Privacy

Saturday September 17, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Saturday September 17, 2016 Conservation authority kills Webster's Falls shuttle Fierce opposition has prompted the Hamilton Conservation Authority to park a planned shuttle service to Webster's Falls on weekends and holidays, at least for this year. Chief administrative officer Chris Firth-Eagland said although the bus service can be activated with a month's notice, it's thus far had a hostile reaction, fuelling a "Scuttle This Shuttle" petition campaign. That's given the service's private partners cold feet on what staff hoped could be a solution to the traffic congestion that has plagued the popular Greensville park in recent years, he said. "They're quite concerned that the minute it doesn't work, they become then laughing stocks," Firth-Eagland told the conservation advisory board during a staff presentation on efforts to keep the park from being overrun by visitors. "We don't sense that the community wants us to do this at all," he said. "'War' has been used, that there will be war in response, and all those kinds of things. It's been very difficult for us.Ó Advisory board member Kristen Brittain, who lives in the area, said she's disappointed the shuttle won't get a trial run this year to see if it's viable or if people find ways to park in the area to avoid paying the $10 fee. "Those are outspoken people," she said of the more incendiary responses to the service, which was to run from Mizener's Antiques and Flea Market on Highway 5. "There are the quiet people that live there, too. I'm not a friend or foe (of the shuttle), but I'd be happy to at least give it a try.Ó Authority chair Robert Pasuta, councillor for the area, said he's hopeful new parking restrictions on weekends and holidays that were set to go before council for approval this week will help ease traffic tensions. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)Êhttp://www.thespec.com/news-story/6860667-conservation-authority-kills-webster-s-f

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday September 17, 2016

Conservation authority kills Webster’s Falls shuttle

Fierce opposition has prompted the Hamilton Conservation Authority to park a planned shuttle service to Webster’s Falls on weekends and holidays, at least for this year.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday May 12, 2016 Want to visit Webster's Falls? Be ready to pay $15 The Hamilton Conservation Authority has hiked its fees at Spencer Gorge/Webster Falls Conservation Area in an effort to curb the influx of weekend visitors. "The local environment is taking a pounding," said chief administrative officer Chris Firth-Eagland who estimates the park has seen more than 3,000 people atÊa time during a peak weekend Ñ the park's estimated capacity. He said conservative estimates suggest the park had 140,000 visitors in 2015, up from about 80,000 two years earlier. The increased human activity not onlyÊendangers a fragile ecosystem, including century old trees, "sensitive plant regimes," and bird species like the recently departed Louisiana Waterthrush, it hasÊalso created traffic and parking issues for locals. "The place is gridlocked when the leaves change colours," said Firth-Eagland.Ê As one step in the solution, said Firth-Eagland, the HCA has aligned its pricing to be similar to prominent HCA attractions like Christie Lake, Dundas Valley,ÊValens Lake and Fifty Point. As of May 21, visitors will pay a $10 parking fee and $5 per person to gain access to the Spencer Gorge/Webster Falls park. TheÊrevised fee schedule also applies to the Tew Falls parking area and site. Between May 21 and Oct. 31, HCA membership passes will not gain free admittance on weekends. In all other HCA conservation areas the membershipÊpasses will remain valid on weekends and admittance fees appear to remain unchanged. The City of Waterfalls Initiatives founder Chris Ecklund says the move by the HCA wasn't surprising. "For the waterfall initiative as a whole, the Number 1 complaint is the cost of admission to the HCA properties in general," said Ecklund. "We have peopleÊsaying they can't afford it because they're on a fixed income. "This cost is insanity.Ó (Source: Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thespec.com/news-story/65479

May 12, 2016

Chief administrative officer Chris Firth-Eagland said although the bus service can be activated with a month’s notice, it’s thus far had a hostile reaction, fuelling a “Scuttle This Shuttle” petition campaign.

That’s given the service’s private partners cold feet on what staff hoped could be a solution to the traffic congestion that has plagued the popular Greensville park in recent years, he said.

“They’re quite concerned that the minute it doesn’t work, they become then laughing stocks,” Firth-Eagland told the conservation advisory board during a staff presentation on efforts to keep the park from being overrun by visitors.

“We don’t sense that the community wants us to do this at all,” he said.

“‘War’ has been used, that there will be war in response, and all those kinds of things. It’s been very difficult for us.”

Advisory board member Kristen Brittain, who lives in the area, said she’s disappointed the shuttle won’t get a trial run this year to see if it’s viable or if people find ways to park in the area to avoid paying the $10 fee.

“Those are outspoken people,” she said of the more incendiary responses to the service, which was to run from Mizener’s Antiques and Flea Market on Highway 5.

“There are the quiet people that live there, too. I’m not a friend or foe (of the shuttle), but I’d be happy to at least give it a try.”

Authority chair Robert Pasuta, councillor for the area, said he’s hopeful new parking restrictions on weekends and holidays that were set to go before council for approval this week will help ease traffic tensions. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Tuesday August 23, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday August 23, 2016 Police chiefs want new law that would compel people to reveal passwords Canada's police chiefs want a new law that would force people to hand over their electronic passwords with a judge's consent. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has passed a resolution calling for the legal measure to unlock digital evidence, saying criminals increasingly use encryption to hide illicit activities. There is nothing currently in Canadian law that would compel someone to provide a password to police during an investigation, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Joe Oliver told a news conference Tuesday. Oliver said criminals Ñ from child abusers to mobsters Ñ are operating online in almost complete anonymity with the help of tools that mask identities and messages, a phenomenon police call "going dark." "The victims in the digital space are real," Oliver said. "Canada's law and policing capabilities must keep pace with the evolution of technology." The chiefs' proposed password scheme is "wildly disproportionate," because in the case of a laptop computer it would mean handing over the "key to your whole personal life," said David Christopher, a spokesman for OpenMedia, a group that works to keep the Internet surveillance-free. "On the face of it, this seems like it's clearly unconstitutional." The police chiefs' resolution comes as the federal government begins a consultation on cybersecurity that will look at issues including the best way to balance online freedoms with the needs of police. The consultation runs until Oct. 15. (Source: CBC) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/passwords-rcmp-compel-iphone-1.3723325 Canada, police, computer, passwords, privacy, justice, crime, investigation

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 23, 2016

Police chiefs want new law that would compel people to reveal passwords

Canada’s police chiefs want a new law that would force people to hand over their electronic passwords with a judge’s consent.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has passed a resolution calling for the legal measure to unlock digital evidence, saying criminals increasingly use encryption to hide illicit activities.

There is nothing currently in Canadian law that would compel someone to provide a password to police during an investigation, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Joe Oliver told a news conference Tuesday.

Oliver said criminals — from child abusers to mobsters — are operating online in almost complete anonymity with the help of tools that mask identities and messages, a phenomenon police call “going dark.”

“The victims in the digital space are real,” Oliver said. “Canada’s law and policing capabilities must keep pace with the evolution of technology.”

The chiefs’ proposed password scheme is “wildly disproportionate,” because in the case of a laptop computer it would mean handing over the “key to your whole personal life,” said David Christopher, a spokesman for OpenMedia, a group that works to keep the Internet surveillance-free.

“On the face of it, this seems like it’s clearly unconstitutional.”

The police chiefs’ resolution comes as the federal government begins a consultation on cybersecurity that will look at issues including the best way to balance online freedoms with the needs of police. The consultation runs until Oct. 15. (Source: CBC)

 

Thursday August 22, 2013

Thursday August 22, 2013

Information watchdog blasts bureaucrats who ‘misled’ her

Information commissioner Ann Cavoukian has tabled a scorching addendum to her headline-making report on Liberal staffers illegally deleting gas plant emails.

Cavoukian on Tuesday released a 30-page supplement to her earlier 35-page report castigating Grits for apparently destroying emails related to the $585-million cancellation of controversial power plants in Mississauga and Oakville before the last provincial election.

In June, the legislative watchdog blasted Craig MacLennan, a former chief of staff to past energy ministers Brad Duguid and Chris Bentley, and David Livingston, former premier Dalton McGuinty’s last chief of staff, for failing to preserve records.

“In light of the information I now have, I would have arrived at a different conclusion regarding the ability of MGS (Ministry of Government Services) staff to retrieve the relevant emails from Mr. MacLennan’s email account,” she wrote Tuesday.

“However, the other findings in my report were not affected and remain accurate.”

In her appendix, Cavoukian maintains that bureaucrats “misled” her when they claimed MacLennan’s email account could not be retrieved then later found 39,000 emails either sent or received by him on a backup computer drive.  (Source: The Toronto Star)

 

KATHLEEN WYNNE CARTOON from wes tyrell on Vimeo.

 

Thursday, January 10, 2002

Monday, February 17, 2014By Graeme MacKay – Monday, February 17, 2014

(Coloured version of cartoon that ran in the Hamilton Spectator, Thursday, January 10, 2002)

Hamilton Begins Camera Surveillance

Hamilton police are putting controversial video surveillance cameras into public areas of the downtown in a move they say will help prevent crime. Six closed-circuit television cameras are expected to be in operation by the end of March, initially covering public areas from James to Walnut streets.

The cameras will be controlled and monitored live from the central police station. They will also record all street activity on digital tape, 24 hours a day. Tapes will be kept, likely for 60 days, for possible use in following up a crime.

The pilot project will see Hamilton join a growing list of cities using surveillance cams against street crime.

No biometrics — such as face scans or other new technologies — will be used.

And police say the cameras will not breach privacy rights, despite a ruling in October by Canada’s privacy commissioner over public cameras used by the RCMP in Kelowna, B.C.

The 24-hour videotaping of Kelowna’s high-crime district stopped after privacy Commissioner George Radwanski ruled police have no right to do random round-the-clock surveillance of law-abiding citizens in public. (Original Source)