Interviews with NXNE performers

Ronak Ghorbani

EMMA LEE
When Toronto-based soul-pop-jazz songstress Emma Lee released her album Never Just A Dream last year, it created quite a buzz; even prompting one Toronto Star music critic to say Lee is destined for big things. A vet to the North by Northeast circuit, Lee performed at The Painted Lady on June 17.

Ryerson Free Press: Many of the reviews of your album Never Just A Dream point out that your vocal style isn’t like the typical jazz-singer but that it’s unique, luscious and creative. What influences your music?

Emma Lee: I’ve listened to pretty much anything I can get my ears on. I grew up on lots of Beatles, Rolling Stones but also singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and lots of jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald who is probably one of my favourite vocalists. In recent years, I just listen to lots of contemporary singer-songwriters like Jenny Lewis, Nicole Atkins and Feist. I just think there are so many great artists at the moment. It’s important to listen to all the stuff that happened before but it’s also important to not dwell on what’s been done in the past.

RFP: This is going to be your second year playing NXNE – how do you find playing big festivals?

EL: NXNE is cool because within each venue there’s at least six or seven acts throughout the night and it’s just like a musical frenzy. You can hop around to each venue and try to check out as much as you can… I like the focus within the city on live music. It’s really important that we always remind people…to go out and see music and hopefully it carries with them in the rest of the year.

RFP: I read that as a teen you bought your first guitar after saving up from your job at Tim Horton’s. Do you ever use that guitar on stage?

EL: Actually it’s a very sad story. I don’t have that guitar anymore. That was my first electric guitar. I think I was 18 and decided I didn’t want to play electric guitar anymore so I sold it and got a new acoustic guitar
and now I want an electric one. I really wish I still had that electric guitar because it was beautiful; it was a pink Fender Stratocaster.

GRAND ANALOG
Since forming in 2006, Grand Analog has taken a fresh spin on Canadian
hip hop by melding together various genres from dance to rock ‘n’ roll and a socially conscious message. Band leader Odario Williams is energetic and always hypes up a crowd into a dancing frenzy at their shows. Grand Analog played a NXNE showcase at the Rivoli on June 17.

RFP: Lyrically, what I really like about the album is that you can jump from talking about welfare and drug addiction to love and heart break – what inspires your lyrics?

Odario Williams: Well, I’m the main lyricist so I basically work with the guys to get a groove going. Seeing as we all like so many different sounds, it takes some time to decide what goes with what. If I wanted to play a kazoo on a track the question is: What kind of track? That’s the big question. So once we develop a particular sound we like, then I start working towards a theme with that sound. It begins with the music first then the lyrics comes after.

RFP: Your collective is rather large, swelling to eight members at times. How is it when you’re all collaborating and recording?

OW: Being the band leader I have to decide who will contribute on what. For example, our guitarist Damon Mitchell lives out in Winnipeg so I can’t just include him in everything all the time when I’m working on something in Toronto. So if I know for sure I’ll need guitar on a particular track then I’ll work with him on that or if I know I need a trumpet player, I know I’ll work with him on that. Otherwise, I try not to get too many influences and too many heads going because it could turn into a track with too much shit in it like an Arcade Fire track.

RFP: On the song “Electric City” there’s one line that I really love - “I’m a record shop nerd on a mission” – What’s the ‘mission’?

OW: To discover as much music as my brain can hold, as my life can obtain. I used to work at Sam the Record Man before it closed down, [and then at] HMV. I used to work at small record stores in Winnipeg … I was a music nerd on a mission. Whenever an order book would come in for new stuff, we would read it like it was some Harry Potter novel. We just wanted to know what was coming out and where it was from. Who’s distributing it? What country are they from? We wanted to know everything about it [the music] and we realized that we’re music nerds.

RFP: It’s been a little over a year since your last album dropped – are you working on new material?

OW: We’re about to start working on some new stuff. We’re probably going to gear towards keeping people’s feet shuffling, booty’s moving on some of the new stuff. But also keep some of our social commentary in there because it’s important to us.

TASSEOMANCY (formerly known as Ghost Bees)
Twin sisters Sari and Romy Lightman have an enchanting quality to their music. While performing stripped down acoustic tunes, their soft voices have a haunting element. Recently renamed as Tasseomancy, the name pays homage to their fortune telling tea-leaf reading great-grandmother who immigrated to Canada in the 1800s during the Russian pogroms. The duo had two showcases at this year’s NXNE at the Gladstone Hotel and C’est What on June 18.

RFP: It seems like your great-great grandmother had quite the journey
coming from Russia to Canada. Why did you decide to feature her on your album cover?

Sari Lightman: The title track of the album Tasseomancy was about her and her life and we wanted to … give her a voice she didn’t necessarilychave. She was an unknown ancestor in our family and once we were writing the song we began to learn more about her and her experience, we wanted to give her some respect.

RFP: Why is family history important to you?

SL: I think family history and ancestry is important to all of us whether or not we’re aware of it, it’s why we are what we are. Being able to look back and recognize the profound effect of your relationship
to everything around you and what you’re doing in your life is pretty significant. Everyone has a really interesting past. Considering my other band mate is my sibling, we share the lineage so it’s played a role in both our lives.

RFP: How would you describe the Halifax music scene in comparison to Toronto’s?

SL: The Halifax music scene is way smaller in size, just in relation to the city itself. There are neighbouring cities around Halifax but it’s not like Toronto which is close to Montreal and the States. The music scene in Toronto definitely [works] on an industry level where as the music scene in Halifax is much more isolated. It’s really unique and there’s this very supportive community of thriving musicians who rely on the support of other artists. We feel lucky that when we began to make music we were really fostered and supported in this loving and nurturing environment.
KIRK SPECIAL
Traveling all the way from Australia for this year’s NXNE, Kirk Special brought his own special brand of blues-punk to the Hideout on June 18. As a non-traditional blues musician, he’s created some enemies down south but pays no attention to them as he always has a raucous and fun time on stage.

RFP: How did you become Adelaide’s only one-man-hick-garage-blues-band?

Kirk Special: Kind of by accident. I started playing guitar when I finished high school four years ago… All I ever wanted to do was play in a Black Keys cover band but my friends wanted to cover the Chilli Peppers so I started the one-man-band.

RFP: I read that you make some of your own instruments. How?

KS: It’s a washboard with a contact mic and tambourine tapped to it. It’s like a home made stomp thing. Nothing had the sound I wanted. I used to use a kick drum on a snare but it had the tendency to fall apart so I did that (the washboard invention) and it didn’t fall apart. I was in America last year and I was in a guitar store and they had an authentic musical washboard and I thought that was hilarious so I bought it.

RFP: What’s the Adelaide music scene like?

KS: The Adelaide music scene is saturated with indie pop bands and they just gravitate towards whatever Vice magazine says [is good]. I’m kind of the only person that’s doing something bluesy that isn’t just 12-bar blues…The South Australian Blues Appreciation Society hate me. I played the Adelaide Blues Festival which is a whole lot of white-boy blues that is pretty tragic and then there’s me playing ballsy not traditional blues and they did not care for me. They told me how I can call what I play blues is beyond them. [It was] funny because I don’t [call it that], other people do.

Five lessons learned from four nights musical expedition

Stephen Carlick

For indie music fans in Toronto, it doesn’t really get any better than North by Northeast.

For just $50, students can pick up wristbands which allow access to nearly any concert over the five-night music portion of the festival. This year, NXNE saw more overwhelming attendance
and support than ever before, and featured over 500 performers, guaranteeing five nights of loud, sweaty excellence.

Of course, the festival isn’t for the faint of heart. Five nights is a long time to party, especially if you want to squeeze every last drop out of your pass. Shows typically start around 8pm, with each band in a venue’s showcase playing for 45 minutes starting on the hour. At 2am, a special guest - usually a band already playing the festival, albeit at a larger, less intimate venue - will typically take the stage and play a surprise show. A night out at the festival can mean more than six hours of live music. Those who might find five days of that a daunting exercise might be inclined to pick up just a single-day pass, which allows venue-hopping for a full evening.

Still, for ‘hot new thing’-hungry music fans, a five-day excursion can mean finding all sorts of interesting shows, just a couple of which I stumbled upon along my NXNE travels.

On Thursday (June 17), I began my adventure at Sneaky Dee’s, where I caught sets by Zola Jesus and London producer Gold Panda. Zola Jesus played a respectable set from their catalog of dramatic gloom-pop, while sunlight pouring into the venue’s windows may have killed the mood were it not for singer Nika Roza Danilova’s stage presence.

It was Danilova’s sublime voice (she’s an opera-trained singer from from Madison, Wisconsin), which made the band’s synth-driven performance likable, if not very good. Gold Panda’s 40-minute performance could have been a downer - it’s hard to translate a one-man DJ set into a live setting - but his energetic bobbing to the music was utterly infectious, convincing the majority of the venue’s patrons to start feeling his cut-and-paste sampling of oriental-inspired grooves. Still, Gold Panda’s live performance didn’t quite capture the emotional resonance of his recorded material, especially the excellent title track from his latest EP, “You.”

The rest of my night was spent doing some serious venue-hopping, which can be quite trying, especially if you plan to travel by TTC. Unless you have money to burn, it’s advisable either to pick a venue and stay there, or plan to travel slowly between venues by TTC. Some shows, depending on the guest, can get congested pretty fast, so in that case only, a cab might be your best chance to catch an intimate performance by one of your favourite NXNE acts. Such was the case with the American band Glass Candy. After madly rushing to catch Toronto synth pop band Bishop Morrocco at the Drake Hotel and Fucked Up guitarist Ben Cook’s side-project the Bitters at the Silver Dollar, it was imperative I made it to Glass Candy, who put on one of the festival’s highlight shows. The nu-disco duo’s ability to manipulate a crowd was impeccable: as they dropped their first beat of the night, the crowd started bumping along as if instinctively,
and singer Ida No kept the energy up by coercing the audience in her thick European accent.

After receiving a tip that Vancouver garage-punk duo Japandroids were playing a secret show, I headed to the tiny Dakota Tavern, where my Priority Pass allowed me to skip a long lineup to access the at-capacity
bar. Not being a tremendous fan of the band, I attended the show on the strength of hearsay alone, and was treated to another of the highlights of my NXNE experience. Japandroids’ guitar-fueled din stirred the tiny venue’s packed audience into a frenzied mosh pit in which good-humoured participants
were drenched in sweat and nobody was hurt. Through some broken strings and sound problems, the duo raged on with unfazed smiles, ensuring their small audience went home in a similarly joyous daze, not to mention ringing ears.

After Thursday’s hectic travel schedule, I was decidedly less ambitious on my second day of NXNE show-hopping. I started at the Garrison for a much-anticipated set by hotter-than-hot lo-fi beach-pop duo Best Coast. In typical California slacker-style, singer Bethany Cosentino spoke candidly about her sweaty body parts (“I feel so aware of all [of them]”), made a reference to 1998 stoner film “Half-baked,” and asked the audience whether her long-haired guitarist Bobb Bruno should cut his hair. Unsurprisingly, the duo’s performance of seven-inch singles such as “Sun Was High (So Was I)” and “When I’m With You” were laid-back and breezy, while new song “Crazy For You” prepped the audience for the band’s similarly-titled debut LP, due for release this July.

After hearing that the Horseshoe Tavern’s power had gone out (the MuchMusic Video Awards were happening just down the street), I headed with trepidation to the ‘legendary’ venue to catch a reunion set by 1990s surf-punk heroes Man or Astroman? whose kitschy, space-themed stage setup and energetic run through crowd favourites blew more than a few beer-addled minds. Since the power outage had forced the band to take the stage a half-hour late, I had to cut the fun short when I caught wind that San Francisco rock experimentalists Thee Oh Sees would be playing a secret show at the Bovine Sex Club two blocks up the street. Having played the night before at the much-larger Great Hall, the band treated the tiny venue to an intimate, up-close look at their manic performance. Singer John Dwyer was a man possessed as he whooped and hollered along to his band’s frantic, jangling performance, his guitar held close under his chin. It was a stellar show - do not miss Thee Oh Sees the next time they come to town.

The third day of NXNE’s music festival (Saturday, June 19) raised some tough questions for a number of festival-goers. Go to Toronto Island to catch Pavement, or stick around for a free Iggy Pop show at Yonge and Dundas Square and a night of shows that featured NXNE heavyweights Surfer Blood and Les Savy Fav? For me, the answer was complicated, but I settled upon leaving the island just a few songs early to ensure I made it into the hilariously-crowded Wrongbar on time for Surfer Blood’s midnight set. As it happened, I made it in just in time to catch the opening chords of the band’s first song, but a mix of unrealistic expectations on the Florida quintet and a tense, slowed-down performance of their highly-lauded debut LP made for a slightly disappointing show. Surfer Blood seemed unwilling to replicate their shambolic, unrefined recorded sound onstage, making for a show whose few highlights came only when the band were at their most freewheeling.

Les Savy Fav were a different beast altogether. From the get-go, singer Tim Harrington began affixing protective gear to his elbows, knees, and wrists, giving the audience a preview of the mayhem that was to ensue. Hanging from Wrongbar’s rafters, tip-toeing along the banisters, wrapping his sweaty, overweight form in toilet paper, and yes, opening the shirt of a male audience member and suckling his nipple were all on Harrington’s insane agenda, but his wasn’t the only form of entertainment on show that night. The remaining members of Les Savy Fav, led by bassist Syd Butler, are a band to behold live, as they artfully performed some of the band’s greatest songs - “The Equestrian,” “The Sweat Descends,” “Patty Lee” and “Yawn Yawn Yawn” - without losing any of the recorded versions’ intensity. Harrington even managed to chip in his hollering vocals while he madly stalked about the club, making Les Savy Fav’s all-encompassing performance the unquestionable highlight of many a festival-goer’s NXNE - just don’t bring it up with the throngs of fans who still stood lined-up outside the venue as the band took the stage.

Having missed Iggy Pop, it seemed the last missing piece of my NXNE puzzle was to catch a show with the hundreds of fans at Yonge and Dundas Square, so on Sunday night, I made my way over to catch a free set by hip-hop icons De La Soul. The veteran Long Island trio played an hour-long mix of songs from their twenty-year career, proving why they’ve lasted so long. But frustratingly short, sometimes minute-long snippets of their standout tracks like “Potholes In My Lawn,” “A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays,” “Stakes is High” and “Rock Co.Kane Flow” made it hard to really dig in live. The show would have benefitted from fewer, fuller song performances, but at a free show, it’s about pleasing as many fans as possible, which could explain the set’s “mega-mix” format.

With a final goodnight and a short snippet of “Magic Number,” De La were finished, and my NXNE trip had come to a close.

Until next year, I leave you with five lessons learned at this year’s NXNE:

1. Plan shows according to your budget. Taking TTC and cabs can be expensive, and so can drinking copious amounts of beer. Consider working your budget beforehand so that you can afford to take TTC and get a certain amount of drinks per night.

2. Plan shows according to time. If you won’t be able to make it across town by TTC or cab, pick a band you really want to see and stick around for their whole showcase - you might be pleasantly surprised by a new band.

3. Keep an eye on the NXNE Twitter feed. That way, you’ll know important, last-minute information about the festival, including added and cancelled shows, and most importantly, who is playing secret shows, and where.

4. Get a Priority Pass. If you want to make sure you see everything you want, you’ll want a Priority Pass (which costs $100). Wristbands are cheaper, but they don’t allow you to bypass lines, and with the growing popularity of NXNE, lineups are getting ever longer, to the point where many wristband-holders have ended up missing the most popular shows.

5. Get your money’s worth. Even if you haven’t heard of any bands playing on a given night, check out some MySpaces, take some advice, or tag along with friends - hearing new music is what NXNE is all about!
See you next year!

What Kevin Neish saw

Eyewitness to the Israeli Assault on the Mavi Marmara

Dave Lindorff

KEVIN NEISH OF Victoria, British Columbia, didn’t know he was a celebrity until he was about to board a flight from Istanbul to Ottawa. “This Arab woman wearing a beautiful outfit suddenly ran up to me crying, ‘It’s you! From Arab TV! You’re famous!’” he recalls with a laugh. “I didn’t know what she was talking about, but she told me, ‘I saw you flipping through the Israeli commando’s book! It’s being aired over and over!’”
A soft-spoken teacher and former civilian engineer with the Canadian Department of Defense, Neish realized then that a video taken by an Arab TV cameraman in the midst of the Israeli assault on the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza of him flipping through a booklet had been transmitted before the Israelis blocked all electronic signals from the flotilla. The booklet had pictures and profiles of all the passengers, and he’d found it in the backpack of an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) commando.

Neish, 53, was on the second deck of the flotilla’s lead ship, the Turkish Mavi Marmara, with a good view of the stern, when the IDF, in the early morning darkness of May 31, began its assault with percussion grenades, tear gas and a hail of bullets. He then moved to the fourth deck in an enclosed stairwell, from which he watched took photographs as casualties were carried down past him to a makeshift medical station. Several IDF commandos, captured by the passengers and crew, were also brought past him.

“I saw them carrying this one IDF guy down,” he recalls. “He looked terrified, like he thought he was going to be killed. But when a big Turkish guy, who had seen seriously injured passengers who had been shot by the IDF, charged over and tried to hit the commando, the Turkish aid workers pushed him off and pinned him to the wall. They protected this Israeli soldier.”

That was when he found the backpack which the soldier had dropped. “I figured I’d look inside and see what he was carrying,” Neish says. “And inside was this kind of flip-book. It was full of photos and names in English and Hebrew of who was on all the ships. The booklet also had a detailed diagram of the decks of the Mavi Marmara.”

Meanwhile, he says, more and more people were being carried down the stairs from the mayhem above—people who’d been shot, and people who were dying or people already dead. “I took detailed photos of the dead and wounded with my camera,” he says, adding, “There were several guys who had two neat bullet holes side by side on the side of their head–clearly they were executed.”

Neish smuggled his photos out of Israel to Turkey despite his arrest on the ship and imprisonment in Israel for several days. “I pulled out the memory card, tossed my camera and anything I had on me that had anything to do with electronics, and then kept moving the chip around so it wouldn’t be found,” he says.

“The Israelis took all the cameras and computers. They were smashing some and keeping others.
I put the chip in my mouth under my tongue, between my butt cheeks, in my sock, everywhere, to keep them from finding it,” he says. He finally handed it to a Turk who was leaving for a flight home on a Turkish airline.

He says the card ended up in the hands of an organization called Free Gaza, and he has seen some of his pictures published, so he knows they made it out successfully.

Neish says that claims that the Israeli commandos were just armed with paint guns and 9 mm pistols are “Bullshit–at one point when I was in the stairwell, a commando opened a hatch above, stuck in a machine gun, and started firing. Bullets were bouncing all over the place. If the guy had gotten to look in and see where he was shooting, I’d have been dead, but two Turkish guys in the stairwell, who had short lengths of chain with them that they had taken from the access points to the lifeboats, stood to the side of the hatch and whipped them up at the barrell. I don’t know if they were trying to hit the commando or to use them to snatch away the gun, but the Israeli backed off, and they slammed and locked the hatch.”

“I never saw a single paint gun, or a sign of a fired paint ball!” he says. He also didn’t see any guns in the hands of people who were on the ship. “In the whole time I was there on the ship, I never saw a single weapon in the hands of the crew or the aid workers,” he says. Indeed, Neish, who originally
had been on a smaller 70-foot yacht called the Challenger II, had transferred to the Mavi Marmara after a stop in Cyprus, because his boat had been sabotaged by Israeli agents (a claim verified by the Israeli government), making it impossible to steer.

“When we came aboard the big boat, I was frisked and my bag was inspected for weapons,” he says. “Being an engineer, I of course had a pocket knife, but they took that and tossed it into the ocean. Nobody was allowed to have any weapons on this voyage. They were very careful about that.”

What he did see during the IDF assault was severe bullet wounds. “In addition to several people I saw who were killed, I saw several dozen wounded people. There was one older guy who was just propped up against the wall with a huge hole in his chest. He died as I was taking his picture.”

Neish says he saw many of the nine who were known to have been killed, and of the 40 who were wounded, and adds, “There were many more who were wounded, too, but less seriously.

In the Israeli prison, I saw people with knife wounds and broken bones. Some were hiding their injuries so they wouldn’t be taken away from the others.” He also says, “Initially there were reports that 16 on the boat had been killed. The medical station said 16. There was a suspicion that some bodies may have been thrown overboard. But what people think now is that the the other seven who are missing, since we’re not hearing from families, may have been Israeli spies.”

Once the Israeli commandos had secured control of the Mavi Marmara, Neish says the ship’s passengers and crew were rounded up, with the men put in one area on deck, and the women put below in another area. The men were told to squat, and had their hands bound with plastic cuffs, which Neish says were pulled so tight that his wrists were cut and his hands swelled up and turned purple (he is still suffering
nerve damage from the experience, which his doctor in Canada says he hopes will gradually repair on its own).

“They told us to be quiet,” he says. “But at one point this Turkish imam stood up and started singing a call to prayer. Everybody was dead quiet–even the Israelis. But after about ten seconds, this Israeli officer stomped over through the squatting people, pulled out his pistol and pointed at the guy’s head, yelling ‘Shut up!’ in English.

The imam looked at him directly and just kept singing! I thought, Jesus Christ, he’s gonna kill him! Then I thought, well, this is what I’m here for, I guess, so I stood up. The officer wheeled around and pointed his gun at my head. The imam finished his song and sat down, and then I sat down.”

While the commandeered vessels were sailed to the Israeli port of Ashdot, the captives were left without food or water. “All we were given were some chocolate bars that the Israelis pilfered from the ship’s stores,” says Neish. “You had to grovel to get to go to the bathroom, and many people had to just go in their pants.”
Things didn’t get much better once the passengers were transferred to an Israeli prison. He and the other prisoners with him, who hadn’t eaten for more than half a day, were tossed a frozen block of bread and some cucumbers.

On the second day, someone from the Canadian embassy came around, calling out his name. “It turned out he’d been going to every cell looking for me,” says Neish. “My daughter had been frantically telling the Canadian government I was in the flotilla. Even though the Israelis had my name and knew where I was, they weren’t telling the Canadian embassy people. In fact the Canadians–and my daughter–thought I was dead, because people had said I’d been near the initial assault. The good thing is that as they went around calling out for me, they discovered two Arab-born Canadians that they hadn’t known were there.”

“Eventually they got to my cell and I answered them. The embassy official said, ‘You’re Kevin? You’re supposed to be dead.’”

After being held for a few days, there was a rush to move everyone to the Ben Gurion airport for a flight to Turkey. “It turned out that Israeli lawyers had brought our case to the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of our capture on international waters. There was a chance that the court would order the IDF to put us back on our ships and let us go, so the government wanted to get us out of Israel and moot the case. But two guys were hauled off, probably by Mossad (the Israeli intelligence agency). So we all said, ‘No. We don’t go unless you bring them back.’”

The two men were returned and were allowed to leave with the rest of the group.

“I honestly never thought the Israelis would board the ship,” says Neish. “I thought we’d get into Gaza. I mean, I went as part of the Free Gaza Movement, and they had made prior attempts, with some getting in, and some getting boarded or rammed, but this time it was a big flotilla. I figured we’d be stopped, and maybe searched. My boat, the Challenger II, only had dignitaries on board including three German MPs, and then Lt. Col. Ann Wright and myself.

At one point in the Israeli prison, all the violence finally got to this man who had witnessed more death and mayhem than many active duty US troops in Iraq or Afghanistan. “I broke down and started crying,” he admits. “This big Turkish guy came over and asked me, ‘What’s wrong?’ I said, ‘Sixteen people died.’”

“He said to me, ‘No, they died for a wonderful cause. They’re happy. You just go out and tell your story.’”
Dave Lindorff is a founding member of the new independent collectively-owned, journalist-run online newspaper ThisCantBeHappening.net

A tale of two cities

Danny Viola

The weekend of June 26 and 27 during Toronto’s G20 Summit was a weekend of polar opposites. Scores of peaceful protesters were contrasted with a minority of vandal rioters. Police officers who would offer you information and a helping hand were counter-balanced by officers who would sooner greet you with rubber bullets and the wrong end of a baton. Citizens who say that the intimidation, unlawful arrests and police violence are contrary to our rights and freedoms as Canadian citizens were met with those who say that given the situation, police acted appropriately and that those arrested were detained for proper reasons. However, one aspect can be agreed upon: whether the blame lies on vandals or aggressive police actions, our city disappeared for the weekend. In its place was bastardization; a Toronto in which none of us felt at home.

On June 26, third-year Ryerson Journalism student Roland Campbell joined a peaceful march which left from Queen’s Park and eventually ended outside the Novotel Hotel on Saturday
night. Describing the protest as “spontaneous and organic,” he was a passive observer. Armed with a voice recorder, his plan was to document the protests for an audio segment.

The protest’s purpose was to support the striking labour workers while showing dissent towards the G20 leaders staying at the hotel. While a police presence was noticeable during the entire march, once they arrived outside the Novotel, they were quickly surrounded.

The protest marshals told everyone to sit down. The crowd, which was “peaceful and harmonious,”
was likened to a sit in from the 60’s by Campbell. However, they were threatened with arrest if they did not disperse. The police reportedly did not offer a way out.

“It was at this point where I stuck my recorder in my jacket pocket and kind of dropped being a passive observer,” says Campbell. “I was very much interested in our and my own well being.” Chants of “let us go” were yelled, but quickly it became clear that the only way out was in leg shackles and zip ties.
Police began grabbing people from out of the crowd. “They would come in, and literally rip is the perfect word, rip someone off the ground,” states Campbell. Describing the police as “faceless large men” identified only by their batons, shields, gasmasks and helmets, he says “it’s hard to see them as people at that point.”

Not all hold the belief that the police disregarded rights or acted overly aggressive during the weekend.
Daniel Smullen, 22, is an RCMP recruit and was downtown to meet his girlfriend. Present during the riots
as well as other protests, he says that the police used proper procedure and that the attitude and actions of the protesters led to arrests.

Stating that “the atmosphere was tense, there was certainly an element of chaos and confusion,” during the rioting, he noticed much belligerence on part of the crowd. “The protesters were directly confronting police, not in a violent way, but still imposing themselves in a confrontational situation.”

Saying that many, but certainly not all of the arrests were justified, he argues that even during the peaceful protests there were grounds for detention. “That’s not to say that they were not also protesting peacefully and lawfully at one time, but when they failed to comply with police orders, they would then quickly become in violation of what constitutes lawful protest.”

Campbell was arrested at approximately 11:10 PM on Saturday. He would not be released until 12:15 AM on Monday. His charge of breach of the peace would be dropped.

During his arrest, he says that there was an us-versus-them mentality on the part of both parties.
“When we are cast in different groups, humanism of the situation disappears and we are both each other’s Other.” Saying that characteristics apply to the group whether or not they are accurate, he notes that the protesters saw police as “violent, enforceful and authoritative creatures who were scary and our enemies,” while police viewed them as “capricious protesters who have the capability of violence, whether or not they are acting that way.”

Overall, Campbell believes that most of the cops were pleasant once the visors came off. However, he says their “visage was kindness but their actions and behaviour was indifference.”

There were instances when a detainee asked an officer if he knew that their rights and freedoms
were being violated. The officer simply replied “good.” However, there were officers who genuinely seemed to care and would try and accommodate the detainees.

Demands for phone calls persisted throughout the day, becoming more frustrated as time passed. Campbell’s restraints were off by 7:30 AM. He was finally given a phone call by 8 AM.

“Our basic rights as Canadian citizens weren’t their priority,” he said. “Relative to more authoritative
countries, we were treated well. But given that we are in Canada and this is democratic society with specific rights and generally upheld rights, I thought for the citizens it wasn’t an experience that demonstrated
that.”

Calling into question the decision to hold the summit in Toronto, Smullen says that police could have been more proactive in order to educate people as well as show the public that they are on their side. He notes that the police did well to make sure that no one was seriously injured and that those detained who were innocent were set free quickly.

“There would have been a lot more damage and there would have been a lot more people getting injured, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people who got killed,” he says. “That’s better than we can say for many of the other G20 Summits that occurred around the world.”

Smullen maintains that public perception of police has to change, as the animosity they face is not justified.

“People seem to be able to respect the authority of ambulance drivers and emergency personnel and firefighters when a building is burning or someone is injured, but yet when the police give a similar order it’s met with protesters, it’s met with cries of ‘police state’ and similar comments.”

Amnesty International stated in a news release on June 27 that the weapons used, unclear police powers, and high levels of surveillance were a “curtailment of civil liberties.”

Campbell says that this experience has shown him that a basic knowledge of rights and freedoms as well as the law is essential for active citizens. He believes that the police will not admit guilt until the judiciary system proves it. He is hoping that he, among many of the other people who were wrongfully detained, will be vindicated through the class action lawsuit.

“You have to push and push and push until you can’t push anymore.”

G20: Tweets from the ground

Nora Loreto, Editor-in-Chief

For many people, both on the ground and away from Downtown Toronto, Twitter was the only medium providing up-to-the-minute and honest coverage of the G8/G20 protests. Editor-in-Chief Nora Loreto Tweeted from the streets what she saw as she wandered, protested and ran through the streets from July 25 to 27.

Below is an unedited collection of what she saw and what she reported on Twitter. For the entire suite of Tweets (some have been removed due to space constraints) or to read what came after, check out Twitter.com/NoLore.

THURSDAY, JUNE 24
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

There’s enough cops at #ryerson to stage a coup d’etat. Just counted 5 minivans of cops drive by the Ram. #wtf #copsoffcampus #G20
June 24, 2010 3:58 PM EDT

Found the buses. 3 #busfullofcops sans cops is living south of Bay and Gerrard. But where are the cops? (Delta Chelsea!) #G20
June 24, 2010 9:57 PM

Ever since I learned about the October Crisis, I yearned to live under Martial Law. #G20 #wtf #copsgohome #newlow
June 24, 2010 10:06 PM EDT
FRIDAY, JUNE 25

A woman just tied her bike up and went into a Rabba. A cop car pull up and inspects the bike and lock. Then pulls off #G20 #worthabil?
June 25, 2010 3:26:36 PM EDT

Just passed a guy right out front of the MTCC with a shirt that said TYRRANY RESPONSE TEAM. RCMP didn’t seem phased. #g20.
June 25, 2010 3:36:17 PM EDT

Only saw 2 protesters on my walk #G20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 4:29:57 PM EDT

Most officers look painfully bored. One said she liked my dress, as if to say “I’m dying to talk to someone” #g20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 4:32:34 PM EDT

First illegal sighting: van just jumped the curb in front of me. A journalist jumped out. #G20
June 25, 2010 4:35:36 PM EDT

Cop to the journalist: “you’ll hafta park somewhere legal” #nokidding #g20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 4:36:31 PM EDT

Aaand just got questioned by rcmp. I’ve been sitting on this bench too long. Yup, that’s me in the orange dress, intelligence. #g20
June 25, 2010 5:27:06 PM EDT

Some G20 officials just got locked out by fence closure. Ppl now running to fence to escape before the chains are locked. #G20
June 25, 2010 6:13:25 PM EDT

Random cyclist who was trapped “does anyone know how I can get out?” #G20 #G20report
June 25, 2010 6:16:02 PM EDT

Older man with me is taking photos of himself and the fence. Another guy with a camera got in his way. #g20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 6:25:30 PM EDT

They’re on lockdown. I am locked in. The riot is coming I’ve been told.
June 25, 2010 6:45:50 PM EDT

Someone’s making small talk with a cop. From Calgary. I wonder if he arrived on a #busfullofcops. #g20
June 25, 2010 6:54:01 PM EDT

The cops have a handsome refreshment stand on a golf cart. #g20.
June 25, 2010 6:58:45 PM EDT

Yes I’m out!! Said one cop: be careful tho, its still martial law on the other side. #g20 #cophumour #g20report
June 25, 2010 7:22:47 PM EDT

The hippocratic oath for journalists says Amy Goodman: “We shall not be silent”
June 25, 2010 8:17:07 PM EDT

“In an age of hyper-individualism, there is nothing more surprising than solidarity-Naomi Klein” #shoutout #g20 #justice
June 25, 2010 10:07:23 PM EDT

We’re past Another World is Possible. We’ve reached Another World is NECESSARY. #G20 #cdnleft #G20report
June 25, 2010 10:35:59 PM EDT

Just blocked by cops to access my own campus. First time in 7 years. #copsoffcampus #G20
June 25, 2010 10:57:33 PM EDT

The #G20 is like the shittiest concert ever. My bags get searched and there isn’t even a sweet band on the other side. #G20report
June 25, 2010 11:07:58 PM EDT

SATURDAY, JUNE 26

@CP24 says that cops have confiscated gas masks from a car near Allan gardens. No word on whether or not urine soaked rags are allowed #G20
June 26, 2010 10:46:33 AM EDT

This rally is MASSIVE. We can’t make it thru the crowd to the stage. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 1:07:41 PM EDT

The rally fills univ ave as far as I can see. Are we at 15k yet? #g20 #g20report.
June 26, 2010 2:01:13 PM EDT

Insane bottleneck forced on crowd to keep ppl well away from the US consulate. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 2:15:46 PM EDT

Lots of people photographing the cops. “How do you sleep at night?” People yell. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 2:17:26 PM EDT

Just heard someone talking about the cops having rubber bullets. #g20.
June 26, 2010 2:19:11 PM EDT

Just realize I have the same uniform on as the blackblock. Uh oh. #g20
June 26, 2010 2:19:58 PM EDT

We broke through. Just saw a broken nose. Riot cops are slamming their shields
June 26, 2010 2:31:04 PM EDT

Just got beat down by a cop while I was huddled in at speakers corner. Thanks to the folks who dragged me out. I’m fully shaken #g20
June 26, 2010 2:35:00 PM EDT

I was trying to take a photo of them hitting another person and a cameraman. #g20 #g20report. June 26, 2010 2:36:46 PM EDT

I’m fine, have a baton sized welt. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 2:43:23 PM EDT

Word is cops will encircle the line south on queen to trap the protesters. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 3:20:17 PM EDT

Zombies just marched by. Figured that was going to happen next. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 4:01:37 PM EDT

People are running like crazy away from the riot cops. “I’ve never been so scared in my life” a young looking guy. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 4:18:39 PM EDT

This is how anger manifests itself when the powerful ignore the powerless #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 4:24:17 PM EDT

This is how anger manifests itself when the powerful ignore the powerless #g20 #g20report http://twitpic.com/207wby
June 26, 2010 4:24:17 PM EDT

Riot cops remain on guard for the american empire. Kinda. Many are stretched out. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:05:26 PM EDT

55 vans and minivans, 2 coach buses parked outside Mars on Univ. If the street’s closed, this is why. Looks like a traffic jam #g20
June 26, 2010 5:17:52 PM EDT

“Who’s protecting Obama?? Who’s protecting the fence?” Yells a woman at the riot cops #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:21:45 PM EDT

The 5 ambulances parked among the vans reportedly carried more riot cops. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:25:00 PM EDT

“What are you trying to protect?” “They’re protecting Godot” #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:36:05 PM EDT

CTV reporter dons his Kandahar protection in front of riot cops #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:39:44 PM EDT

Now singing O Canada at the cops. #g20 #g20report. Belted out Glorious and Free. Irony lost on no one
June 26, 2010 5:42:46 PM EDT

Tear gas Shot at crowd. Crowd is doing NOTHING. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:04:43 PM EDT

People are now able to reach the fence cause most cops are at queens park. #g20 #g20report June 26, 2010 6:05:53 PM EDT

Never seen an NBC truck at queens park before. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:08:34 PM EDT

they keep moving in toward the crowd at. QP. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:14:03 PM EDT

From the fence: no cops. WTF are they protecting here, then? #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:27:44 PM EDT

Hoeses are charging the crowsd
June 26, 2010 6:33:01 PM EDT

See that line of riot cops? They’re pushin us somewhere. Closer to QP. Seems counter intuitive #g20
June 26, 2010 6:40:19 PM EDT

Consensus here is that there are now more cops than protesters. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:58:35 PM EDT

Hundreds of riot cops are shifting in from college to QP. They really outnumber us now. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 7:04:41 PM EDT

Ah, protester reinforcements have arrived. They could still arrest every one of us and still have enough cops to hold a line #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 7:12:20 PM EDT

People just got hit by bikes south of QP #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 7:21:55 PM EDT

Horses charging the crowd not too. We’re being pushed out. #g20
June 26, 2010 7:26:51 PM EDT

We are literally just being pushed further toward the legislative ass’ly. #wtf #g20
June 26, 2010 7:28:02 PM EDT

Horses circling the park, charging the crowd. #g20 sry the phots not great, I was running away. June 26, 2010 7:31:09 PM EDT

My friend saw someone get run over by a horse. “Took a horseshoe to the fuckin back” he said. #g20
June 26, 2010 7:33:36 PM EDT

It looks like John Tory is in the newstalk 1010 truck. He’s safe and secure. How nice. #g20
June 26, 2010 7:35:54 PM EDT

We are all being pushed onto the tarmac of QP. Yup, way closer to the Leg Ass. #g20 #copssansplans
June 26, 2010 7:40:45 PM EDT

“The whole world is watching” we’re chanting. The riot cops keep charging. #G20
June 26, 2010 8:02:31 PM EDT

Had the cop that hit me had hit a window instead, it would have smashed. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 8:09:52 PM EDT

Cops now closing in from the east of the designated protest zone. No idea where we”re being forced. #g20
June 26, 2010 8:19:52 PM EDT

I keep hearing a loud bang and people ahead of me are running away frantically. #g20
June 26, 2010 8:17:49 PM EDT

Well, they’ve pushed the protest now back into the streets. Motorists, blame the cops.I can’t make sense of this #g20
June 26, 2010 8:21:51 PM EDT

So the cops have succeeded in creating total chaos. Protest is now running to bloor. #g20
June 26, 2010 8:33:56 PM EDT

The protest just took bloor. This doesn’t seem to be a better idea than having us chill in a park. #g20 June 26, 2010 8:37:54 PM EDT

Bill Blair claims that we were black block at QP in press conference, this justifies the violence today. That’s a lie. #g20
June 26, 2010 9:20:30 PM EDT

Blair says no rubber bullets. Global reporter says that he has some bullets. Blair claims that there were no rubber bullets. #g20
June 26, 2010 9:21:34 PM EDT

It seems that the mainstream media is concerned about Starbucks and empty police cars. Our media is broken. #G20
June 26, 2010 11:40:59 PM EDT

“The protesters spraypainted some of the mannequins” -CTV. Can someone tell CTV they only have feelings when their special hats are on? #g20
June 26, 2010 11:43:55 PM EDT

CTV has shown the same b roll of the burning cop car 7 or 9 times. No images of cops beating/charging/trampling people. #ctvwetdream #g20
June 26, 2010 11:51:55 PM EDT

BREAKING: so called black block protesters who smashed Starbucks windows were apparently Tim Horton’s shareholders #g20
June 27, 2010 12:01:56 AM EDT

SATURDAY JULY 27

5 ETF vehicles, a #busfullofcops all stopping traffic on Spad circle, outside of GSU office at UofT. #g20
June 27, 2010 1:19:43 PM EDT

Passed 14 vans full of cops all on Huron, passed 30 bike cops. No terrorist sightings. #g20
June 27, 2010 1:28:55 PM EDT

#G20. #fail. #epicfail.
June 27, 2010 1:39:24 PM EDT

The #G20 critical mass stretches two thirds of Queens Park circle. Absolutely impressive.
June 27, 2010 2:49:07 PM EDT

An empty Queens Park. Hard to believe I witnessed ppl here running in sheer terror yesterday. #g20
June 27, 2010 3:05:11 PM EDT

Just passed 3 cops with giant letter A’s on their backs. No sign of cops C, N and D. #g20 #g20report
June 27, 2010 3:24:10 PM EDT

On Yonge, random guy: “I expected way more than this to be honest.” Maybe cuz media’s reporting hasn’t been fair or accurate? #g20
June 27, 2010 5:17:06 PM EDT

“This is not democracy” said a bystander at King and Bay to a @torontostar reporter. #g20
June 27, 2010 6:08:48 PM EDT

Line of cops walking down spad with media, escorting them away from the protest. About 15 with visible media credentials #g20
June 27, 2010 7:38:27 PM EDT

Ppl should expect arrests with media out, that’s our guess. #g20
June 27, 2010 7:39:30 PM EDT

Worried parents of 2 boys trapped by the cops have joined us. #g20
June 27, 2010 7:47:55 PM EDT

The parents all try to get through the line. They are rejected. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:00:31 PM EDT

Another ambulance left, was definitely with cops inside. Saw one jump in. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:07:53 PM EDT

A person just came by from the intersection. I asked if people were still there. “They’ve arrested everyone” he said to us. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:16:31 PM EDT

An elderly woman just hit a cop. Really. She wasn’t detained. Queen and Peter #g20
June 27, 2010 8:32:42 PM EDT

Was just threatened with arrest for breach of the police for standing with 5 ppl at queen and peter. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:36:29 PM EDT

“We’re arresting ppl for converging” he told us. We dispersed. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:38:37 PM EDT

Found the parents again. Their sons are held on the street and are being arrested. Theyve been told to go home and wait for a call #g20
June 27, 2010 8:40:54 PM EDT

“How would we know they are your sons?” They were asked by the cops. They have their sons’ IDs. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:42:37 PM EDT

If black bloc was used to justify police violence yesterday, how can they justify just as much violence today? Oh..it was all lies. #g20
June 27, 2010 10:57:23 PM EDT

12 freshwater lakes threatened

Federal government is slowly handing over lakes to mining companies

Natalie Guttormsson

CANADA’S FRESH WATER lakes are silently being sold off to mining companies to be used as waste dumping sites. This secretive piece of legislation is known by many simply as Schedule Two.
In 2002 Schedule Two came into effect providing a loophole in the Metal Mining Effluent Regulation of the Federal Fisheries Act. Once a lake is added to Schedule Two it loses all protections normally guaranteed to fresh water bodies. The government then hands them over to mining companies to do as they wish with them.

The public awareness of this issue is more than lacking and although the majority of Canadians are unaware that this backroom deal is occurring, residents of communities where their water sources are up for grabs are unable to ignore what is unfolding.

There are 12 fresh water bodies in Canada currently on Schedule Two’s list. Three are located in Nunavut, one is located in the Northwest Territories, five are located in British
Columbia, one is located in Manitoba, one is located in Newfoundland and one is located in Ontario. In Newfoundland two additional watersheds have already been given to the mining company Aur Resources/Teck Cominco for destruction in the project known as Duck Pond.

In British Columbia there are several lakes awaiting assessment but the current conflict is over Fish Lake, a small lake not too far from the city of Williams Lake. The communities in the vicinity are divided on the issue. The logging industry that provided many jobs in the past decades has suffered severely from the pine beetle explosion and the softwood lumber dispute with the United States. This has left the job industry in Williams Lake hungry for employment opportunities.

Taseko Mines Limited has offered just that with their proposed Prosperity Mine. The conflict begins with the proposed plan for the mine, which would destroy Fish Lake. The minerals lie below the water and Taseko has plans to drain part of the lake and then use the remainder as a form of tailings pond when it finishes. The company has pledged to build a new lake, dubbed Prosperity Lake, to replace the one they destroy. Their plans also includes moving the current fish population from Fish Lake to this new lake that they will construct, in a attempt to preserve the natural wildlife.

Talk of draining lakes, building new ones and transporting fish populations all sound a bit like science fiction but it is indeed the very real plans of Taseko Mines and it has the Tsilhqot’in people more than a little concerned. Not only is Fish Lake a crucial part of an already fragile freshwater ecosystem but it is a part of the Tsilhqot’in traditional hunting grounds and is also a sacred location of past generations. Although the majority of the Tsilhqot’in nation is opposed to the Prosperity Mine because it does not display itself as either environmentally or culturally sustainable, there are those who desire the wealth and development that the mine could bring.

Although many in Williams Lake desire the jobs, there are many who oppose the project because of the environmental damage it will cause. Fish Lake is a part of the drainage system that feeds into one of the few remaining wild salmon runs as well as the Fraser Valley river system.

Schedule Two also threatens Bamoos Lake near Marathon, Ontario. Mining company Marathon PGM has requested the use of the lake as a tailings impoundment area for their proposed multi-million dollar mine’s waste. Bamoos Lake is home to several species of fish and is also a popular local fishing
destination.

The Harper Government has made it very clear that it has no issue with selling off fresh water bodies for mining companies to contaminate. In a time when fresh water is threatening to become scarce it seems the government’s focus is in the wrong direction, especially when there is also a global trend to preserve water and make it a universal basic human right.

For more information on Schedule Two and water issues visit the Council of Canadians Website: www.canadians.org/water

Not everyone on board as Truth and Reconciliation Commission holds first national event

Nick Ferrio

THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Commission of Canada held their first national event on Indian Residential Schools last month in Winnipeg. It is the first of seven national events planned by the commission.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established out of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement in 2007 with the mandate to learn the truth about what took place during the operation of the schools.

The first residential schools were established in the 1870s as government-funded, church-run institutions. The schools were designed to eliminate parental involvement in the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual development of Indigenous children. Upwards of 130 schools were in operation throughout Canada, with the last school closing in 1996. The Office of Indian Affairs, often without parental consent, placed over 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children in these schools. Many consider the Indian Residential School system cultural genocide, as children were sexually and physically abused and infected with tuberculosis
at the schools while being deprived of access to their languages, their families and their communities.

Although there is an estimated 80,000 Residential School survivors in Canada, the impact of their experiences in the schools continues to be felt throughout communities and has contributed to many of the social problems that continue to exist on and off reserve for Indigenous peoples.

As part of the Settlement, the TRC is responsible for telling Canadians what happened in the Indian Residential Schools, honouring the lives of former students and their families and creating a permanent record of the Indian Residential Schools legacy. While there is a large body of research already established on the Residential School system, through archival material from the Ministry of Indian Affairs and the churches, there is a lack of Indigenous voices - from survivors of the schools and their families - in the research thus far.

The event, held between June 16 and 19 at the Forks national historic site in downtown Winnipeg, was the first of its kind in Canadian history. It was an attempt at “a holistic and culturally appropriate” reconciliation of the residential schools legacy and an attempt to bring all of the participants together as a means of moving forward. While the event was largely intended to educate the public about residential schools and its place in the ongoing history of colonization on Turtle Island, it also provided a space for residential school survivors and their families to voice their experiences publicly.

Reportedly, the TRC collected a total of 425 statements, documents and photographs over the three-day event. Some chose to provide statements in public, while many chose to speak privately about their experiences. The statements of survivors and their families provide an important insight into the residential schools experience, which thus far has been largely undocumented.

In his opening statement, Manitoba Justice Murray Sinclair, TRC chair said the event has begun “a national dialogue that sheds light on a terrible chapter in our history.

“It has been a painful experience for many,” Sinclair said, “but an important first step in what will be a lengthy but vital healing process for our country.”

However, outside of the event a number of protesters stood with residential school survivors
in resistance to the TRC. The rally, sponsored by The Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared
(FRD), called for the prosecution of the churches that ran residential schools. Many of the protesters, who are residential school survivors themselves, feel that reconciliation with the Churches should not grant perpetrators of sexual and physical abuse clemency.

For many, the TRC’s statement gathering process is another act of whitewash by the Canadian Government and an obstruction of justice. Reportedly, the protest was called in response to restrictions and censorship imposed on survivors, claiming the TRC should be invested with the power to lay criminal charges against the churches for the crimes committed.

New Canadian copyright legislation unveiled

Breaking Down Bill C-32—the Copyright Modernization Act

Richa Gomes

FOR MORE THAN 14 years, the Canadian government has been struggling
to implement a modern copyright act—legislation that reflects the rapidly changing technological age. On June 2, Bill C-32—the Copyright Modernization Act—was unveiled at the office of Electronic Arts (EA), an American video game corporation. Many Canadians are having a hard time understanding why Canadian legislation was first presented on American soil. There are concerns that the new copyright bill is Made-in-the-USA. However, Bill C-32 is not a law yet. Industry Minister Tony Clement says the bill is not written in stone. The Conservatives and opposition parties were to deliberate Bill C-32 over the summer, but the House of Commons has broken for the summer. Examination of the Act will resume in the fall.

Superficially Bill C-32 has many great qualities, unlike its predecessor, Bill C-61, which died on the order paper (the official daily agenda outlining parliament business) when Harper called an election in 2008. Industry critic Marc Garneau blames the Conservative government’s “tactical manoeuvres,” for Canada’s antiquated copyright legislation. He says, “They’re responsible for some of the delays,” referring to Harper’s proroguing of Parliament as the reason behind slow progress in passing modern copyright law.

The new copyright legislation seems to have been formulated for the benefit of Canadian consumers and creators alike. It adapts to the rapidly changing technological atmosphere of Canadian society. Dig deeper into the Act and you discover laws pertaining to technological protection measures (TPMs) or digital rights management (DRM)—also known as digital encryptions
or locks—make the act of breaking them illegal. These digital locks provisions void all of Bill C-32’s progressive rights.

Critics of the Act say Americans got what they wanted: break a digital lock and you’re breaking the law. However, Canadian law professors find DRM protection to be “constitutionally suspect” because they do not have a clear link to conventional copyright law. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, has been addressing questions and comments about Bill C-32 on his website and believes digital lock provisions are “arguably far more about property rights than copyright law.”

FAIR DEALING EXCEPTIONS
There are several exceptions under Bill C-32 that explain how an individual
can use copyrighted material and under what circumstances he or she is permitted to reproduce material or subject-matter without infringing on the material’s copyright.

In this new Copyright Act, individuals are allowed to reproduce copyrighted material for the purposes of research or private study, education, criticism and review. The legislation will also protect parody and satire, which are currently not protected under Canadian copyright law, even though they are integral aspects of contemporary Canadian culture. News reporters may reproduce copyright material insofar as it does not infringe copyright, and if the source and its creator are mentioned. Individuals are also allowed to use existing work that is available to the public when creating new works, such as musical remixes.

When it comes to music, Bill C-32 recognizes the consumer’s need for ease and convenience. You’re allowed to copy CDs onto your iPods or other mp3 players just so long as it’s for private purposes, you own the medium or device onto which you copied the work and you obtained the work legally (meaning you didn’t break any DRMs in the process of copying your music files). Transferring music from a CD onto an mp3 player, for example, is known as format shifting—copying information from one form of storage to another. However, you can’t give away, rent or sell the reproduction. And if you decide to sell your mp3 player, you must destroy all reproductions of the work you copied or you’ll face copyright infringement.
Fair dealing also includes time shifting, allowing consumers to record programs for later viewing or listening. You must have obtained the material legally and you cannot distribute it. The work must be for personal use and you can only keep it until you’ve had a chance to watch or listen to the work you’ve copied.
Limitations imposed on educational institutions and libraries are more stringent. Educational institutions, libraries, archives and museums may copy materials protected by copyright law if they have no motive or gain in doing so. However, these institutions face time-limited use of reproduced copyright material. Educators must share their reproduction on school premises and have up to one month until the course concludes to destroy the copied material otherwise it will be infringement. Course instructors will therefore have to recreate their instructional material yearly to comply with copyright law. Students are allowed to record their instructors to facilitate learning, but they, too, must destroy these materials within a month after the day they receive their final course mark in order to avoid copyright infringement.

Similarly, for libraries, digital copies must be destroyed within five business days from when the person first uses them. Libraries must enforce self-destructing inter-library digital loans. Implementing DRM protection on digital copies will ensure time-limited usage, which is necessary for libraries
to remain in compliance with Bill C-32.

Many critics have reproached these fair dealing exceptions, calling them restrictive because of the TPM provisions, which limit Canadian copyright freedom and create a technological lockdown.

CIRCUMVENTION PROVISIONS
Right now in Canada, anyone can break a digital lock and not suffer the consequences. Once this legislation passes—if it passes—breaking a digital lock will be illegal. There are various, but limited, circumstances in which individuals are allowed to legally circumvent (or bypass) digital locks, such as in the act of unlocking a cellphone.

Canadians are allowed to break TPMs for reasons pertaining to encryption research, security, ephemeral recordings, retransmissions, network services, interoperability of computer programs and accommodation for persons with perceptual disabilities. Essentially, you can break a digital lock if you can legally justify your actions. The ephemeral recordings clause is targeted mainly to journalists who can, by law, use clippings for mash-ups and media-related segments, such as musical introductions for news programs. However, as outlined in the fair dealing section, your sources need to be identified within your recreation, if you have used copyright material. In certain instances, such as for the interoperability of computer programs, there are licence ownership and time-limited factors to consider as well.

PENALTIES UNDER BILL C-32
Prior to conviction of copyright infringement in Canada, individuals who break copyright law will receive notice upon notice of their unlawful behaviour. In America, however, copyright offenders usually receive a notice followed by a takedown. France and the UK have a three-strike policy, after which you’re banned from the Internet. Clement assures Canadians that the three-strike legislation is “not part of our culture.” The emphasis of the bill is to target the “big, bad guys,” those who destroy the value and integrity of the creator or copyright holder by uploading hundreds and thousands of movies and music onto Bit Torrent sites, for example.

Criminal remedies for copyright infringement have been significantly reduced from those outlined in Bill C-61. Under this new act, the maximum fine is $5,000 per work, down from $20,000, and the fine is tied to damage done. Furthermore, under this law, Internet Service Providers are expected to notify legal authorities when they suspect user infringement of copyright.

COPYRIGHT CONTROVERSY TURNS UGLY
There is a cognitive dissonance between the Conservatives and consumers (and even creators of copyright material). Three weeks ago, Canadian Heritage Minister MP James Moore derided opponents of Bill C-32; he called them “radical extremists.” In a release, NDP MP Charlie Angus says Moore’s comments were “way out of line, bombastic, hyper-defensive.” Although it was Angus who proposed an iPod levy to the Copyright Act in a fair dealing motion, which he claimed would help “balance the interest of both creators and consumers in the digital age.”

On Twitter, Geist announced that through Twitter’s private direct messages feature, Moore denied calling opponents radical extremists. “Not what I said,” Moore said, “Not even close.” Furthermore, on the Canadian Research Chair’s website, Geist talks about how there was an attempt to bury Moore’s comments.

COPYRIGHT LAW AND THE PUBLIC
In an interview with Jesse Brown, of TVO’s Search Engine (a weekly tech podcast), Clement assured Canadians that the Conservatives “took the public considerations…very seriously.” But comments such as those from Moore perpetuate public scepticism and disbelief in the government’s ability to pass a fair copyright law that recognizes creators and consumers to be on a level playing field. The comments create a divide between the citizens and lawmakers and convince the public that their inputs, needs and wants have no bearing in Senate discussions about copyright legislature. Nevertheless, when asked about transparency in copyright discussions, Garneau said people are allowed to be present at the reading and the entire process would be open to the public.

There is mounting public concern that Canada is lagging in this digital age and has left itself in a digital ghetto. With Bill C-32, many worry Canada is stifling and punishing the nation’s innovators, rather than fostering technological and intellectual growth. As one of the world’s leading nations, it remains incumbent upon the Canadian government to reach a resolution and implement copyright law that will be flexible and fluid enough to fit with the times.

Garneau stressed copyright law must be fair and balanced. “It’s got to be as modern as it can be at the moment; realizing technology is changing at a blinding speed.”

Reproductive rights panel: How to fight back then take to the street

Scaachi Koul

When the vandalism and violence occurred on Saturday’s G20 protests in Toronto, it wasn’t what all the protesters had in mind. At a panel discussion on June 21 organized by the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics, the tone was peaceful and hopeful but determined.

“I think we all are well-aware that Stephen Harper made a political blunder,” said Carolyn Egan of the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics. “It is clear across this country that we should have the right to abortion here, but around the world [as well.]”

The panel, titled “Harper’s Attack on Reproductive Rights - At Home and Abroad,” dealt with how Harper’s government excluded the provision of abortion as a part of the “maternal and child health policy” they pushed at the G20 summit.

Jessica Yee from the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, was one of the more outspoken members of the panel and easily the most incensed. “When Harper all of a sudden starts saying that he cares about vaginas when we know he hates vaginas, that’s insulting,” she said, wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with “Warrior Woman” on the front.

Working closely with Aboriginal women, Yee supports their maternal rights to choose and to raise their children without the unjust interception of social services. She explained how it’s harder for women to get abortions since small communities make for stigma, specifically in Yellowknife. “It’s a small community and you get abortions on Wednesday and Friday. So everyone knows abortion day is Wednesday and Friday.”

Angela Robertson of Women’s College Hospital, explained how Harper’s decision to exclude abortion rights in Canada’s policy links Canadians to women internationally. “This is yet another call where we are tied to women internationally as they defend their rights,” she said. “This is your public institution - hold it accountable.”

The room at 25 Cecil Street was cramped - there were more attendees than seats ready to hear out the six panelists and ask questions. One attendee was a man who grew up in Somalia and witnessed the torment women can face when birth control and abortion is not available. While in Somalia, his sister died in childbirth. “Harper can come out and say he supports mother and child but in a sinister way, doesn’t support the right to choose,” he said. “I don’t agree with that. I’m glad you guys exist,” he said to the panelists.

“This is not a moment where we can be apathetic,” said Robertson. “Many of us have been challenged by the shut-the-f-up comments.

There was a lull because they wore us down.” Robertson explained that the opposition uses stealthy, almost insidious ways of rallying youth to support their side. The pro-choice movement can’t get lazy or sloppy.

“The Canadian government is really choosing to pick a fight with the weakest women,” said Ronda Roffey from Women’s Habitat. “Children have huge implications for women. If we don’t have [abortion rights], we don’t have anything.” For some women, having unplanned children can mean falling into poverty, death, stigma from their communities, humiliation and leaving their previous children neglected or motherless.
Roffey also detailed the techniques the pro-life movement has used in the past 25 years. “First they told us God didn’t like it but none of us really cared. Then they told us abortion is murder. Abortion causes breast cancer, suicide. It’s about as evil as this government has gotten. First it’s our most vulnerable sisters and then it’ll be us.”

Also in attendance at the panel were Ayesha Adhami from the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre and Kelly Holloway who acted as organized opposition to the Genocide Awareness Project, an anti-choice movement.
“It’s reprehensible, it’s irresponsible,” said Adhami about Harper’s maternal health policy. “The right to choose is a right that is globally understood. It’s up to us to support them and the voice for the voiceless.” Adhami moved to Canada at three months, but returned to her native Pakistan at 16 years old. There, she attended a Catholic college but knew that outside of her affluent life, there were women suffering in her country.

“Outside of those well-manicured gardens [was] the reality.”

On June 26, the women of the panel, along with thousands of supporters, led the Queen’s Park protest holding a giant wire coat hanger as a representation of what some women have to resort to when abortion
resources are unavailable. It could have been the statement of the day. But as the city descended into rioting and as the police began arresting individuals haphazardly, the message may have been lost in the chaos.

Three year-old Layla was brought to the panel by her mother and aunt. They listen intently to the speakers while she draws pictures and hands them to strangers. Halfway through, she gets bored, and asks her mother why they need to be there.

“For you,” her mother says. “We’re here for you.”

Rain on the reign

Full coverage of the Canadian government’s shameful oppression attempts, the possible use of agents provocateurs and the aftermath

Raynold Mobedi

Despite massive government propaganda which ranged from fabricating thank-you emails all the way to David Miller’s “the protesters are not from Toronto” comments on CP24, much of the world was capable of seeing the true colours of the Canadian government as it tried to crush dissent and suppress the voice of people.

The question remains: did some authorities decide to take it too far and use riot police as fake protestors, as they did in Quebec, in order to create chaos and undermine the movement of people? This attempt would devastate the legitimacy of the ruling regime.

From the Middle East all the way to North America, when it comes to public protests and gatherings, I have witnessed and studied hundreds of incidents where people decided to challenge a government to voice their opinion of what they believe is right and wrong. Having said that, what I witnessed on the G20 weekend was a very peaceful protest especially when compared to others around the world in the past decade. Yet at the same time, I also witnessed some of the most shameful media coverage. The coverage, provided by Canadian news agencies including CTV and CBC, effectively called the protesters “rioters,” “anarchists,” “criminals” and even “outsiders.” leaving some to believe that they are nothing but biased, government agents.

THE MISSION
THE RIDE – SATURDAY JUNE 26
The plan was simple: get downtown, take photos, report the events live via mobile. My long-time friend John was to stay at home, record my voice/coverage, and at the same time provide me with the live coverage from CTV so that I would know about the clashes and the places they take place. CTV was the only Canadian news agency that reported all the events live.

Nearly midday, when tens of thousands of outraged protesters had already started marching in the streets, I took the subway at Finch. The subway cars were mostly empty, with the exception of a few cops here and there. The announcements were talking about the “normal operations but with major delays due to security concerns.” At Sheppard station, a massive number of people entered the subway, many of whom appeared to be going to join the fellow protesters downtown.

A small and friendly group of student protesters who saw me programming my camera approached me. “School reporter?” said Jennifer an Osgoode Hall student. “Else he’d have a yellow identification card” added Tommy, an aerospace student at U of T. “You got it” I replied smiling. The rest of group included Martin and David – both law students from Osgoode Hall. The group was protesting HST and Harper’s minority government. About twenty minutes later, the subway stopped halfway at Bloor Station – an apparent attempt to stop more protestors from joining the crowd.

“We will crawl to union station if we have to” said Tommy. At this point, most of the crowd seemed even more determined to join the dissent.

THE PROTEST
The Theory of the Watchman argues that people in charge of law enforcement may not have the same ideology or mentality as the people they watch. I think that this theory was applied over the Summit weekend: over 22,000 law enforcement officers were drawn from across Canada. Of the riot police I interviewed, all were either from Alberta or British Columbia. On Saturday, this controversial method proved to be effective as authorities and media called the Toronto Police (non-riot) “incompetent” for not being able to control the crowd. Toronto Police officers were seen in many occasions talking to people, respecting their constitutional right to assemble. They seemed less willing to beat or injure the people that they have to live with everyday for the rest of their lives.

The scenes along my walk from Bloor Street were breathtaking and fascinating: liberals, conservatives, feminists, vegetarians, meat-lovers, environmentalists, business people, lawyers, Christians, Muslims, Jews, immigrants and people with or without status put up a united front. Not a single incident was reported in which people clashed among one another. The protestors’ demands were more varied than the number of attending country leaders in the Summit, but one thing was clear: People were unhappy with the government, its (indirectly elected) Prime Minister, its unelected Senators, and more importantly, unhappy with the ridiculous cost of the Summit.

John was navigating me through the area by phone. Hours after marching around downtown, interviewing individuals and witnessing the peaceful protests I began to stop at a heated showdown. The protesters, who were well away from the “G20 Security Zone,” were hesitant in backing down. “Hey! You! Be careful they only attack people with cameras,” said Melissa. I was reluctant to listen to her, given the fact that the protestors were not advancing or being violent, and that since the riot police were very slowly advancing. At this point, things turned around and all hell broke loose.

The riot police started attacking people like animals. They started advancing very rapidly, alongside another group of riot police–that had just suddenly showed up–beating people from another side. The crowd resisted. Splashes of blood were spilling from a protester’s head. A third group of riot police approached from another direction.

A cop violently grabbed me, ripping off my shirt. The first baton aimed for my camera, effectively breaking it into pieces. That cop’s second move was to smash my camera with his foot. It seemed like a procedure – a very structured, well-thought procedure. I managed to get away. As I ran back I watched people being dragged on their faces against the pavement. As they “arrest” you, at least four to five cops would sit on you, strip you and take off your shoes.

The ground was filled with drops of blood. A cop car was set ablaze. I could not verify whether the action was as a result of police provocation, out of dubious intent, or simply an action that was aimed at distracting the police so the innocent civilians could get away. I heard gunshots at this point. I could see the police rising what is similar to a machine gun against the crowd. Some reports said that the gunshots came from the “rubber and real bullets burning inside the police cruiser” while others reported it was from a special weapon that dispenses gas and is supposed to “shock the protesters.” My camera and my phone were gone. After this point, I was just there to protest against the police crime and brutality. People were violently beaten with clubs, and many were badly hurt – all so that some international guests could have a beer and watch the game in peace.

Further north, people had gathered in a small park. People there were not shouting or advancing – simply just standing and waving signs in attempt to be heard by the government and the world. It was not long before the line of riot police approach quickly behind their shields. From time to time the shields would go away and a few groups of thugs would come out quickly to arrest individuals in the most horrifying manner. When asked about “which people they choose to arrest,” Security Analyst Allen Bell replied: “they look for leaders, and the people that look suspicious.” Apparently young men, women in shorts and tank tops who stand there with tiny cameras or cell-phones translate into “vicious leaders” and “troublemakers” to the “law” enforcement of this nation.

I witnessed hundreds of incidents in which police acted violently, illegally and criminally on that day. In one case, a riot police tried to provoke peaceful protesters yards away by yelling: “SHOW ME what you got, show me the power, pussy!” Thankfully we managed to take his picture and keep it in our possession.

CANADIAN MEDIA AND THEIR “COVERAGE” OF THE EVENTS
Being out on the streets caused many protesters missed was the shameless media “coverage” of the events and the authorities’ response of the crackdown on dissent. David Miller called the protesters “criminals” adding “that’s all I really can think of” during a live interview with CTV. While watching his people being beaten up and dragged against the rough pavement he added “these people are not from Toronto. They are outsiders, coming here to make trouble.” CTV’s security analyst repeated called the civilians “anarchists”
– all tens of thousands of them!

Outrageously, on June 27, CBC News reported “150 arrests” while subtly quoting Integrated Security Unit. The Associated Press reported “over 400 arrests.” Some international reports reported about 500 arrests.

While CBC is a famous player when it comes to criticizing and condemning crackdowns on protests continents away in Iran or Israel, they seem to have their tongues gotten away by the cat when it comes to the violent crackdowns right here on their doorsteps.

Among Canadian news agencies, one thing was common: None of them dared to criticize the violent suppression of people, or to provide an unbiased coverage. They all seemed too focused on a suspicious (yet very, very small) group of people sporting black.

SUNDAY – JUNE 27 POLICE KIDNAPPING AND RAIDS
By Sunday, I had recuperated and was able to get another camera. Before the day had even begun, the Associated Press reported that police had raided a university building and rounded up hundreds of protesters. In addition, AP reported that, “Plainclothes police jumped out of an unmarked van, grabbed a protester off the street and whisked him away in the vehicle.” In early afternoon, before I made it to Bloor and Spadina, the police had violently crushed the crowd that included bicyclists and a group of 16-year-old girls.

POSSIBLE COVERT MISSIONS: DID THE GOVERNMENT USE PROVOCATEURS?
On Monday, June 28, the National Post called the Black Bloc “Stephan Harper’s best political friend today.” AP reported that, “Harper suggested the violence justified the controversial cost. ‘I think it goes a long way to explaining why we have the kind of security costs around these summits that we do.’”

Some may find the idea of police dressed as protesters and insurgents appalling, unbelievable, preposterous or even fictional. However, police provocateurs have been used before and it’s entirely possible that they were among the Black Bloc. In Quebec at Montebello, the riot police dressed as protesters and tried to get other protesters to become violent. In Toronto, the police did come out as plainclothes individuals beating, seizing and arresting people – what would stop them from taking it a step further?

Canadian news agencies seem to have completely blanked out the existence of plainclothes
police, and the amount of violence they exercised. On Sunday, we witnessed a massive number of plain/ordinary cars driven by police officers driving carelessly provoking the drivers and people. In one case one of them almost ran over a mother and her baby in the stroller. And while the police were allowed drive unsafely through the streets, the individuals seemed to be free to loot.

AFTERMATH: STOPPING THE MOMENTUM
Unlike the common belief that the Canadian government is amateur when it comes to power establishment and retention, the Canadian government is an expert in identifying dangers to its kingdom. They are taking all the necessary steps in order to make sure that the Summit protest remains an isolated incident, and that there will never be another act of defiance or another mass dissent – including those aimed at bringing more democracy to Canada.

Unsurprisingly, Barak Obama failed to issue any statement of condemnation regarding the violent crackdown of the protesters in Toronto. The American government is famous for issuing timely condemnations of Middle Eastern nations (in particular Iran) when it comes to protests as small as 150 people, yet they seem to overlook brutal clampdowns in their neighboring nation. Obama showed that while he may be a compassionate friend to the people of his nation, he is no friend of the Canadian people–just friends with the unelected, bureaucratic Canadian government.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair promised that the police will continue the crackdown on the “criminals” and that they “will investigate every crime committed at the Summit and track down and charge all those responsible.” Meanwhile, many voices across Canada are calling the country “a police state.” On Monday June 28, thousands of people gathered outside

Toronto’s police headquarters to protest the unjust police operation and to try to persuade the police to release the political prisoners. Many protestors have accused the police for illegal conduct. “The only violence against humanity …. Was committed exclusively by the police” a protestor said in an online. Thousands of protestors, including many students who were able to escape false imprisonments, are outraged at the bias Canadian media- and are demanding an explanation.

“[The government] took our city to hold a meeting and bullied us out of the core, damaging
the commerce of thousands of merchants and inconveniencing the entire population.” the Star said.

Throughout the protests the overcast sky chose to rain a few times. In the end a heavy and symbolic rain fell upon the city and Harper’s reign – washing the streets and its cover clean. By the time the rain was done, everything was clearer – not just to the Canadians but also to the global community.

Do you have pictures, comments or complains, or launching a class action lawsuit – email me at Raynold.Ryerson@hotmail.com

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