The CBC is once again spending taxpayers' money frivolously and refusing to disclose key information.
Back in June when the state broadcaster travelled to London, England, to cover the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, they went so far as to pay for a private box for a special concert.
The CBC did not deny that they had a private box, but in an access to information request on the cost of the box the state broadcaster refused to release the amount.
CBC officials claim that the cost of a swanky private box at a public event to celebrate the Queen is protected information because it touches on their creative, programming or journalistic endeavours.
Sources with knowledge of the event have pegged the cost of a private box for the concert at between $50,000 and $75,000.
Read the full story.
cbcexposed is all about exposing the waste of the CBC ... over 1 billion dollars a year of taxpayer money funds the cbc and a lot of that taxpayer money is wasted.
I have also filed a lawsuit against CBC reporter Terry Milewski ...
I have today, filed a lawsuit against Mr. Dosanjh for the comments he made and a flyer he distributed during the election. I have also filed a lawsuit against CBC reporter Terry Milewski.
I will accept a public written apology from Mr. Dosanjh and/or Mr. Milewski to settle the lawsuits filed against them.
Read the full story.
I will accept a public written apology from Mr. Dosanjh and/or Mr. Milewski to settle the lawsuits filed against them.
Read the full story.
CBC demands removal of Mac radio app made by Vancouver developer ...
A Vancouver developer is upset that a CBC copyright complaint means he will have to remove his software from the Mac App Store.
Cory Alder of Davander Mobile went public about his fight with Canada’s public broadcaster, detailing his side of the story on his blog.
On his blog, Alder argues his app is being falsely characterized, as it is “essentially a radio receiver”.
Alder says he will soon be forced to withdraw his product from the app store. But he’s hoping that the publicity his case receives will result in the CBC reconsidering its Internet-streaming policies and allowing “listeners decide how they want to listen”.
Read the full story.
Cory Alder of Davander Mobile went public about his fight with Canada’s public broadcaster, detailing his side of the story on his blog.
On his blog, Alder argues his app is being falsely characterized, as it is “essentially a radio receiver”.
Alder says he will soon be forced to withdraw his product from the app store. But he’s hoping that the publicity his case receives will result in the CBC reconsidering its Internet-streaming policies and allowing “listeners decide how they want to listen”.
Read the full story.
MP's denounce CBC for wasting tax-payers money ...
As Conservative MPs denounce the CBC for wasting taxpayers' money by fighting the information commissioner in Federal Court, two federal government departments are quietly conducting their own legal battles against her.
Tory MPs on the House of Commons Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics committee are conducting a study of what one on Tuesday described as an "outrageous" waste of money in CBC's litigation against Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault.
Read the full story.
Tory MPs on the House of Commons Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics committee are conducting a study of what one on Tuesday described as an "outrageous" waste of money in CBC's litigation against Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault.
Read the full story.
CBC spending almost as much for private counsel as they are on their own contingent of 20 lawyers ...
Despite having a team of 20 in-house lawyers on their payroll, the CBC has been spending more than $3.3 million each year for legal services from private law firms.
Documents obtained through Access to Information laws — to which the CBC has been subject to for just two years — revealed that the public broadcaster spent more than $23 million in legal contracts with private firms between 2000-01 and 2006-07. That averages out to $3.3 million annually, with a peak of $4.7 million in 2003-04.
In fact, the company is spending almost as much for private counsel as they are on their own contingent of 20 lawyers, run by the CBC's Vice-President of Legal Services, Maryse Bertrand.
Read the full story.
Documents obtained through Access to Information laws — to which the CBC has been subject to for just two years — revealed that the public broadcaster spent more than $23 million in legal contracts with private firms between 2000-01 and 2006-07. That averages out to $3.3 million annually, with a peak of $4.7 million in 2003-04.
In fact, the company is spending almost as much for private counsel as they are on their own contingent of 20 lawyers, run by the CBC's Vice-President of Legal Services, Maryse Bertrand.
Read the full story.
CBC target of surging information complaints ...
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is behind an unprecedented flood of complaints to Canada's information watchdog.
The latest annual report from Information Commissioner Robert Marleau says his office received 536 complaints about the public broadcaster in 2007-2008, more than any other department or agency of government.
And more than 90 per cent of the CBC complaints that Mr. Marleau has finished investigating were found to be valid.
Read the full story.
The latest annual report from Information Commissioner Robert Marleau says his office received 536 complaints about the public broadcaster in 2007-2008, more than any other department or agency of government.
And more than 90 per cent of the CBC complaints that Mr. Marleau has finished investigating were found to be valid.
Read the full story.
Canadians have no idea of CBC cost ...
The day Lisa LaFlamme debuted as Lloyd Robertson's successor anchoring the CTV National News, CBC bought full-page newspaper advertisements promoting its flagship newscast and anchor Peter Mansbridge.
Judging from a new poll, the public broadcaster might better have used the ad space to show Canadians how its money was being spent.
According to the poll, more than 80 per cent of the 1,003 people sampled in the online poll conducted in English Aug. 12-15 did not know the CBC will get $1.1 billion from Ottawa this year. About 25 per cent believe it gets only one-tenth of its actual grant and 21 per cent thought it was only $10 million.
"It seems like the CBC has built an empire unto itself within the expenditures of the federal government," said Stephen Taylor, a spokesman for the National Citizens Coalition, the conservative advocacy group once headed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Who are they accountable to? They're ultimately accountable to us, but they're not showing it."
Read the full story.
Judging from a new poll, the public broadcaster might better have used the ad space to show Canadians how its money was being spent.
According to the poll, more than 80 per cent of the 1,003 people sampled in the online poll conducted in English Aug. 12-15 did not know the CBC will get $1.1 billion from Ottawa this year. About 25 per cent believe it gets only one-tenth of its actual grant and 21 per cent thought it was only $10 million.
"It seems like the CBC has built an empire unto itself within the expenditures of the federal government," said Stephen Taylor, a spokesman for the National Citizens Coalition, the conservative advocacy group once headed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Who are they accountable to? They're ultimately accountable to us, but they're not showing it."
Read the full story.
CBC/Radio-Canada president Hubert Lacroix said he was “astonished” by the decision ...
Canada’s broadcast regulator is doing away with a controversial fee charged by many cable and satellite companies to help improve local TV programming — and forcing them to stop passing the cost on to their customers.
CBC/Radio-Canada president Hubert Lacroix said he was “astonished” by the decision.
He warned that the decision could reverse many of the local programming improvements that the fund achieved.
The CRTC said it’s confident that small and mid-sized local stations will be able to maintain quality programming without the fund.
Read the full story.
CBC/Radio-Canada president Hubert Lacroix said he was “astonished” by the decision.
He warned that the decision could reverse many of the local programming improvements that the fund achieved.
The CRTC said it’s confident that small and mid-sized local stations will be able to maintain quality programming without the fund.
Read the full story.
Dissenting commissioners slam CBC ...
"Newsnet is not a threat to CBC Newsworld."
"If Newsworld feels threatened by Newsnet, its problems are internal and far more fundamental than can be cured by any Commission ruling that limits the flexibility of a perceived competitor."
"The investment of time and effort made by the CBC to monitor Newsnet and record each and every alleged transgression made by it over the past four years must have been considerable. When a publicly funded institution, one that constantly reminds Canadians that it is not publicly funded enough, invests so much time and effort in exposing the transgressions of a perceived competitor, it may be time to recommend that the CBC revisit its own sense of mission and purpose rather than concentrating scarce resources on Newsnet's alleged shortcomings."
Read the full story.
"If Newsworld feels threatened by Newsnet, its problems are internal and far more fundamental than can be cured by any Commission ruling that limits the flexibility of a perceived competitor."
"The investment of time and effort made by the CBC to monitor Newsnet and record each and every alleged transgression made by it over the past four years must have been considerable. When a publicly funded institution, one that constantly reminds Canadians that it is not publicly funded enough, invests so much time and effort in exposing the transgressions of a perceived competitor, it may be time to recommend that the CBC revisit its own sense of mission and purpose rather than concentrating scarce resources on Newsnet's alleged shortcomings."
Read the full story.
Court rejects CBC appeal in access-to-information feud ...
The CBC has lost another key court battle in its efforts to keep internal documents secret.
The Federal Court of Appeal unanimously ruled against the public broadcaster Wednesday, saying the CBC is legally required to turn over material for review by the information commissioner of Canada.
There was no immediate word on whether the public broadcaster will further appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
“We are continuing our analysis of the ruling,” CBC president Hubert Lacroix said in a statement.
Read the full story.
The Federal Court of Appeal unanimously ruled against the public broadcaster Wednesday, saying the CBC is legally required to turn over material for review by the information commissioner of Canada.
There was no immediate word on whether the public broadcaster will further appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
“We are continuing our analysis of the ruling,” CBC president Hubert Lacroix said in a statement.
Read the full story.
Six reasons why the CBC is irrelevant ...
The CBC was created as a national radio broadcasting system in the 1930s, and has since developed into a media empire in its own right. With operating costs heavily subsidized by taxpayers and in the age of the internet and subsequent changing media consumption, what is the point of having a national broadcaster? Do we really need the CBC any more?
Click here to see six reasons why the CBC is irrelevant.
Click here to see six reasons why the CBC is irrelevant.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews Blasts CBC ...
A senior Conservative cabinet minister has blasted the CBC for refusing to publish the photos and names of 30 suspected war criminals living in Canada illegally.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews sounded off against the CBC during a Winnipeg radio show on CJOB Tuesday. "I have long since given up trying to understand the state broadcaster, or the CBC as we know them more popularly," Toews said.
"I find it so fascinating that they refuse to put the names of the individuals and pictures of the individuals on their network given that these are individuals who have been found by a tribunal not to be admissible in Canada and legal warrants have been issued for their arrest."
Read the full story.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews sounded off against the CBC during a Winnipeg radio show on CJOB Tuesday. "I have long since given up trying to understand the state broadcaster, or the CBC as we know them more popularly," Toews said.
"I find it so fascinating that they refuse to put the names of the individuals and pictures of the individuals on their network given that these are individuals who have been found by a tribunal not to be admissible in Canada and legal warrants have been issued for their arrest."
Read the full story.
CBC ponders another court case to fight access laws ...
The director of the long-running CBC reality show on access to information is considering a rerun of a court challenge to keep taxpayers guessing about how the state broadcaster spends their money.
Appearing before the Commons committee on ethics and access Thursday, Conservative MPs warned CBC chief Hubert Lacroix not to take his beef to the Supreme Court after critics panned two lower court losses.
"I sincerely hope for the sake of taxpayers that this doesn't go any further in terms of appeals," Blaine Calkins told Lacroix and the lawyer at his side.
Read the full story.
Appearing before the Commons committee on ethics and access Thursday, Conservative MPs warned CBC chief Hubert Lacroix not to take his beef to the Supreme Court after critics panned two lower court losses.
"I sincerely hope for the sake of taxpayers that this doesn't go any further in terms of appeals," Blaine Calkins told Lacroix and the lawyer at his side.
Read the full story.
CBC lashes out after scrutiny ...
The National Citizen Coalition's Stephen Taylor joins Krista Erickson to give his take on CBC president Hubert Lacroix's threatening letter to Sun News.
Watch the video here.
Watch the video here.
CBC looks like twits thanks to Twitter ...
The hockey world is wondering if CBC understands Twitter and the live social media world.
It’s pretty simple, really. Tape delay the NHL’s awards ceremony in most parts of Canada, while NBC Sports shows it live and you’re bound to lose.
When asked why CBC’s coverage wasn’t live, an NHL spokesperson suggested that was a question best asked of CBC.
CBC, however, wasn’t talking.
Read the full story.
It’s pretty simple, really. Tape delay the NHL’s awards ceremony in most parts of Canada, while NBC Sports shows it live and you’re bound to lose.
When asked why CBC’s coverage wasn’t live, an NHL spokesperson suggested that was a question best asked of CBC.
CBC, however, wasn’t talking.
Read the full story.
Regulator doesn't deserve CBC's criticism ...
CBC television and radio on Wednesday bashed the provincial securities commissions - the B.C. Securities Commission in particular - for their failure to collect most of the fines that they impose.
A case in point is Ronald Conn, the securities scofflaw the CBC used as a poster boy to support its contention the commission is falling down on the job.
In February 1997, the BCSC banned Conn from the B.C. securities market for 15 years and fined him $50,000 for his role in promoting a particularly egregious securities fraud.
CBC interviewed one of Conn's victims, Eleanor Thielke, who expressed shock Conn hadn't paid his fine.
In its Wednesday piece, CBC failed to report that when the BCSC imposed the fine, Conn was an undischarged bankrupt.
It is possible Conn had hidden income or assets, but if that was the case, CBC produced no evidence to support that proposition.
Read the full story.
A case in point is Ronald Conn, the securities scofflaw the CBC used as a poster boy to support its contention the commission is falling down on the job.
In February 1997, the BCSC banned Conn from the B.C. securities market for 15 years and fined him $50,000 for his role in promoting a particularly egregious securities fraud.
CBC interviewed one of Conn's victims, Eleanor Thielke, who expressed shock Conn hadn't paid his fine.
In its Wednesday piece, CBC failed to report that when the BCSC imposed the fine, Conn was an undischarged bankrupt.
It is possible Conn had hidden income or assets, but if that was the case, CBC produced no evidence to support that proposition.
Read the full story.
Top 10 CBC executives split a bonus kitty of $778,799 ...
In the fiscal year ending March 2010, the last year for which figures are available, the top 10 executives split a bonus kitty of $778,799, the year before it was $888,699 and for the fiscal year ending March 2008 the top 12 executives split a bonus package of $964,860.
CBC refuses to say how much each executive received but did reveal that the top bonus for fiscal 2008-09 was $165,090 or 3.5 times the average income of a full-time Canadian worker.
That bonus was also paid out at a time when CBC was having to layoff hundreds of workers to deal with the global recession.
Read the full story.
CBC refuses to say how much each executive received but did reveal that the top bonus for fiscal 2008-09 was $165,090 or 3.5 times the average income of a full-time Canadian worker.
That bonus was also paid out at a time when CBC was having to layoff hundreds of workers to deal with the global recession.
Read the full story.
Canadian Media Issue Clarifications ... but not the CBC
Toronto Star, AFP, & Radio-Canada relied on claims by unnamed Palestinian witnesses asserting that an Israeli artillery shell killed a six-year-old Palestinian boy. Despite Israel’s contention that the boy was killed by Palestinian ordnance, these news outlets failed to report that Israel denied responsibility for this incident.
Palestinian medical sources claimed that a two-year old Palestinian girl had been killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, a charge which the Israel Defence Forces vehemently denied and which Hamas eventually conceded was due to the misfiring of a Palestinian rocket.
Last week, we bore witness to a similar unsubstantiated claim perpetuated by unnamed Palestinian witnesses, only in this instance, Israel was accused of killing a six-year-old Palestinian boy with artillery fire.
The Toronto Star, Radio-Canada.ca, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) all reported this claim without including Israel’s denial of responsibility for the incident. Israel’s Defense Forces asserted there were no military efforts in the area, and claimed the child died as a result of an explosion caused by Palestinian ordnance.
Instead of rushing to judgement and relying on unverified eyewitness testimonies, our media should seek independent verification to prevent false reporting. In so doing, the unvarnished truth would be disseminated wide and far, instead of perpetuating tarnished libels.
On June 26, the Toronto Star commendably issued the following clarification to atone for its mistakes ...
Read the full story.
Palestinian medical sources claimed that a two-year old Palestinian girl had been killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, a charge which the Israel Defence Forces vehemently denied and which Hamas eventually conceded was due to the misfiring of a Palestinian rocket.
Last week, we bore witness to a similar unsubstantiated claim perpetuated by unnamed Palestinian witnesses, only in this instance, Israel was accused of killing a six-year-old Palestinian boy with artillery fire.
The Toronto Star, Radio-Canada.ca, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) all reported this claim without including Israel’s denial of responsibility for the incident. Israel’s Defense Forces asserted there were no military efforts in the area, and claimed the child died as a result of an explosion caused by Palestinian ordnance.
Instead of rushing to judgement and relying on unverified eyewitness testimonies, our media should seek independent verification to prevent false reporting. In so doing, the unvarnished truth would be disseminated wide and far, instead of perpetuating tarnished libels.
On June 26, the Toronto Star commendably issued the following clarification to atone for its mistakes ...
Read the full story.
Scouts Canada unhappy with CBC 'Fifth Estate' story ...
Scouts Canada unhappy with 'Fifth Estate' story, says lawsuit could be an option ...
Scouts Canada is keeping its options open when it comes to taking legal action against the CBC for a report alleging it kept a confidential list of suspected pedophiles within the organization.
Chief commissioner Steve Kent, also the MHA for Mount Pearl North, denied the allegation again Friday, saying the organization feels elements of "The Fifth Estate" report which aired a few weeks ago were misleading.
"The most unfortunate part is that some of the CBC coverage has left the impression that we've been hiding something," Kent said.
Read the full story.
Scouts Canada is keeping its options open when it comes to taking legal action against the CBC for a report alleging it kept a confidential list of suspected pedophiles within the organization.
Chief commissioner Steve Kent, also the MHA for Mount Pearl North, denied the allegation again Friday, saying the organization feels elements of "The Fifth Estate" report which aired a few weeks ago were misleading.
"The most unfortunate part is that some of the CBC coverage has left the impression that we've been hiding something," Kent said.
Read the full story.
CBC - The Fifth Estate’s “Behind the Wall” Report
As a Canadian citizen, a taxpayer and as the National President for UCCO-SACC-CSN (the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers – Syndicat des agents correctionnels du Canadas – CSN), I feel compelled to submit a formal complaint regarding a number of serious issues that I have with the aforementioned program.
Indeed, ever since CBC Television broadcast The Fifth Estate documentary “Behind the Wall” on November 12, 2010, I have found myself unable to shake the feeling that I am being mocked, not merely in my role with the correctional officers’ union, but as an ordinary citizen who has a right to accurate, fair and unbiased information from his public broadcaster. It seems to me that the CBC should hold itself to a very high standard when it comes to informing the population of Canada on critically important societal issues such as mental health in our federal correctional facilities.
Considering the gravity of the subject, I therefore ask you, as Ombudsman of the CBC, to examine our complaints and to ensure The Fifth Estate lives up to the journalistic standards of the public network.
Read the full story.
Indeed, ever since CBC Television broadcast The Fifth Estate documentary “Behind the Wall” on November 12, 2010, I have found myself unable to shake the feeling that I am being mocked, not merely in my role with the correctional officers’ union, but as an ordinary citizen who has a right to accurate, fair and unbiased information from his public broadcaster. It seems to me that the CBC should hold itself to a very high standard when it comes to informing the population of Canada on critically important societal issues such as mental health in our federal correctional facilities.
Considering the gravity of the subject, I therefore ask you, as Ombudsman of the CBC, to examine our complaints and to ensure The Fifth Estate lives up to the journalistic standards of the public network.
Read the full story.
MD $200 000 richer after damning court judgement against CBC's "The Fifth Estate" ...
The longest 50 minutes in Dr. Martin Myers' life began at 8 pm on Feb. 27, 1996, when the fifth estate, a CBC TV newsmagazine, broadcast a program dealing with the safety of calcium-channel blockers. One million Canadians were watching, and by the time the show ended the Toronto cardiologist felt his professional reputation was in tatters. So he sued.
Three and a half years later an Ontario Superior Court judge has agreed with him and decided that Myers deserved $4000 for each of those minutes. In a scathing judgement released Nov. 19, Ontario Superior Court Judge Denise Bellamy said Myers had been slandered and awarded him $200 000.
Myers' lawyer, Christopher Ashby, said the award is one of the largest in Canadian history for a case involving no material loss to the plaintiff. Myers had sued the CBC, program host Trish Wood and 3 other journalists.
Read the full story.
Three and a half years later an Ontario Superior Court judge has agreed with him and decided that Myers deserved $4000 for each of those minutes. In a scathing judgement released Nov. 19, Ontario Superior Court Judge Denise Bellamy said Myers had been slandered and awarded him $200 000.
Myers' lawyer, Christopher Ashby, said the award is one of the largest in Canadian history for a case involving no material loss to the plaintiff. Myers had sued the CBC, program host Trish Wood and 3 other journalists.
Read the full story.
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