THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL DATA PRIVACY Day (which was January 28) is often seen as a day when individuals are reminded ways they should stay safe online. However, Canadian corporate privacy and security officers are likely also reflecting today on a number of recent court and regulatory moves that are affecting their responsibilities.
These include:
An Ontario judge last month expanding the scope of privacy protection under the common law by allowing a person to sue another for putting an explicit video of them on the Internet, an action one lawyer called "revenge porn”
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VANCOUVER – Competition and the struggling Alberta economy helped to weigh down fourth quarter profits at Telus, the company said Thursday.
For the period ended December 31, 2015, consolidated operating revenue grew 2.8% to $3.2 billion from $3.1 billion a year earlier, buoyed by higher data revenue in both wireless and wireline operations. Net income dropped 16.3% to $261 million from $312 million year-over-year due to “significant restructuring” and other costs. Adjusted net income dipped 1.2% to $324 million
Earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 2.2% to $978 million, though EBITDA excluding restructuring and other like costs increased…
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Hearing starts Monday
TORONTO — CRTC commissioners have a lot of reading ahead of them, judging by the hundreds of submissions already made to the Commission’s review of basic telecommunications services, from industry players, consumer organizations, end-user businesses, and local and provincial governments. Then there are the thousands of individual consumers who have submitted questionnaires related to their usage of telecom services.
(Ed note: This is a re-post of a story we ran in February previewing the 14-day hearing that begins Monday. Cartt.ca will have daily coverage of the hearing, which will be available to hear…
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GATINEAU – A new fund or reallocated money dedicated to supporting local news, would do little to provide a long-term solution to the financial situation facing local TV, Shaw Communications and Telus told the CRTC on Tuesday.
Telus noted in its opening remarks that any funding for local conventional stations to subsidize their news productions shouldn’t come at the expense of community TV and the diversity it provides to the system. As well, “subsidizing the commercial business models of traditional television stations will not incent the innovation required of these stations to provide sustainable programming opportunities in the long run,”…
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GATINEAU – The industry needs increased levels of funding for access programming said executives from MTS, who appeared before the CRTC’s local and community TV hearing on Monday. The company has proposed that the more access programming BDUs carry on their community TV channels, the more money they should get.
In opening remarks, Paul Norris, VP of residential solutions at MTS, noted viewers want to see local programming that goes beyond news and that access programming is important for locally reflective expression.
“Access programming fulfills a unique role that is not available from conventional broadcasters or from social media…
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GATINEAU – Many parties to the CRTC’s local and community TV consultation have proposed funding approaches (each with their own acronyms we’re having trouble keep track of) which could financially support these struggling services. Rogers Communications Inc. has now joined them, unveiling its own approach to a local programming fund.
In its appearance before the Commission on Thursday, the media and communications giant argued while it still prefers its original proposal calling for greater flexibility to move local programming funds from larger to smaller markets, it offered up another model that it says is workable and would provide financial benefits…
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More digitization of health care key to improving service and reducing cost
MONTREAL – It’s unclear if Darren Entwistle meant to quote the iconic line from The Six Million Dollar Man, but its message was similar in tone, pushing for a plausible future in which technology plays more of a role in changing the human body – as well as its treatment, when sick or injured.
Entwistle pushed the efforts of Telus Health in finding technological solutions to make the delivery of health care more efficient, calling health care efficiency and effectiveness “the number one social challenge of our lifetimes,” in…
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TORONTO – New Rogers channel Viceland will debut in more than 7.5 million Canadian households when it launches on February 29, the company said Friday.
The millennial-focused linear channel, which replaces Rogers’ Bio specialty channel, will be available through more than 20 TV service providers out of the gate, including Shaw and Shaw Direct, Telus, Videotron, Cogeco Connexion and Eastlink, in addition to Rogers Cable.
Kicking off with a three-month free preview, content includes Gaycation with Ellen Page and friend/co-host Ian Daniel, and original music documentary series Noisey, hosted by Vice correspondent Zach Goldbaum. Viceland will also air original series produced…
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VANCOUVER – Former CBC Radio exec Chris Boyce has joined podcasting and branded content start-up Pacific Content as it seeks to expand east into the Toronto market.
Boyce (pictured) was formerly executive director of radio and audio for the national broadcaster but departed in April 2015 in the wake of a workplace investigation report into inappropriate behaviour by fired radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
In his new role as a principal, Boyce will establish a Toronto presence for the rapidly expanding Pacific Content team, which has grown from two to ten people in the past three months. Pacific Content said that…
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MONTREAL – With just days to go before Bell Let's Talk Day on January 27, Bell issued a public thank you to the Canadian organizations supporting the initiative and promoting its messages around mental health.
"A huge thank you to all the individuals and organizations joining the Bell Let's Talk team to help get everyone talking about mental health. What better way to fight the stigma than having Canada's finest brands actively promoting the cause?" said Clara Hughes, national spokesperson for Bell Let's Talk, in the news release. "When you send your own messages on Bell Let's Talk Day, you not only let…
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