CFE Blog

The fourth in this blog series on freedom of expression under the Charter addresses the open court or open justice principle and freedom of the press and media. Juxtaposing the two reveals how differently the Court responded to two issues that support the democracy-promoting values of openness, transparency and accountability.

Alberta’s whistleblower protection law is deeply flawed with serious adverse consequences for Alberta whistleblowers and the public.

The Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (PSIC) has recently published the results of a survey it commissioned, exploring federal employees’ awareness and knowledge of PSIC, and, as a result, their willingness to blow the whistle on wrongdoing that they see in the workplace.

The headline said “Donald Trump Jr. compares his sister’s breasts against Oakville teacher’s prosthetic bust”. The image of the trans high school shop teacher, which was shared many times on social media by their students, was the viral sensation of the week. It shows a trans person wearing long blonde hair, a mask, glasses, bike shorts, and a massive prosthetic bust, nipples and all, under a tight, thin shirt.

An Ontario Divisional Court decision on a six-year-old battle at York University about secrecy in university real estate projects was published on September 1, 2022. The decision in York University Development Corporation vs. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario et al. ended a long game in which the University tried to hide records that were legally accessible to the public.

School administration moves slowly. Kids, however, rarely wait for the rules to catch up with their culture. They will be expressing their identities whenever and however they can. Are there basic principles that administrators in public education can use to avoid the conflicts that they are encountering daily? Perhaps.