who were roughed up and/or arrested during the G20 weekend. The latest is a release issued in Vienna from the International Press Insitute, a global network of media executives, editors and journalists. The IPI Press Freedom Manager says journalists "have a right to cover such events, including any protests that accompany them, without interference or harassment from police". We at the Canadian Media Guild...

Now that we are hearing more from those who were arrested or detained over the G20 weekend, it's becoming apparent that police were particularly irritated by people in their 20s documenting the protests in one way or another for alternative media publications. Lawyer Julian Falconer announced yesterday he is taking on the cases of four such journalists, and the stories they tell are horrible. Amy Miller was covering the demonstrations for the independent monthly Dominion when she says she was...

On the day after a weekend of mayhem, it's important to focus on those who’ve been detained, arrested or imprisoned this weekend at the G20 summit just for doing their jobs: the journalists who were in the wrong place at the wrong time or looked the wrong way. The hundreds of citizens, onlookers, and even joggers who were detained, arrested or imprisoned should be angry and have their stories told too. But for the sake of solid information about these events, we should really be concerned...

I see that Quebecor/aka Sun newspaper chain isn't toning down its slanted "reporting" about CBC just because it's trying to get a license to compete with it in 24/7 news. Check out this "news" story from Althia Raj , the Sun reporter who seems to be assigned the job of taking the Quebecor party line in these must-do anti-CBC pieces. She writes: "CBC received almost 900 complaints from 2007 to 2010". What Raj means is that 900 Access to Information requests were filed about the CBC in those...

It's good to see real questions being asked about Quebecor's new "straight talk" all-news channel. Forget whether we need another right-wing voice or not. Forget whether it's appropriate that the former communications director to Stephen Harper is the guy in charge. People are rightly asking whether Pierre-Karl Peladeau is banking on a special deal from the CRTC that would allow him to convert his unsuccessful over-the-air channel in Toronto to a lucrative three-year "category one" specialty...

(un message en français suit) Dear CUPE 2626 members, THANK YOU to all who came out on March 10th for our AGA. We had a great turn out and were able to pass some very important Agenda items. HOWEVER, due to the loss of quorum, we were not able to finish. We have to complete the election of the remaining Executive Board jobs and the Bargaining Committee. We can finish this business within 2.5 hours. THEREFORE, we will reconvene the AGA on March 29, 2010 at 5:00 pm at the Alumni Auditorium....

Si vous recevez ce courriel, c’est parce que vous êtes membre du syndicat des étudiants-ouvriers (vous êtes, ou avez récemment été, aide à l’enseignement ou à la recherche, correcteur, etc.) à l’Université d’Ottawa. Vous devriez donc assister à l’Assemblée générale ce mercredi. Pourquoi? La question principale sera les négociations d’un nouveau contrat avec l’Université. Mais qu’est-ce que votre syndicat et ses négociations ont fait pour vous? Grâce aux dernières négociations, votre...

If you are getting this email, it means you’re a member of the student academic workers union (you are, or have recently been, a TA, RA, corrector, etc.) at the University of Ottawa. You should come to our General Assembly this Wednesday. Why? The main point is to deal with bargaining a new contract with the University. But what has your union and its bargaining done for you? Through the last round of bargaining in 2007, your union got you: - a salary increase of over $400 for each 130-hr...

[an English message follows] Membres du SCFP 2626, Plusieurs d’entre vous savent que notre convention collective actuelle prend fin le 31 août 2010. Par conséquent, nous devons entamer le processus de négociation cet été, soit avant le début de la prochaine année scolaire. L’objectif de ce processus consiste à négocier un nouveau contrat (c.-à-d. négocier les modifications à la convention collective actuelle). Il y a pourtant beaucoup de travaux de prénégociation à accomplir avant de...

Assemblée générale annuelle Le 10 mars 2010 à 18 h Auditorium des Anciens, UCU (un repas léger sera servi à 17 h 30) Membres du SCFP 2626, Notre prochaine assemblée générale annuelle (AGA) s’approche à grands pas. Nous avons donc pensé à vous rappeler de l’importance de ces assemblées, ainsi qu’à vous communiquer l’ordre du jour prévu. L’AGA est composée de tous les membres en règle du SCFP 2626, le syndicat représentant les assistants d’enseignement et de recherche, les correcteurs, les...

Annual General Assembly March 10, 2010 @ 6pm Alumni Auditorium, UCU (a light meal will be served at 5:30pm) Dear Members of CUPE 2626, Our next Annual General Assembly (AGA) is fast approaching, so we thought we’d remind you of the importance of these assemblies, as well as what to expect on the agenda. The AGA is composed of all members in good standing of CUPE 2626, the union of teaching and research assistants, markers, demonstrators, tutors, proctors, lab monitors, and lifeguards at the...