Dearest readers

I thought I should write something up explaining what's going on with Blackfly.

Basically, we're a group of volunteers who run this magazine. And, as volunteers, we've been stretched in many ways. We've had a hard time finding funding and finding time for the magazine.

Support and content have been no issue at all. Thank-you everyone who has written asking what's up and what they can do to help.

Right now, we're creating a pdf version of the magazine we were going to put out in the fall. It will be smaller than usual, but still the same type of content.

Our goal is to be back in print soon. And in the meantime we're trying to strengthen the core of the organization by incorporating, inviting new members in, creating a board and all of that fun business stuff.

If you have a subscription and you're worried you won't see another magazine, please feel free to e-mail me with your concerns at jenn@blackflymagazine.com.

Please bear with us. We all hope to be back running again as soon as we can.

Thanks,

Jenn Watt

Ontario's farmers' markets get a boost

An interesting and hopeful trend seems to be arriving in the province:

Farmers' markets are booming across Ontario thanks to environmentally
conscious shoppers, but the province needs to help put local produce on
grocery
store shelves if the farm sector is to survive, advocates say.

...

The number of farmers' markets in the province has risen to 135 from 60 in
the past 15 years, with annual sales of almost $700-million, Mr. Chorney
noted.
The net sales for all Ontario farms were almost $9-billion,
according
to the 2005 census. Globe and Mail

Blackfly's article in the last issue by Nathan Swinn outlines more of the argument behind going to the farmers' market. You can also find a farmers' market near you by following the link above.

Ontario ombudsman to investigate police unit

What do we do with the police investigators need investigating?

Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin is launching an investigation into allegations the police Special Investigations Unit isn't doing its job properly.

Marin says there has been a "troubling" increase in the number of complaints about the SIU, the civilian agency which investigates police actions in cases involving death or serious injury. CTV

Dudley George inquiry finally complete

And, surprise, everything that activists were saying about the guilt of the Ontario Provincial Police was true. (Picture of Sam George, Dudley's brother).

Sam George led a tireless campaign that eventually resulted in a public inquiry into the death of his brother, who was shot by an Ontario Provincial Police sniper in September 1995 as police moved in on about 30 unarmed First Nations protesters occupying the park. CBC

The Globe and Mail has a very good interactive, narrated chronology of the case here.

For those not familiar with Ipperwash:

The shooting, on Sept. 6, 1995, came just two days after members of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation occupied the park to reclaim a sacred burial ground. That night, the OPP, acting on false reports the protesters had guns and had attacked a civilian's car, abandoned its usual strategy of negotiation and sent in a riot squad to confront them.

When a protester, Cecil Bernard George, stepped forward to mediate, police beat him and dragged him away, prompting others to drive a school bus and a car at the police, who responded with gunfire.

Within seconds, Dudley George, 38, was shot dead by a police sniper. The Globe and Mail

Attention Writers/Photographers/Illustrators/Activists!

Blackfly Magazine ( www.blackflymagazine.com) is looking for contributors for its fall 2007 issue.

As usual, we're looking for individuals who are willing to donate their time, talents, and energy to keep making this little magazine great.

If you don't know already, Blackfly's mission is to cover Ontario current events and political issues from a progressive perspective. That means we cover the news that mainstream media doesn't -- issues affecting marginalized communities (including, but not limited to, First Nations, women, people of colour, people with disabilities), as well as issues related to poverty, the environment, labour ( minimum wage/injuries at work/harassment in the workplace)social services (especially in small towns/rural/Northern Ontario), the impacts of government policy . . . the list goes on. We're also always looking for coverage of arts and indy projects.

So . . . if you have an idea, send us a pitch!

For our fall issue, pitches are due Friday, June 15.
Final articles are due Friday, July 13.

We accept pitches for articles ranging in length from 500 to 3000 words.
We do NOT reprint previously published articles. We are NOT looking for opinion pieces.
We ARE looking for news, feature articles, and interviews.

In your pitch please include information about:
- how you will structure your article
- how long your article will be
- how you will research your article (who you will contact, who you will interview)
- yourself and your writing experience.

We are also interested in other media for our website such as audio files, extra images, and extended interviews. When you pitch, please indicate if any of these things will be included.

If you're interested in contributing but writing isn't your thing, we're also looking for volunteers to review books, shoot photographs, and draw/paint illustrations. If this is you, we'd love to hear from you.

Unfortunately, Blackfly does not (yet!) have the means to financially compensate its contributors (or its staff) but, as a (small) token of appreciation for your work, we will send you a year's free subscription.

For more information about Blackfly, please visit our website: http://www.blackflymagazine.com

(Blackfly is also always accepting pitches for articles and audio/video files to appear on the "Web Exclusive" section of our website, especially regarding issues that are too time-sensitve to appear in a quarterly publication.)

Send any inquiries to the editor, Jenn Watt, at editor@blackflymagazine.com

Code of Silence Award

The Canadian Association of Journalists released the finalist list for the Code of Silence Award on May 15. The finalists are those government departments best at keeping information secret.

The finalists are:

1. The Department of Foreign Affairs for denying the existence of documents related to the treatment of Afghan detainees that were requested under federal Access to Information legislation. Even after complaints to the federal Information Commissioner, the department would only release a heavily excised version of a report to the Globe and Mail in which every reference to torture and abuse in Afghan prisons was blacked out. The federal Information Commissioner gave the Department of Foreign Affairs an "F" grade in his most recent annual report for failing to reply to 60 per cent of its access to information requests within the statutory deadlines, more than any other department audited last year.

2. The Immigration and Refugee Board for employing lengthy delays, misinformation, deceit and excessive fees to block Access to Information requests by journalist Roxana Olivera. In one case, the department claimed not to have any documents related to the granting of refugee status to Americans in Canada. Following a complaint to the Information Commissioner, the department confirmed it had conferred status upon four American citizens. The Information Commissioner also found "a serious deemed-refusal situation and lack of an up-to-date ATI support structure in the IRB's current policies, procedures, and technology."

3. The governments of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick for being the only remaining provinces in Canada that lack freedom of information legislation covering municipalities. As a result, the public in both provinces do not have the legally-backed right to know what municipalities are doing with their tax dollars.

4. Transport Canada for doggedly fighting for four years to keep basic aviation safety data out of the hands of journalists and the public. Following a formal request for the data by the Hamilton Spectator in 2001, the department dug in its heels, at one point claiming that information about commercial aircraft incidents constituted the personal information of the pilots flying the planes. Only a legal challenge before the Federal Court finally persuaded Transport Canada to release the data last year. Transport Canada was also nominated for failing to complete a Canadian Press request from February of last year for the new minister's briefing book on current issues and upcoming events.

5. The Ontario government for refusing to give the provincial ombudsman power to investigate hospitals. Ontario is the only Canadian province where hospitals aren't subject to the scrutiny of an ombudsman. Despite repeated public demands for greater transparency around one of the most costly and essential public sectors in the country's most populous province, Ontario hospitals remain outside the scope of both provincial freedom of information legislation and independent investigation.

Black Panther denied at Canadian border

Yesterday, the leader of the New Black Panthers was stopped at the Canadian border on his way to speak at a rally at Queen's Park. Malik Zulu Shabazz, a defence lawyer in the USA, was supposed to speak at a protest organized by New Black Youth Taking Action. The protest was organized around the unfairness of the education system to Black youth. Of concern is the Safe Schools Act, introduced by the Tory government, lack of Black studies in school, and the construction of a super-jail in Brampton.

Shabazz was stopped at the border because he was charged with a misdemeanour offence six years ago, according to the National Post. That same article also says that Shabazz recalls being confronted with newspaper clippings by officers at Pearson Airport about his controversial stances.

Most troubling of the claims against him are that he has made anti-Semitic statements, particularly about Jews having advance warning of the World Trade Centre destruction of 9/11. The Post also stated that some organizers at the rally - which went on without Shabazz - blame the Jewish lobby groups in Canada as being too powerful.

Doing a search on the internet brings up some contradictory claims on Shabazz. Some say that he is blatantly anti-Semitic. Others say he is anti-Zionist. These two things are distinctly different and it is unclear whether either has truth.

From looking at interviews with him, it seems that he has been vocally opposed to the state of Israel and quite pro-Palestinian. What is most unclear is whether he is also anti-Jew. If he is, then the Black Youth group organizing the rally has some serious issues to deal with now.

All of this is really very unfortunate, too, because what the rally was supposed to be about are some serious issues that are going unaddressed in our school systems. How Black youth are treated and educated has come under intense scrutiny over the past year from Black leaders in the province, but not so much has been done by the politicians.

But in all likelihood this will be overlooked due to the controversial speaker stopped at the border.

Jenn

As an example of the differing views on Shabazz:
Here is a very pro-Shabazz interview done by finalcall.com
And here is a list of quotes by the Anti-Defamation League (anti-Shabazz/pro-Israel)

Globe calls train delays "injustice"

I hate unsigned editorials. Unfortunately, they are a mainstay of newspapers in this country. The problem with them is this: editorials are seen to be the opinion of the newspaper. But they are written by one or a few individuals and really don't represent the body of journalists at a paper at all.

When I read an editorial in the Globe and Mail today about the Mohawks who blocked the VIA rail line in Deseronto, Ont., this point came back to me again. Here's a choice selection:

It is that time of year again when radical native protesters with one grievance or another engage in criminal acts dressed up as civil disobedience. They inflict injustice to draw attention to what they allege is an injustice done to them.

Now why can't we know who wrote this? It is a highly irresponsible way to deal with a very serious grievance of people in the province, and it taints the entire paper. This writer is equating the frustration and annoyance rail passengers experience with the very real pain and injustice of having land stolen from you by the state.

The editorial goes on:

There are always the courts. But the radicals don't want to wait; they think they know a better way.

To that, I'd say, probably no other group in Canada has so much experience dealing with courts. Perhaps this experience has shown them there are, indeed, "better ways."

So, besides this totally reactionary, offensive editorial, the news is that the blockade is down. Originally the Mohawks of Deseronto said they would keep the lines blocked for 48 hours. They made it to 30 under a great deal of pressure from government and police.

The dispute is over a quarry, which is being used by Thurlow Aggregates, trucking away gravel. The protesters say that the quarry is actually theirs and therefore the gravel cannot be taken like that. It's been simmering for a while now, with very little coverage.

They got it now.

Not afraid to sign my opinion,

Jenn Watt

Ontario set to vote on electoral system

I've heard and read a lot about this citizen's assembly on electoral reform in Ontario. There are a lot of skeptics.

In issue #1 of Blackfly, we featured an article about the citizens assembly that will be recommending an electoral system for Ontario.

An independent assembly of citizens set up by the government voted overwhelmingly yesterday to have a referendum during this fall's provincial election on replacing the current winner-take-all system with a proportional representation system modelled on those used in Germany and New Zealand. The Globe and Mail

There are many who think that electoral reform would be bad for the province. Ian Urquart of the Toronto Star created this list of "consequences":

More politicians. There would be at least 22 more in the Legislature under MMP. Advocates say that would just restore the Legislature to its former size before Mike Harris cut it back by adopting the federal riding boundaries.

Bigger ridings. With just 90 constituencies, the average riding would have about 143,000 people, compared to about 125,000 today. Geographically, a northern riding like Kenora-Rainy River, which is already bigger than Italy, could grow to the size of France.

Permanent minorities. MMP is designed so that a party cannot win a majority of the seats in the Legislature without a majority of the popular vote, which no party has received in an Ontario election since 1937. The experts who advised the citizens' assembly tried to sugar-coat this point by saying that MMP would lead to "majority coalition governments," which is an oxymoron.

Seats for fringe parties. In the last provincial election, not even the Greens, with 2.8 per cent of the popular vote, exceeded the 3 per cent threshold established by the assembly. However, a forward-looking analysis of the proposed change suggests MMP would encourage votes for fringe parties so that not only the Greens, but also groupings like the Family Coalition (a pro-life party), could exceed the threshold. Toronto Star

Not everything he lists would actually be a bad thing. So-called fringe parties would no longer be the fringe -- as in, they would be able to impact decisions just like the "fringe" members of our society should.

By pulling out the pro-life party, his comments automatically scare the Left, but I don't think they should. If pro-life party can attain enough votes to get some seats, other progressive parties could do the same. The damage would really be minimal.

Further, permanent minorities are generally a good thing. When a party has majority control of the government, the Opposition is basically powerless. If parties have to work together, it means that all people's representatives are working together. Much better than being steamrolled over by the majority.

But, sadly, most predict that Ontarians won't understand the new systems proposed and we won't have any change at all.

Some links:
Fair Vote Canada
Ontario Citizens Assembly

Bus accident kills 10-year-old

On Thursday, a 10-year-old boy named John Pham died on a school field trip in a bus accident near Brampton. At first, reports said he had brain injury, but later he was pronounced dead. The family had John's organs donated.

This case, of course, raises the obvious questions of seatbelts on school buses.

When I was growing up, I rode the bus to and from school every day and used to purposely choose to sit at the back because when the bus hit a bump, I would fly out of my seat.

Being older and wiser now, it seems this was a little unsafe and certainly could have had major consequences had my bus been in any sort of accident.

This is what our premier, Dalton McGuinty, told the press about calls for seatbelts:

While Premier Dalton McGuinty offered his condolences, he stressed that federal officials continue to advise "that it is safer for our children (on buses) not to have them in seatbelts." Hamilton Spectator

And Transport Canada:

Suzanne Tylko, chief of crash worthiness research for the federal agency, confirmed Transport Canada is looking into the crash, but noted this is only the sixth fatality involving school bus passengers under the age of 19 since 1995.

Tylko said school buses are currently designed with tall, padded seats that are placed fairly close together to minimize injuries in case of an accident.

Adding seatbelts to school buses wouldn't ensure compliance, she said.

"When you talk about a child, some as young as four, it becomes a very challenging responsibility to expect that young child not only to buckle in, but to buckle in correctly," Tylko said. Guelph Mercury

And this is what Transport Canada has on its website on passenger safety:

The seats are spaced and the seat backs sized to resist occupants being thrown around in an impact. A barrier is provided in front of the first row of seats. The seat backs and barrier are designed with a balance of energy absorption and strength.

A head impact area is defined together with a head impact protection standard that precludes, for example, simple overhead luggage racks. In other possible impact areas the joint strength standard reduces the possibility of sharp edges. The result is very few injuries inside school buses, even in severe crashes and those involving rollover.

It should be noted, that most reports of this crash say that the children were thrown around like "rag dolls" in the crash and John's injuries were to the head.

In my own childhood experiences, when I was riding that bus every day, one of the most coveted positions was that of the "bus monitor" who would help the children cross the road and resolve conflicts between children on the bus. Perhaps the monitor could also help the young children with their belts, should belts ever be put in place.