Presented by Dr. Stephen Maguire, Professor Carleton University and co-author of Professionalism in Policing.

Dr. Maguire has just completed an exhaustive 3 year study of Canadian Police Service, called Professionalism in Policing.   This was the first study of its kind in the world and examines what drives professionalism within Canadian police services.  The report includes a survey of more than 10,000 respondents from 31 forces across Canada.  It resulted in 52 recommendations.   He will speak about the philosophical and legal grounding to guide oversight bodies in ensuring accountability of police agencies.  This issue was addressed in part in the OIPC Investigation Report LA-2012-001 (City of Moose Jaw) available under the Reports tab.

 Wednesday, October 3, 2012

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Room 216, Language Institute Building (Institut francais)- University of Regina, Main Campus (reception to follow in the Rotunda)

Keynote presentation by Wayne MacDonald, the Director of the Information Access and Privacy Program (IAPP), Faculty of Extension,  University of Alberta.  This is the only on-line university program for access and privacy professionals in Canada.  IAPP received the inaugural Grace-Pepin Right to Know Award in 2011 for its leadership and innovation in creating the IAPP program.  Mr. MacDonald will explore the growth in Canada’s access and privacy community and the strides made by access and privacy professionals in promoting greater transparency and accountability on the part of public bodies.  The IAPP program has found an eager audience in Saskatchewan since this province has the largest number of past and present students in the program (after the province of Alberta and the Government of Canada).  For more information on this program see www.extension.ualberta.ca/study/government-studies/iapp/.

There will also be the presentation of the ‘Chief Justice E.M. Culliton Right to Know’ Award to a Saskatchewan public body that has demonstrated leadership or innovation in promoting the public’s right to know over the past year.

NOMINATIONS FOR CULLITON AWARD

The Saskatchewan Right to Know Committee is again soliciting nominations for the ‘Chief Justice E.M. Culliton Right to Know’ Award.

To be eligible, the body must be a Saskatchewan government institution (provincial government, Ministry, Crown corporation, board, commission or agency) or a local authority (regional health authority, municipality, library, school, university or college).

The nominee should be an agency that has demonstrated some or all of the following qualities:

·         Leadership in promoting public access to the agency’s information;

·         Creativity in building public awareness of access to information;

·         Excellence in orientation of, and in-service training in, employee access to information responsibilities; and/or

·         Innovation in the development of tools to promote or facilitate access to information.

The deadline for nominations is September 14, 2012. Nominations can be self-initiated or by a third party. Nominations should include a letter of nomination (up to 1,000 words), and samples of materials relevant to the nominations (testimonials or other materials).  The award will be presented Wednesday, October 3, 2012.

Nominations can be sent to the Right to Know Committee c/o #503, 1801 Hamilton Street, Regina, SK, S4P 4B4 or fax: (306) 798-1603 or email: righttoknow@accesscomm.ca.

Right to Know Film Series

One of the highlights of Right to Know week in our province is the offering from the Regina Public Library of a dedicated film series that explores questions of transparency and accountability to citizens.  This year the kick-off for the special film series will be at the downtown library on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.  This will include a welcome from Mark Anderson, Chair of the Right to Know Committee.

The Two fimls shown on September 27th will be Kivalina v. Exxon at 7:15 p.m. and The Guantanamo Trap at 9:00 p.m.  The description of the two films is:

Kivalina v. Exxon - "In an epic battle against the world's biggest polluters - the oil and has corporations - Kivaline, a tiny village in Northwest Alaska struggles to survive and save itself from the consequences of global warming" For more information please visit: www.kivalina-film.com.

The Guantanamo Trap - In 2006, Murat Kurnaz was released from Guantanamo Bay after being detained for 5 years without trial.  The same year, Matthew Diaz, a Navy lawyer was sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment for leaking the names of the detainees to a human rights organization.  Four years earlier, Judge Advocate Diane Beaver was also deployed in Guantanamo.  Here, she became the author of a legal memorandum that would later be nicknamed: the torture memo.  For more information please visit: www.globalvisionsfestival.com/film/the-guantanamo-trap/.

The schedule for the rest of the week is as follows:

September 28

7:00 p.m. – The Guantanamo Trap

9:00 p.m. – Kivalina v. Exxon

September 29

7:00 p.m. – The Invisible War

9:00 p.m. – Ai WeiWei: Never sorry

September 30

7:00 p.m. – Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry

9:00 p.m. – The Invisible War

The Invisible War - “With “The Invisible War,” filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering lift the veil on what they contend is one of the U.S. military’s dirtiest secrets -- an epidemic of rape and sexual violence that is ignored by top brass. That’s the takeaway from this riveting, heartbreaking and infuriating film, in which a core group of courageous women (and a few men) give voice to the hundreds of thousands who have suffered and survived harassment, vicious attacks and lifelong trauma in every service branch. (Twenty percent of active-duty female soldiers are sexually assaulted while serving, according to the Defense Department; in 2010 more than 3,000 sex crimes were committed in the military.) With clinical detail and inescapable logic, “The Invisible War” - which won the audience award at Sundance this year - builds the case that the military has systematically ignored or even punished victims of sexual violence in its ranks, circling the wagons around abusers who are statistically overrepresented in a culture drenched in machismo and aggression.” Washington Post

Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry - "Ai Weiwei is China`s most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention. Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures."  For more information please visit: www.aiweiweineversorry.com.

For more information go to www.reginalibrary.ca/blogs/index.php?blog=9

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'Right to Know’ Day Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

 What is ‘Right to Know’ Day?

‘Right to Know’ Day celebrates, once a year, the right of individual access to information held by public bodies and marks the benefits of transparent, accessible government.

When is ‘Right to Know’ Day Celebrated?

‘Right to Know’ Day is celebrated every September 28th. It had its start on September 28, 2002, in Sofia, Bulgaria, at an international meeting of access advocates. They proposed that the date be dedicated to the promotion of access to information worldwide.

Where is ‘Right to Know’ Day Celebrated?

‘Right to Know’ Day is celebrated around the world. Over 60 countries have access to information legislation and more countries are in the process of developing such laws. Countries where ‘Right to Know’ Day has been commemorated include Argentina, Czech Republic, El Salvador, India, Jamaica, Latvia, Mexico, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Peru, Spain, Turkey and the USA.

This year in Canada, information and privacy ombudsman and commissioner offices are coordinating efforts to mark ‘Right to Know’ Week.  A web site detailing these activities is under construction and will be accessible before ‘Right to Know’ Week at www.righttoknow.ca. The site will also canvass current access to information issues being addressed and projects being undertaken in Canadian jurisdictions.

Who Celebrates ‘Right to Know’ Day?

Everyone has reason to celebrate ‘Right to Know’ Day. Active participants since 2002 have included citizen groups dedicated to democratic principles, students, media, academics, policy makers and governments.

Why Celebrate ‘Right to Know’ Day?

·    Access to information provides individuals with knowledge to address public issues, scrutinize government and become active participants in the democratic process.

·    Access to information has revealed and clarified the basis for government decisions, disclosed environmental and health dangers and shed light on error, mismanagement and illegal activities.

·    Access to information has required improved records management, prompted routine disclosure to information, promoted the duty to assist the public and resulted in better government service and efficiencies.

·    Access to information requires vigilance. Beyond simply having access to information legislation there must be a commitment to a culture and spirit of openness. This includes staff and public awareness of access to information principles and appropriate resources for implementation.

·    There have been many successes as a result of access to information and there are improvements to consider.

How to Celebrate ‘Right to Know’ Day?

·    Read or write an article on access to information.

·    Host or attend a public forum to hear speakers on the subject.

·    Participate in a poster contest.

·    Have an open house at a government office, library, hospital or other location where access to information is practiced every day.

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