UBC — JRNL 520L
Investigative Journalism Project
Winter 2022
Wednesdays
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST
Virtual from Jan 10-Jan 24 with the plan to shift to a mix of
in-person and virtual for the rest of the term.
All classes will be recorded and posted on this syllabus.
David McKie
Office hours: By appointment
Phone 613-290-7380
Email: @davidmckiec@gmail

Required Text

David, Fred Vallance-Jones, Rob Cribb and Dean  Jobb are co-authors of
Digging Deeper Third Edition

Optional Texts

David and Fred are co-authors of
“The Data Journalist: Getting the Story“
You can also obtain a copy of The Data Journalist e-book. You’ll need a Kobo device or reader (reader available free for Android, iOS, Mac and PC).

David McKie and Jim Bronskill are co-authors of
Your Right To Know: How to Use the Law to
Get Government Secrets

David McKie, Jim Bronskill
Your Right To Know

COURSE DESCRIPTION

UBC’s Point Grey Campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. The land it is situated on has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam people, who for millennia have passed on in their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next on this site.

This course will give students the skills:

• to identify issues for investigation and in-depth research within a defined topic;
• to conduct that research;
• to find stories in the data and information;
• to discover information and data, assemble and present the data in an engaging and informative format, including online graphics packages;
• to conduct interviews and follow-up research;
• to produce finished story pitches on the selected subjects.

The course, to be delivered using a mixture of in-person and online. We will be virtual until at least at least the week of Jan 24, 2022, at which point the plan is to switch to in-person with the appropriate protocols. We will be in person until the week of Feb. 7, at which point, we will switch to online until the week of March 28.

You will learn how to take a deep dive into an investigative project, from pitch to final project and potential follow-up.  As you will discover, the mixture of in-person and online is nicely suited the skill sets she will learn.

You will have the option of working as part of a national investigative project under the leadership the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto, or the Climate Disaster Project at the University of Victoria, or a project of specific interest. Details about the potential projects  will be explained during the first class.

For those who want to do something entirely different, you will have the option to explore ideas with the guidance of the group and instructor. Pitches must be accepted BEFORE work can begin. A more independent path will allow you to pursue a story you’ve always wanted to explore but never had the time. This course is also designed to give you that option, too.

The aim is publishing on a time table to be determined based on factors such as newsworthiness and the schedules of  the media platforms in question. The The Toronto Star, Canada’s National Observer and/or your university outlet will be possible venues for your work.

The course will operate like a project, with each group pitching its ideas on how to approach the issue, conducting the research, deciding on story elements and producing the finished pitch that will result in an eventual story. As part of that process, each group will submit regular progress reports to be reviewed with the instructor to ensure you stay on target to produce the most up-to-date drafts at the end of the term.

Who I am:

I am an Ottawa-based, award-winning journalist who is the Canada’s National Observer’s deputy managing editor.

Before joining National Observer, I spent 26 years honing my skills at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as an investigative producer.

I teach at the schools of journalism at Carleton University, the University of King’s College, and Ryerson University, and have co-authored three journalism textbooks and two user guides on freedom-of-information laws and privacy, respectively. As you can see above, one of the books will be required reading for this course.

In addition to my teaching, I’m a data-journalism trainer who has conducted workshops for the Canadian Association of Journalists, the U.S.-based National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, and the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations. I also continue to offer data-journalism training to the CBC.

I have a BJ and an MJ from Carleton.

You can find more information about me on my online cv.

Course Structure

All students will attend the two-hour class on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 3:00 PST where we will update group projects, and then tackle one of our learning outcomes described at the beginning of the syllabus.

The third hour will be held during the week — to be determined at the beginning of each week — to accomplish agreed-upon tasks such as group meetings or follow-up sessions to continue with one of our learning outcomes.

You’ll learn a number of skills through video tutorials during in-person and virtual classes.

This syllabus will be updated regularly, sometimes minutes before a class to draw your attention to breaking stories or new investigations. So, please make sure you refresh the page — as it may be in your cache — before accessing the material.

Learning Materials

Digging Deeper 3rd Edition, which you can obtain at https://shop.bookstore.ubc.ca/courselistbuilder.aspx

Optional: The Data Journalist

Optional: Your Right To Know

Optional: Canadian Press Style Guide: An Overview

Copyright

All materials for this course (course handouts, lecture slides, assessments, course readings, etc.) are the intellectual property of the Course Instructor or licensed to be used in this course by the copyright owner. Redistribution of these materials by any means without permission of the copyright holder(s) constitutes a breach of copyright and may lead to academic discipline.

University Policies

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise. There are additional resources, including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated, nor is suppression of academic freedom.

UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of the policies and how to access support are available at the Policies and Resources section of the UBC Senate website.

Academic Integrity

The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required.

This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.

A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the university’s policies and procedures, may be found in the Discipline for Academic Misconduct  section of the UBC Academic Calendar.

• No assignment may be submitted to any other instructor of any course for a grade.
• The minimum penalty for plagiarism in any assignment is a zero for the paper; the maximum penalty is a zero for the course.

UBC Grading Standards

Graduate and undergraduate grading scale

Percentage (%)	Letter Grade
90-100	A+
85-89	A
80-84	A-
76-79	B+
72-75	B
68-71	B-
64-67	C+
60-63	C
55-59	C-
0-59	F

 

GRADING CRITERIA

Professionalism matters here, as it will throughout your careers. This is a professional school, so you will be expected to meet professional standards in both assignments and conduct.

Regarding assignments, meeting professional standards means completing them according to the criteria outlined in class and in the course outline, as well as submitting them on time. If you are unclear about the requirements for any assignment, it is your responsibility to ask the instructor for clarification well before the assignment is due.

Assignments will be graded for both their journalistic and production values. Marks for journalistic values will be based on the strength or newsworthiness of the story idea; the difficulties overcome in gathering the necessary research, interviews, photos and other elements critical to the story; the depth of the research, the strength and relevance of the audio clips, photos and other elements to the focus of the report; and the accuracy of all the details.

Marks for presentation will be for adherence to the style and format for assignments outlined in class; the organization of the material; the clarity and effectiveness of the storytelling; the creative use of photos, sound, audio interviews and other interactive elements. Where the relative quality of reporting and presentation vary significantly, separate grades will be indicated and the final grade for the assignment will be an average of the two.

Letter grades will be awarded to each assignment within the following range:

An A-range grade will be awarded to excellent work. Generally, that means pitch  packages newsworthy, complete, clear, well-written, original, multi-sourced with primary records.

A B-range grade will be awarded to solid work. That means pitch packages that may include good research, interesting interview quotes/clips, but may be lacking in one or more of the elements — especially primary records — required for A-range work listed above.

Grades of C or D will be awarded to sub-standard work — stories that are missing several of the elements listed above.

An F may be given to stories that are late; contain significant errors of fact; misspell the name of a person or a place; fail to meet the requirements of the assignment; or seriously violate the School’s Ethics and Professional Standards.

GRADING DETAILS

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of the policies and how to access support are available at the Policies and Resources section of the UBC Senate website.

DEADLINES

The specific deadlines for each assignment are outlined in assignment notes posted within the weekly description of course content and at the top of this syllabus.

All written assignments should be completed in MS Word format in 12-point type, double-spaced or PowerPoint presentations, or both. Finished material or links to material should be emailed to me by the deadlines noted on the syllabus. Marked assignments will be returned promptly with my comments. Please keep an electronic copy of each finished assignment you submit and also keep copies of the returned, graded assignments.

You are responsible for filing all your assignments on time. It is not acceptable to have others file assignments for you. A missed deadline can mean you failed the assignment.

GRADING

There is no final exam in this course. The final grade for the course will be determined in the assignments section higher up in the syllabus.

The normal journalistic standards will apply to all assignments. Work must be submitted on time with penalties for missing deadlines. Assignments should be clear, concise, engaging and interesting. Written pitches should comply with Canadian Press style. Though you will only be required to submit story pitches, style errors in your copy will result in a lower grade.

The grade for professionalism will reflect participation in class discussions, in-class exercises, your work habits and how you present yourself as a journalist.

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. If you’re absent for medical reasons, you must provide the appropriate medical documentation.

You are expected to arrive promptly, not five or 10 minutes late, and not to leave class for extended breaks or to take calls. When you’re late or away, you miss material that has to be repeated. If you have a valid reason for missing a class, advise me before by e-mail, not through a friend or classmate, just as you would an employer.

Apprenticeships – It’s possible you will have an apprenticeship this term. Please consult with me before you schedule a placement.

Deadlines – As a journalist you can’t miss them. As a journalism student, you’re not allowed to, either: a missed deadline means you fail the assignment. Exemptions due to personal illness, family tragedy or other exceptional circumstances must be arranged ahead of time whenever possible and be supported by documentation.

Electronics – Phones, tablets, laptops—please keep them muted, closed and out of sight while class is in session. Staying focused on what’s going on in the classroom will help you learn—but don’t just take my word for it. During our virtual meetings, the temptation may be greater to tune out. Please resist the temptation to do so.

You’ll have breaks during our class time to step away from your computer.

Intellectual property – Classroom teaching and learning activities, including lectures, discussions, presentations, etc., by both instructors and students, are copy protected and remain the intellectual property of their respective author(s).

All course materials, including PowerPoint presentations, video tutorials, outlines, and other materials, are also protected by copyright and remain the intellectual property of their respective author(s). Students registered in the course may take notes and make copies of course materials for their own educational use only. Students are not permitted to reproduce or distribute lecture notes and course materials publicly for commercial or non-commercial purposes without express written consent from the copyright holder(s).

Assignment brief description and submission dates

Assignment	Description	Value	Due Date
An in-class group presentation about your topic	This presentation, based on each group’s initial research, will be written up as a PowerPoint and presented in class. Each member will be required to participate with a discussion about their contribution.	15% (group)	Jan. 26
Access-to-information requests	This will be formal request based on the criteria discussed the previous week and reading Chapter 10 in Digging Deeper	15% (individual)	Feb. 2
An in-class group story pitch	You will be required to complete this  “Watchdog: Storyboarding worksheet” courtesy of Investigative Reporters & Editors. Each member will be required to participate with a discussion about their contribution.	15% (group)	Feb. 9
Overall final story package or latest draft	This will be the final draft to take the form of a pitch, or draft story if your research progresses that far.	15% (Group)	April 6
Individual story work during term	Broken down by who does what within each group. Each person will be required to share a Google Sheet with tables containing entries for each task, which would include searching for public records, filing access-to-information requests and conducting background interviews. You will use a shareable Google Sheet to keep track of this work, which will contain entries — date, description of task completed, shareable links to records, etc. — for each day a task is completed.	15% (individual)
Weekly group project updates.	From week six to week 13, shared at least once a week, indicating your group’s progress and status of major elements of the story package. This, too, can be shared in a Google Sheet.	10% (group)
Professionalism	This grade will be a combination of your participation in class based on the assigned readings, prompt completion of assigned tasks such as downloading software, and your work following the video tutorials.	15% (individual)

Rubrics

Grading rubric for assignment one:  An in-class group presentation about your topic

	Excellent (A- to A+)	Good (B- to B+)	Below expectations (C+ and below)
Research and understanding (33.33%)	Has a clear understanding of the story’s focus and is able to identify the major players.	Has a good, general understanding of the story and its main characters,  but has some gaps in the explanation.	Has a poor understanding of the story and its focus and is unable to explain it clearly.
Analysis and thinking (33.33%)	Shows an excellent  understanding of the types of records that were used and whether they were employed effectively.	Shows a good understanding of the  types of records used and whether they were employed effectively.	Shows a poor understanding of the  types of records used and whether they were employed effectively.
Writing and presentation (33.33%)	Writing is crisp and clear. Words are carefully chosen and spelled correctly. Follows CP style.	Writing is generally sound, but may contain a few poorly crafted sentences. Minor spelling mistakes and/or problems with CP style.	Writing is unclear or word choice not ideal, or major problems with punctuation. Several spelling mistakes and/or major problems with CP style. F: misspelled name

Grading rubric for assignment two: filing access-to-information requests

	Excellent (A- to A+)	Good (C to B+)	Below expectations (F)
Filing of a federal request (33.3%)	Has conducted the legwork necessary to file at least two well-researched, properly worded requests at this level.	Has done the legwork, but has only filed one request and conducted some research.	Has neglected to file a request and has done no research.
Filing at the provincial level (33.3%)	Has conducted the legwork necessary to file at least one well-researched and properly worded request at this level.	Has done some legwork for one request with some research and adequate wording.	Has neglected to file a request and has done no research. .
Filing at the municipal level (33.3%)	Has conducted the legwork necessary to file at least one request at this level.	Has conducted some legwork necessary and shows evidence that a request will be filed.	Has neglected to file a request and has done no research.

Access-to-information assignment Q&A

As I explained in class, the goal of this assignment is to get you filing formal requests to all three levels of government as explained in the rubric.

Q:How will I be marked?
A: Mainly I just want you get the requests in with proof they they have been sent. The wording should be specific enough to give them an idea of what you’re looking for. Please see the examples we discussed during the Jan. 26 class under below the “resources” subheading.

Q: So, what will you be looking for?
A: Clear wording that specifies records with examples such as briefing notes. That the requests are sent to the correct government institution. That the time frame is within the limits that we have discussed, between six months and one year.

Q: How can I prove the requests have been sent?
A: By creating a Word document that contains the wording of your request (a letter)and an acknowledgement by the institution that it has been received. In this example, I pasted the acknowledgements in the same Word document that contains my request (highlighted in yellow) and the briefing notes I have requested. Such a federal request with multiple requests for briefing notes counts as the TWO federal requests described in the rubric. A letter asking for a specific group of records, counts as ONE federal request.

Q: Can I send a form I have filled out, along with the institution’s acknowledgment.
A: Yes, but I still want to see your request, which may mean pasting everything — the form, wording of the request and acknowledgment — into one Word document.

Q: How should I submit the request?
A: Please send emails with the  Word documents as attachments to my Gmail account?

Q: I know how to identify federal and provincial institutions, but am not sure about the  municipal level.
A: In addition to a city, municipal could be an institution in a community such as a university, college, school board, hospital, regional health authority, etc. They’re all creatures of provincial freedom-of-information laws.

Q: Can I also  file informal requests?
A: Yes, it’s a great practice to file them regularly for reasons we’ve discussed in class. They can lead to great stories. However, only formal requests count for this assignment.

Q: What resources should I consult?
A: Chapter 10 of Digging Deeper; Dean Beeby’s tip sheet, also found under the resources subsection of week two; and the description of records, also under week two. The user guide, Your Right To Know, is also an inexpensive resource.

Grading rubric for third assignment:  An in-class group story pitch, completing a Watchdog: Storyboarding worksheet

	Excellent (A- to A+)	Good (B- to B+)	Below expectations (C+ and below)
Quality of the story idea (33.3%)	It is a brand new story or novel treatment of a well-known story.	It contains some new elements, but needs work.	Focus is old, irrelevant or unclear.
The quality of the records (33.3%)	The public records shed new light on the story and advance our knowledge and will be an integral part of the story.	The records cover some new ground and can be used sparingly.	The records are of little to no use.
The quality of the multimedia elements. (33.3%)	The multimedia elements add value to the public records in the story you are pitching because they are up to date, and provide a level of detail not contained in the records.	The elements provide valued-added content, but mostly are repetitions of what we already know in the proposed story.	The elements are unclear and provide no new information.

Grading rubric for fourth assignment:  Overall final story package or latest draft

	Excellent (A- to A+)	Good (B- to B+)	Below expectations (C+ and below)
Quality of the story idea (33.3%)	It is a brand new story or novel treatment of a well-known story.	It contains some new elements, but needs work.	Focus is old, irrelevant or unclear.
The quality of the records (33.3%)	The public records shed new light on the story and advance our knowledge and will be an integral part of the story.	The records cover some new ground and can be used sparingly.	The records are of little to no use.
The quality of the multimedia elements. (33.3%)	The multimedia elements add value to the public records in the story you are pitching because they are up to date, and provide a level of detail not contained in the records.	The elements provide valued-added content, but mostly are repetitions of what we already know in the proposed story.	The elements are unclear and provide no new information.

Grading rubric for individual story work during term

	Excellent (A- to A+)	Good (B- to B+)	Below expectations (C+ and below)
Keeping track of your work (33.3%)	Completes the workflow forms at least three times a week, which includes monitoring the Google alerts on your topic, filing formal and informal access-to-information requests, searching for public records and conducting background interviews.	Completes the workflow forms at least twice a week, which includes monitoring the Google alerts on your topic, filing informal and formal requests, searching for public records and conducting background interviews.	Completes the workflow forms once a week, which includes monitoring the Google alerts on your topic, filing informal and formal requests, searching for public records and conducting background interviews.
The quality of the records (33.3%)	Your public records shed new light on the story and advance our knowledge and will be an integral part of the story.	The records cover some new ground and can be used sparingly.	The records are of little to no use.
The quality of the multimedia elements. (33.3%)	Keeping track of multimedia elements that can be used for the project that shed new light.	Keeping track of multimedia elements that can be used for the project that shed some new light.	Keeping track of multimedia elements that can be used for the project that shed little or no new light.

Grading rubric for weekly group project updates

	Excellent (A- to A+)	Good (B- to B+)	Below expectations (C+ and below)
Quality of the story idea (50%)	Progress is updated once a week in a Google doc that includes the highlights of group discussions, progress, setbacks and challenges.	Progress is updated once every two weeks in a Google doc that includes the highlights of group discussions, progress, setbacks and challenges.	Progress is updated once a month in a Google doc that includes the highlights of group discussions, progress, setbacks and challenges.
The quality of the records (50%)	There is clear evidence of a to-do list for the following week.	There is some evidence of a to-do list for the following week.	There is no evidence of a to-do list for the following week.

Grading rubric for professionalism

	Excellent (A- to A+)	Good (B- to B+)	Below expectations (C+ and below)
Class attendance (33.3%)	Attendance ninety per cent of the time	Attendance 80 per cent of the time	Attendance less  than 60 per cent
Completing video tutorials (33.3%)	Completes the tutorials or assigned readings, and is able to duplicate the work when tested or participate in meaningful discussions based on the readings.	Completes the tutorials, but is only able to partially complete the work when tested, and sporadically participate in meaningful discussions based on the readings.	Does not complete the tutorials and can not complete the work when tested.
Participation (33.3%)	Participates during class discussions without being asked, and completes the assigned readings.	Participates during class discussions but has to be asked, and completes the assigned readings.	Does not participate during class discussions and does not complete the assigned readings.

The specific details for each assignment can be found on the week-by-week section on the syllabus.

That is also the place to find details about what we are doing in class each week of the term.

COMMUNICATIONS WITH STUDENTS

All communication with the class will be done either virtually, phone, or email using the email address (davidmckiec@gmail.com) located at the top of the syllabus. Email and Google drive are the methods we will use to exchange information about pitches, progress reports and stories.

You must check the syllabus regularly to stay on top of what is happening in the class from week to week,  as class plans may change to reflect project developments during the term, or the availability of guest speakers etc.

Investigative Journalism Examples

Award Winners

Canadian Association data journalism award and overall award winner:
Bias Behind Bars
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-investigation-racial-bias-in-canadian-prison-risk-assessments/

2020 Philip Meyer Award Winners
https://www.ire.org/ire-announces-winners-of-2020-philip-meyer-journalism-award/

COVID-19 related investigations

General investigations

The Smoke Comes Every Year. Sugar Companies Say the Air Is Safe.
https://projects.propublica.org/black-snow/

Stories from Black Snow: Big Sugar’s Burning Problem
http://www.davidmckie.com/PBP_PP_BlackSnow_MeyerPrimaryMaterials.pdf

Addressing Rape in Four Minutes or Less: Dating App Reps Left Unprepared to Respond to Assault Victims
https://bit.ly/3GrXD1X

Thousands of suspected injuries tied to breast implants revealed in manufacturer data dump, CBC analysis finds
https://bit.ly/3fpVVlM

“THEGRAVEYARDDOESN’T LIE”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/texas-winter-storm-power-outage-death-toll

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nOcPZRrrS8j24-O0IHyPzbaCfjmBRreP/view?usp=sharing

Bias behind bars: A Globe investigation finds a prison system stacked against Black and Indigenous inmates
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-investigation-racial-bias-in-canadian-prison-risk-assessments/

How we did it: How The Globe uncovered systemic bias in prisoners’ risk assessments
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-investigation-racial-bias-in-canadian-prisons-methodology/

Toronto Star/National Observer: Generation Distress
https://ijb.utoronto.ca/projects/generation-distress/

Clean water broken promises
https://www.nationalobserver.com/tags/clean-water-broken-promises
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cbdc979bf27642bfba51689ca3c180e8

Decades after mercury poisoned the water, Grassy Narrows still searches for answers
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/06/16/decades-after-mercury-poisoned-water-grassy-narrows-searches-answers

Decades-old water pollution ravaged the health of 2 Ontario First Nations. Elders are still fighting for justice
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/09/02/water-pollution-ontario-first-nations-elders-environmental-justice

How an Ontario paper mill poisoned nearby First Nations
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/09/01/how-ontario-paper-mill-poisoned-nearby-first-nations

Schedule of Topics

Week 1:  Jan. 12

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2uupVjbVBU

Links

Federal

Ottawa has promised a climate-change adaptation strategy in 2022. What will it take to get the balance right?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-ottawas-promised-a-climate-change-adaptation-strategy-in-2022-what/

Ottawa has promised a climate-change adaptation strategy in 2022. What will it take to get the balance right.pdf

Until we address chronic underfunding, Canada will keep failing at emergency management
https://bit.ly/334QPZU

Nearly 600 people died in B.C. summer heat wave, vast majority seniors: coroner
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-nearly-600-people-died-in-bc-summer-heat-wave-vast-majority-seniors/

List of access to information and privacy coordinators by institution
https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/ap/atip-aiprp/coord-eng.asp

Government Electronic Directory Services (GEDS)
https://geds-sage.gc.ca/en/GEDS?pgid=002

Completed Access to Information Requests
https://bit.ly/3D7b0mT

Question Period Notes
https://search.open.canada.ca/en/qp/

CBC
https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/impact-and-accountability/access-to-information/list-of-ati-requests-processed-by-cbc-radio-canada

Completed access to information requests
https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-and-transparency-at-the-opc/proactive-disclosure/completed-access-to-information-requests/

Provinces

Alberta
http://www.servicealberta.ca/foip/

British Columbia
Main: http://www.gov.bc.ca/citz/iao/foi/
Completed requests:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/search?id=4BAD1D13C68243D1960FECBBF7B8B091

Manitoba
Main: http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/fippa/
Completed requests: https://www.manitoba.ca/openmb/infomb/fippa.html
Proactive disclosure:
https://www.manitoba.ca/openmb/index.html
https://manitoba.ca/openmb/infomb/departments/index.html

New Brunswick
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/finance/office_of_the_chief_information_officer/content/rti.html

Newfoundland and Labrador
Main: http://www.atipp.gov.nl.ca/info/accessrequestform.html
Completed requests: http://atipp-search.gov.nl.ca/

Northwest Territories
https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/access-to-information-held-by-public-bodies/

Nova Scotia
Info: http://novascotia.ca/is/programs-and-services/information-access-and-privacy.asp
File a request online: https://iaprequest.novascotia.ca/
Completed requests: https://beta.novascotia.ca/search-previously-released-information-freedom-information-and-protection-privacy-foipop-request

The Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia
http://www.nsrighttoknow.ca/

Nunavut
http://www.gov.nu.ca/eia/information/how-place-atipp-request

Ontario
https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-make-freedom-information-request

Prince Edward Island
https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/justice-and-public-safety/freedom-information-and-protection-privacy-foipp

Quebec
Main: http://www.cai.gouv.qc.ca/english/

Saskatchewan
http://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/justice-crime-and-the-law/your-rights-and-the-law/make-a-freedom-of-information-request

Yukon
Main: http://www.atipp.gov.yk.ca/
Completed requests: https://open.yukon.ca/data/sites/default/files/20200800-Release.pdf

Cities

Calgary
https://www.calgary.ca/CA/city-clerks/Pages/Information-Access-Privacy/FOIP-request.aspx
Information disclosure: https://www.calgary.ca/ca/city-clerks/legislative-services/confidential-information-release.html

Halifax Regional Municipality http://www.halifax.ca/AccessPrivacy/index.php
Completed requests: https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/accountability-transparency/access-information/completed-requests

Ottawa
Main: http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/your-city-government/access-information-and-privacy
Completed requests: https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/accountability-and-transparency/accountability-framework/freedom-information-and-protection-privacy/disclosure-mfippa-requests

Regina
Main: https://www.regina.ca/city-government/administration/office-of-the-city-clerk/#outline-access-to-information-and-protection-of-privacy
Completed requests: http://open.regina.ca/group/freedom-of-information

Toronto
https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/access-city-information-or-records/freedom-of-information/
Completed requests: https://open.toronto.ca/dataset/freedom-of-information-requests-summary/

Vancouver
Main: http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/foi/index.htm
Completed requests: http://vancouver.ca/your-government/information-released-through-foi-requests-this-year.aspx

Winnipeg
Main: http://winnipeg.ca/clerks/fippa/
Completed requests: http://winnipeg.ca/clerks/fippa/AccessToInfo.stm

For next week: We will discuss filing informal and formal federal and provincial requests for records.

What we will cover:

Discussing what we learned about filing, informal access-to-information and freedom-of-information requests;
Learning about filing formal access-to-information requests;
Discussing story pitches;
Discussing the first assignment;
Split into your groups to discuss your pitches.

A shopping list of key records to obtain through a access-to-information request

20 records you can get using the federal Access to Information Act

1. RECORD: Ministerial briefing notes. DEPARTMENT: All departments. ASK FOR: All briefing notes prepared specifically to help the new minister become acquainted with his/her new portfolio. HINT: Make this request a week or two after a new cabinet is named. RESULT: Yields wide range of information about a department’s plans/activities.

2. RECORD: Expense claims. DEPARTMENT: All departments/agencies. ASK FOR: Receipts, invoices and guest lists detailing travel and hospitality expenses claimed by a deputy minister or other senior bureaucrat that are more detailed than the ones you’ll find in the information federal institutions are obliged to file on line. HINT: Limit request to no more than one year’s worth of claims.RESULT: Can reveal spending habits and establish dates of key meetings, dealings. Remember former federal heritage minister Bev Oda’s $16-dollar glass of orange juice!

3. RECORD: Correspondence. DEPARTMENT: All departments/agencies. ASK FOR: Correspondence with a minister or agency head on a topic of interest. HINT: Frame request narrowly. For instance, exclude letters from the public if you do not require them. RESULT: Can uncover letters from provincial premiers, lobby groups.

4. RECORD: House cards. DEPARTMENT: All departments. ASK FOR: All cards prepared for the minister in the House of Commons on a specific issue. HINT: Watch headlines, Commons debates for ideas. RESULT: Often contain much more detail, background than revealed in Question Period.

5. RECORD: Material on possible legislation. DEPARTMENT: All departments. ASK FOR: Records concerning possible legislation or other initiatives on a given issue. HINT: Limit request to cover the last year to ensure currency of material. RESULT: Provides insight into initiatives that might be in pipeline, and reasons why the initiatives might (or might not) proceed.

6. RECORD: Meeting minutes. DEPARTMENT: All departments/agencies. ASK FOR: Minutes from the two most recent meetings of a specific committee. HINT: Make calls to find out meeting schedules and whether minutes are kept. RESULT: Can aid in understanding internal policy debates and decisions.

7. RECORD: Audits. DEPARTMENT: All departments, most agencies. ASK FOR: Audits and evaluations completed by or for the department/agency on specific subjects in the last year. HINT: Ask department informally for list of audits conducted in the last year. RESULT: Audits often reveal shortcomings in programs, policies.

8. RECORD: Polls. DEPARTMENT: All departments, but especially Privy Council Office. ASK FOR: Polls conducted for the department on a given subject. HINT: Some (but not all) polls are released informally. RESULT: Can reveal public attitudes towards government policies.

9. RECORD: Contract information. DEPARTMENT: All departments. ASK FOR: A copy of the contract for a specific project such as the federal government’s beleaguered Phoenix pay system. HINT: Public Services and Procurement Canada administers many contracts, including Phoenix. RESULT: Reveals details of financial arrangements with private companies.

10. RECORD: Responses to discussion papers. DEPARTMENT: Any department that publishes consultation/discussion paper. ASK FOR:Copies of all submissions in response to the department’s paper. HINT: Put in request just after cut-off date for submissions. Only narrow request if certain submissions are required. RESULT: Reveals views of wide cross-section of groups on pressing issues.

11. RECORD: Contracted studies. DEPARTMENT: Privy Council Office. ASK FOR: Specific studies, research conducted for PCO. HINT: Ask informally for list of studies, which is updated regularly. RESULT: Yields advice prepared for government on unity, security, parliamentary affairs and other key issues.

12. RECORD: 20-year-old cabinet documents. DEPARTMENT: Privy Council Office. ASK FOR: Cabinet records on a specific issue. HINT:Check almanac for noteworthy past events. RESULT: Meeting minutes reveal thinking of ministers on issues. (Cabinet documents routinely become public only after 30 years).

13. RECORD: Prime Minister’s email. DEPARTMENT: Privy Council Office. ASK FOR: E-mail sent to the Prime Minister by visitors to his website. HINT: Limit request to a one-week period. RESULT: Names of correspondents are deleted, but letters yield an interesting mix of feedback, including light-hearted, angry and thoughtful correspondence.

14. RECORD: Criminal intelligence briefs. AGENCY: RCMP. ASK FOR: Criminal intelligence briefs prepared during the last six months. HINT:Make time-frame the last couple of years if you are seeking a brief on a specific subject. RESULT: Briefs cover issues such as aboriginal militancy, drug trade and smuggling.

15. RECORD: Incident reports. AGENCY: RCMP. ASK FOR: Incident report on a specific event. HINT: Broaden request to include other records if incident is a prolonged one, such as a standoff. RESULT: Can help explain police decision-making.

16. RECORD: Lessons learned. DEPARTMENT: National Defence. ASK FOR: “Lessons learned” from major military missions. HINT: Wait a month or two after mission is complete. RESULT: Provides evaluation of peacekeeping tours and other assignments.

17. RECORD: UFO reports. DEPARTMENT: Transport. ASK FOR: Reports of unidentified flying objects filed by the public. HINT: UFO reports are also often filed with Defence and RCMP. RESULT: Names of people who make reports are deleted, but other details can be released.

18. RECORD: Observer reports. DEPARTMENT: Fisheries. ASK FOR: Observer reports prepared for the department. HINTS: Limit request to specific geographic area and time frame. RESULTS: Can provide details about operations of foreign vessels.

19. RECORD: SIRC reports. AGENCY: Security Intelligence Review Committee. ASK FOR: Specific reports prepared by committee on CSIS activities. HINT: Reports are listed in back of committee’s annual report. RESULT: Reports, though heavily edited, provide check on spy agency CSIS.

20. RECORD: CRTC debriefing notes. AGENCY: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. ASK FOR: Debriefing notes prepared in connection with a specific licensing hearing. HINT: Make request shortly after licence decision is made. RESULT: Can provide behind-the-scenes reasoning on why TV, radio licences are granted or denied.

Ten ways to improve your searches

1. Look to the headlines for ideas.

2. Check the relevant federal websites for forms, contacts, info on departmental holdings.

3. Call the access co-ordinator before making your request.

4. Call the co-ordinator after submitting your request.

5. Make similar requests to more than one department, agency or government.

6. Keep a photocopy or scan of each request and attach all return correspondence.

7. Negotiate with departments, agencies or governments.

8. Be persistent. If necessary, complain.

9. Read and re-read the records you receive carefully.

10. Don’t get discouraged.

Links

Resources

Dean Beeby’s access-to-information tipsheet.pdf

Click here to see an example of an access-to-information request.

Click here to see freedom-of-information requests to E-Comm 9-1-1

Click here to see freedom-of-information request to WorkSafe BC

Canadian Access to Information News Story Index
http://www.canadafoi.ca/atianewsintro.pdf

To download the PowerPoint on the same topic, please click here.

Workflow

Group assignments: Make sure sure your access-to-information person begins filing requests. Members charged with other tasks should also be doing their jobs.

An initial group presentation about your topic due next class on  Jan 26. This work will evolve into a formal presentation that will be due April 6.

To download a tip sheet for pitching, editing and storyboarding an investigative project, please click here.

Each group will conduct initial public records (covered in Digging Deeper) research to find out everything they can about their topic – including:

• • • • What interests you about the topic?
      • What do you think will interest our audience?
      • What is new about this topic?
      • Determine what organizations, bodies or governments have any regulatory involvement or control over your topic and what each does;
      • How do the organizations work together (if they do) and when do they work at cross-purposes?
      • What isn’t regulated or controlled at all?
      • What do they monitor, how do they do it?
      • What sort of data do the organizations collect?
      • What format is the data in and what is the historical range of data accessible?
      • How easy it to obtain this data?
      • Is there information that might be available ONLY if we submit formal or informal access-to-information requests?
      • What do you want to know that you haven’t been able to find out?
      • What interests you?
      • What do you think will interest our audiences?
      • How can you build on the information in your shared folders on the Google drive?
      • Each presentation should be no longer than 20 minutes.

Answers to these questions should allow each group to develop initial ideas about your project.

• • • What angles seem worth pursuing?
    • What isn’t worth pursuing and why?
    • How can you engage your audience?
    • What media formats seem appropriate  – each group should prepare a presentation on all this for next week’s class?

For next week: Continue filing informal requests. Set up Google Alerts; Set up Tweetdeck feeds

Reading:  Chapter 10 of Digging Deeper

 Week 3:  Jan. 26

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOeCmelEEvY

First in-class group pitch

This presentation, based on each group’s initial research, will be written up as a PowerPoint and presented in class. Each member will be required to participate with a discussion about their contribution.

Discussion of next week’s ATIP requests which are due

What you will learn

Brief discussion about stories in your Google alerts produced by access-to-information requests;
Group presentations;

Links

Changes to freedom-of-information legislation will weaken B.C.’s democratic infrastructure, says Privacy Commissioner
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-changes-to-freedom-of-information-legislation-will-weaken-bcs/

Surrey moves to charge $10 for freedom-of-information requests, following province’s lead
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/10-foi-surrey-1.6324993

Canada flags unexplained illnesses for overseas staff to meet ‘duty of care’
https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/canada-flags-unexplained-illnesses-for-overseas-staff-to-meet-duty-of-care/

Canada pausing intake of highly skilled immigrant workers amid heavy backlog
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canada-pausing-intake-of-highly-skilled-immigrant-workers-amid-heavy-backlog

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT
https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96165_00

Canada investigating cyberattack amid tensions with Russia
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/canada-investigating-cyberattack-amid-tensions-russia-82475323

Assignment due: Initial group presentation

As part of its formal presentation, each group will present its findings about its topic,  answering the questions noted above, including outlining the data and information available and what isn’t available.

The group will propose ideas about what seems most interesting and worth pursuing, where there could be stories that would interest a general audience.

Each presentation should be 20 minutes.  All members of the group must participate in the presentation, explaining the work they have done thus far. Each presentation will be followed by a general discussion among the class about the ideas presented by the group in an attempt to refine them, compare and contrast what each group discovers and what that means for our overall projects. 

Readings: Review Chapter 4 in Digging Deeper

Assigned task for following class.
Creating annotations  in DocumentCloud

Week 4: Feb. 2

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBRJBhBhpMs

What you will learn:

Access-to-information requests due

Hansard and other public record searches;

Discussion of the second pitch due Feb 9.

Creating annotations  in DocumentCloud

Week 5: Feb. 9

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDJ_DfyC_Y8

Your formal pitch will be due.

Assignment – Presentation in this class of planned story concept and elements and proposed stories if more than one is contemplated.

Week 6: Feb. 16

What we will cover

Session on interviewing with  UBC librarian Joe Melanson
Bankruptcy searches;
Working with data.

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VkKFXgFfFk

Links

Investigative Journalism Search Tips.pptx

Data leak reveals Canadians, Americans donated millions to fund convoy protests
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-data-leak-reveals-canadians-americans-donated-millions-to-fund-convoy/

Data leak reveals Canadians, Americans donated millions to fund convoy protests.pdf

convoy_donations.csv

Canadians are responsible for roughly half of the money raised online for the trucker convoy, leaked data shows.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/world/canada/canada-trucker-protests-donations.html

Wage subsidies were meant to preserve jobs. In many cases, the $110.6-billion response padded bottom lines
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canada-emergency-wage-subsidy-data-analysis/

Wage subsidies were meant to preserve jobs. In many cases, the $110.6-billion response padded bottom lines.pdf

CEWS_Feb 15, 2022, scrape.csv

Over 60 per cent of B.C. opposes NDP efforts to charge for information:
Pollhttps://vancouversun.com/news/politics/as-requests-increase-govt-blocks-access-to-info?r

Documents reveal Ford government opted not to pursue $1-billion penalty from 407 Express Toll Route
https://www.thestar.com/business/2021/11/26/ford-brokers-secret-deal-with-407-toll-road-to-forgive-potential-1-billion-penalty.html

Documents reveal Ford government opted not to pursue $1-billion penalty from 407 Express Toll Route.pdf

Have you been bankrupt? You could become Minister of National Revenue
http://www.davidmckie.com/have-you-been-bankrupt-you-could-become-minister-of-national-revenue/

Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/bsf-osb.nsf/eng/home

Bankruptcy
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inbsf-osb.nsf/en/home

Tutorial for conducting bankruptcy searches

Bankruptcydata.com
http://bankruptcydata.com/

Solutions Journalism Guide

Statistics  Canada Tables
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/type/data

Police-reported hate crime, by type of motivation, Canada (selected police services)
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510006601

Police-reported hate crime, by most serious violation, Canada (selected police services)
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510006701

Police-reported hate crime, number of incidents and rate per 100,000 population, Census Metropolitan Areas
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510019101

Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories and Census Metropolitan Areas
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510017701

Bias behind bars: A Globe investigation finds a prison system stacked against Black and Indigenous inmates
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-investigation-racial-bias-in-canadian-prison-risk-assessments/

Correctional Services of Canada offender profile datasets
https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset?organization=csc-scc

Open Data File 20170409 v3.xlsx

Census Profile 2016
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=&Code2=&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0

CEWS Registry Results
https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/cews/srch/pub/fllLstSrh?dsrdPg=411&q.ordrClmn=NAME&q.ordrRnk=ASC

 Week 7: Feb. 23

Reading week

Week 8: March 2

What you will learn:

The basics of following money;
The difference between a publicly traded corporation and private company;
How to find out how much a company made;
How to find key numbers in a financial report;

Links

Access to information requests

National Newswatch
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/

West wages economic war on Russia with unprecedented sanctions
https://tgam.ca/3IA8fNt

West wages economic war on Russia with unprecedented sanctions.pdf

Canada to ban Russian oil imports, send anti-tank weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, says Trudeau
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/foreign-affairs-minister-more-lethal-aid-shipments-for-ukraine-1.6367163

International trade monthly interactive dashboard
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2020013-eng.htm

Russia_and_the_Global_Financial_Risks.pdf

Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2021004-eng.htm

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)
https://www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca/intro-eng

Office of the Auditor General of Canada
https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/english/admin_e_41.html

Parliamentary Budget Office
https://www.pbo-dpb.gc.ca/en/

CEWS Registry Results
https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/cews/srch/pub/bscSrch?dsrdPg=1&q.srchNm=car&q.ordrClmn=NAME&q.ordrRnk=ASC

Wage subsidies were meant to preserve jobs. In many cases, the $110.6-billion response padded bottom lines
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canada-emergency-wage-subsidy-data-analysis/

Wage subsidies were meant to preserve jobs_Globe and Mail investigation.pdf

When it comes to CEWS, it’s your money – but none of your business
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/taxes/article-when-it-comes-to-cews-its-your-money-but-none-of-your-business/

When it comes to CEWS, it’s your money – but none of your business

CEWS recipients_scraped Nov 2, 2021.xlsx

Air Canada to review French policies as CEO begins private instruction
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/air-canada-ceo-french-lessons-1.6242954

TD Investor Relations
https://www.td.com/investor-relations/ir-homepage/financial-reports/quarterly-results/qr-2021.jsp

TD Proxy Circulars
https://www.td.com/investor-relations/ir-homepage/share-information/proxy-circulars/proxy.jsp

TD Proxy Circular annotation uploaded to DocumentCloud
https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20498512-td-bank_e-2021-proxy-circular#document/p33/a2020896

MarketWatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/?link=MW_Nav_FP

Nasdaq
http://www.nasdaq.com/

Stockwatch
http://www.stockwatch.com/

Advanced Real-Time Chart Widget
https://www.tradingview.com/widget/advanced-chart/

Air Canada
https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home.html#/

Air Canada investor relations
https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/about/investor-relations.html

Air Canada 1st Quarter 2020 financial statement uploaded to DocumentCloud
https://www.documentcloud.org/search/Project:%20%22Corporate%20filings%22

Air Canada annual report uploaded to DocumentCloud
https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20494069-air-canada-audited-financial-statement-filed-feb-12-2021

Air Canada management discussion and analysis that accompanies the 2020 financial statement uploaded to DocumentCloud
https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20494072-air-canada_2020_mda_q4

Pfizer quarterly reports
https://investors.pfizer.com/financials/quarterly-reports/default.aspx

Pfizer 10-K uploaded to DocumentCloud
https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20494062-sec-filings_pfizer-10-k

Canadian Survey on Business Conditions: Impact of COVID-19 on businesses in Canada, May 2020
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200714/dq200714a-eng.htm?HPA=1

Economic and Fiscal Snapshot 2020
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/services/publications/economic-fiscal-snapshot.html

Economic and Fiscal Snapshot 2020 uploaded to DocumentCloud
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6983305-Economic-and-Fiscal-Snapshot-2020.html#document/p61/a570933

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Google Finance
http://finance.google.com/finance

Bank of Canada keeps key interest rate target on hold
https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/bank-of-canada-keeps-key-interest-rate-target-on-hold-1.5340944

Labour Force Survey in brief: Interactive app
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/14-20-0001/142000012018001-eng.htm

Bank of Canada
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/

Big Six Banks
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bigsixbanks.asp

RBC Economic Research
http://www.rbc.com/economics/#

BMO Capital Markets
http://economics.bmocapitalmarkets.com/

CIBC Economics Research
https://economics.cibccm.com/economicsweb/EconomicsHome#!WORKSPACE_ID=ECO_HOME

Scotia Bank Economics
http://www.gbm.scotiabank.com/ResearchCapabilities/RE_Scotia_Economics.htm

TD Economics
https://www.td.com/economics/analysis/economics-index.jsp

National Bank Economic Analysis
https://www.nbc.ca/en/rates-and-analysis/economic-analysis.html

BMO Financial Group
https://newsroom.bmo.com/index.php?s=2429

InvestD
https://invesd.com/home

Hoovers
http://www.hoovers.com/#megamenu_0.html

Summary table — Debt to equity ratio by industries (Statistics Canada)
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/61-219-x/2010000/t007-eng.htm

Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/

Financial glossary (Reuters)
http://glossary.reuters.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

Society of American Business Writers and Editors
http://sabew.org/resources/resources/

“Best Business Writing” anthologies compiled by Columbia University
For the most recent edition, click here 

Worthwhile Canadian Initiative
http://worthwhile.typepad.com/

SECURITIES COMMISSIONS

US Securities and Exchange Commision
https://www.sec.gov/

British Columbia Securities Commission
http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/

Alberta Securities Commission
http://www.albertasecurities.com/Pages/Default.aspx

Manitoba Securities Commission
http://www.msc.gov.mb.ca/index_en.html

Ontario Securities Commission
http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/en/home.htm
http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/en/Proceedings_before-commission_index.htm

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)
http://www.lautorite.qc.ca/index.en.html

Nova Scotia Securities Commission
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nssc/

The Securities Commission of Newfoundland and Labrador
http://www.gs.gov.nl.ca/cca/fsr/rulemaking/

Public sector money trails

Federal Budgets
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/services/publications/federal-budget.html

Five-Year Departmental Evaluation Plan 2020-2021 to 2024-2025
https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1601896999938/1601897029080

Ontario budget 2021
https://budget.ontario.ca/2021/contents.html

One patrol ship and 118 Crown vehicles vandalized, part of $24.2-million in lost property in 2018-19
https://www.hilltimes.com/2020/01/15/one-patrol-ship-and-118-crown-vehicles-vandalized-part-of-24-2-million-in-lost-property-in-2018-19/230140

Public Accounts of Canada 2020
https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/recgen/cpc-pac/2020/index-eng.html

Federal Public Accounts – PDF format
https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/301/public_accounts_can/pdf/index.html

Federal Public Accounts – Volume one
https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20493461-p51-1-2020-3-eng

Federal Public Accounts – Volume two
https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20493462-p51-1-2020-2-eng

Federal Public Accounts – Volume three
https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20493461-p51-1-2020-3-eng

BUSINESS REPORTING

Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism
http://businessjournalism.org/

Beginners’ Guide to Financial Statements (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)
http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/begfinstmtguide.htm

 Week 9:  March 9

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3hKV-DIbDU

 What you will  learn:

What you will learn
How to visualize data using Statistics Canada tables and Tableau

Links:

Canada to ban Russian oil imports, send anti-tank weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, says Trudeau
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/foreign-affairs-minister-more-lethal-aid-shipments-for-ukraine-1.6367163

International trade monthly interactive dashboard
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2020013-eng.htm

Energy Products_Jan 1, 2017-Dec 31, 2021_1210011901.csv

Tableau
https://www.tableau.com/

Russia_and_the_Global_Financial_Risks.pdf

Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2021004-eng.htm

Arms Trade specific chapter_Canada_93_2014-2021.xlsx

Arms Trade specific chapter_provinces_93_2014-2021.csv

How to dig into court records using CanLii, which includes quasi-judicial bodies such as human rights tribunals, labour boards, coroners’ reports and professional disciplinary bodies;
An introduction to court records (affidavits, search warrants, bankruptcy records, etc.)

Links

B.C.’s 9-1-1 system was plagued by staffing shortages and long wait times long before the heat wave crisis: documents
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-bcs-9-1-1-system-was-plagued-by-staffing-shortages-and-long-wait-times/

BC system was plagued by staffing shortages.pdf

British Columbia
Main: http://www.gov.bc.ca/citz/iao/foi/
Completed requests:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/search?id=4BAD1D13C68243D1960FECBBF7B8B091

The Canadian Legal Information Institute  (a voluntary initiative and is not a comprehensive listing of all class action lawsuits currently underway in Canada)
http://canlii.org/en/index.php

Proposed class action launched against Northwood over COVID-19 deaths
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/covid-19-class-action-launched-northwood-1.5595560

Proposed Northwood lawsuit expanded to seek damages from N.S. government
https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/proposed-northwood-lawsuit-expanded-to-seek-damages-from-n-s-government-1.4998568

A statement of claim in the proposed class action lawsuit against Halifax long-term care home Northwood.

Six Ontario nursing homes ‘failed to protect residents’ from COVID-19, proposed class action lawsuit alleges
https://www.cp24.com/news/six-ontario-nursing-homes-failed-to-protect-residents-from-covid-19-proposed-class-action-lawsuit-alleges-1.4913747

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against Responsive Group Inc., a company that owns several nursing homes in Ontario.

Proposed class action lawsuit led by former constable alleges racism in RCMP
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rcmp-lawsuit-racism-1.5648362

RCMP Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Systemic Racism
https://ca.topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/discrimination/rcmp-class-action-lawsuit-alleges-systemic-racism/

Class Action Database — Canadian Bar Association
https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/Class-Action-Database

Class Action Database (U.S.)
http://www.consumer-action.org/lawsuits/

Kim – Spencer – McPhee Barristers
http://www.kimorr.ca/index.html

Federal Court of Canada
https://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/home

The Criminal Code
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/

Supreme Court of Canada
https://www.scc-csc.ca/home-accueil/index-eng.aspx

Tax Court of Canada
http://www.tcc-cci.gc.ca/

Recent Courts Martial results
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/military-law/recent-courts-martial-results.html

List of Class Action Lawsuits (U.S)
http://www.classaction.org/list-of-lawsuits

Find out how to request a decision by the Parole Board of Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/parole-board/services/decision-registry.html

Quebec Human Rights Tribunal
http://www.tribunaux.qc.ca/mjq_en/TDP/index-tdp.html

Office of the Chief Coroner
https://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/DeathInvestigations/office_coroner/coroner.html

BC Coroners Service
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/death/coroners-service

Have you been bankrupt? You could become Minister of National Revenue
http://www.davidmckie.com/have-you-been-bankrupt-you-could-become-minister-of-national-revenue/

Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/bsf-osb.nsf/eng/home

Bankruptcy
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inbsf-osb.nsf/en/home

Tutorial for conducting bankruptcy searches

Bankruptcydata.com
http://bankruptcydata.com/

Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories and Census Metropolitan Areas
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510017701

Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in the Atlantic provinces
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510017801

Ontario discipline decisions
https://www.cpso.on.ca/News/Discipline-Decisions

Law Society of Upper Canada (list of disbarred lawyers)
http://www.lsuc.on.ca/with.aspx?id=2147486087

Office of the Chief Coroner  – Ontario
https://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/DeathInvestigations/office_coroner/coroner.html

Court Record Examples

COVID-19 related class action claim against an Ontaio nursing home chain
Statement of claim against the RCMP
Omar Khadr 2010 Supreme Court of Canada decision uploaded to DocumentCloud
 Factum containing demands that Khadr’s settlement be given to victim uploaded to DocumentCloud
Parole Board Decision
Bankruptcy Filing
The bishop’s search warrant uploaded to DocumentCloud
Divorce Proceeding
National Parole Board Statistics
 Notice of proposed Armed Forces Settlement

Assigned reading: Chapter 9 in Digging Deeper

Pre-class work: Chapter 7.6; Worksheet 3

Week 10: March 16

Update from groups;
Creating accounts to conduct bankruptcy searches;
Continue with visualization Canadian arms exports in Tableau;
Making sense of records received through access to information;
Decoding records.

Links

Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/bsf-osb.nsf/eng/home

Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (username and password creation) https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/registration-inscription/home.html?lang=eng

Experts warn that Canadian weapons shipped to Ukraine could end up in the wrong hands
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-weapons-ukraine-misuse-1.6386109

Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2021004-eng.htm

How the U.S. Lost Ground to China in the Contest for Clean Energy
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/21/world/us-china-energy.html

A man peeked into the construction site of a large Central African cultural center funded by the Chinese government in Kinshasa.pdf

‘Things are not going well’: City knew of reliability issues before accepting LRT system
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lrt-reliability-issue-testing-john-manconi-1.6249830

Inside Saint John’s response to a ‘devastating’ cyberattack
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/saint-john-cyberattack-records-1.6252873

Week 11: March 23

Class recording (NOTE: The Tableau tutorial begins at the 56 minute mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTyAK5hEv7o

What you will  learn

Review group work;
Discuss recently released records through access to information;
Continue working with arms export data and prepare to upload it to Tableau

Links:

Number of reported hate crimes set new record in 2020 as other crimes decreased: Statistics Canada
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/statistics-canada-hate-crimes-1.6389976

Why aren’t more hate crime charges being laid in Canada? A Globe and Mail analysis examines police performance across the country
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-why-arent-more-hate-crime-charges-being-laid-in-canada-a-globe-and/

Why aren’t more hate crime charges being laid in Canada? – PDF version

Investigation launched after National Research Council is hit by ‘cyber incident’
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nrc-cyber-incident-1.6392358

National Security and Intelligence Committee
https://www.nsicop-cpsnr.ca/index-en.html

 Week 12: March 30

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I56IVeez1xA

What you will learn

Detailed return to following money: Publicly traded companies; government budgets and public accounts;
Discussing the essentials of interviewing

2022 federal budget to be tabled April 7, Freeland says
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/2022-federal-budget-to-be-tabled-april-7-freeland-says-1.5839611

Federal budget 2021
https://www.budget.gc.ca/2021/home-accueil-en.html
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21183520-budget-2021-en

Federal Public Accounts
https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/350b4f13-d84a-4e94-b221-1109dc00ab39

Public Accounts 2021 – Vol 1
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21562922-2021-vol1-eng-1

Public Accounts 2021 – Vol 2
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21562923-2021-vol2-eng

Feds report $326.1-million in lost revenue, public money, property in 2020-21
https://www.hilltimes.com/2022/01/11/feds-report-326-1-million-in-lost-revenue-public-money-property-in-2020-21/337215

Feds report $326.1-million in lost revenue, public money, property in 2020-21.pdf

Public Accounts 111, 2020-21 uploaded to DocumentCloud
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21413988-2021-vol3-eng

CEWS Registry Results
https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/cews/srch/pub/bscSrch?dsrdPg=1&q.srchNm=car&q.ordrClmn=NAME&q.ordrRnk=ASC

CEWS downloadable
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/wage-rent-subsidies/emergency-wage-subsidy/cews-statistics.html

Corporations database online
https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html?locale=en_CA

SEDAR
https://www.sedar.com/

Air Canada consolidated statements and notes 2021 (uploaded to DocumentCloud)
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21304121-air-canada-2021-annual-report

Air Canada Management Discussion & Analysis (uploaded to DocumentCloud)
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21304141-air-canada-mda-2021

Air Canada Proxy Circular (uploaded to DocumentCloud)
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21304198-air-canada-management-proxy-circular-for-march-28-annual-meeting

MarketWatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/?link=MW_Nav_FP

Nasdaq
http://www.nasdaq.com/

Stockwatch
http://www.stockwatch.com/

Tradingview
https://www.tradingview.com/ideas/free/

Interviewing techniques

Six basic rules of interviewing.pdf

CBS 60 Minutes interview with former U.S. President Barack Obama —  Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KieU1kzUCRo

Charlie Rose interview with Barack Obama
https://charlierose.com/videos/26938

Links

ANALYSIS: 3 pages, 520 days of delay, and Canada’s busted access-to-information system
https://globalnews.ca/news/8415871/canada-access-to-information-delays-covid-19/

‘COVID is just purely an excuse’: Advocates call for auditor general review of access to information regime

Canada’s climate change efforts going from ‘failure to failure,’ says commissioner’s report
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-commissioner-report-failure-to-failure-1.6262523

Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/english/parl_lp_e_901.html

Ontario ignoring public’s rights to environmental consultation, public info: audit
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-auditor-general-report-environmental-audits-1.6257828

Office of the Auditor General of Ontario
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/annualreports.html

Inside the war on hate
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/heedless-to-hate-perilous-indifference-575777282.html

Statistics  Canada Tables
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/type/data

Police-reported hate crime, by type of motivation, Canada (selected police services)
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510006601

Police-reported hate crime, by most serious violation, Canada (selected police services)
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510006701

Police-reported hate crime, number of incidents and rate per 100,000 population, Census Metropolitan Areas
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510019101

Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories and Census Metropolitan Areas
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510017701

Bias behind bars: A Globe investigation finds a prison system stacked against Black and Indigenous inmates
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-investigation-racial-bias-in-canadian-prison-risk-assessments/

He Says He’s No Murderer. That’s Why He’s Still in Prison
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/nyregion/joseph-gordon-parole-murder.html

Correctional Services of Canada offender profile datasets
https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset?organization=csc-scc

Open Data File 20170409 v3.xlsx

Census Profile 2016
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=&Code2=&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0

CEWS Registry Results
https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/cews/srch/pub/fllLstSrh?dsrdPg=411&q.ordrClmn=NAME&q.ordrRnk=ASC

Ken Boessenkool and Mike Moffatt: It’s time for the banana talk, Mr. Macklem

‘COVID is just purely an excuse’: Advocates call for auditor general review of access to information regime

Summary of request for medical device records
https://open.canada.ca/en/search/ati/reference/0849a15c91060fc04a835730092db579

Medical devices complaint decision letter_SC – HC – CR – FR – 3218-01553 – A-2018-000166.pdf

Problems with implantable medical devices
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21137709-david-mckie-june-14-2021-delayed-release-of-records-re-problems-with-implantable-devices_a-2018-0001666_vn

Information Commissioner of Canada
https://www.oic-ci.gc.ca/en

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
https://www.ipc.on.ca/

The essential elements of a good interview;
Learning about different kinds of interviews (background, on-the-record);
How to conduct the accountability interview.

Links

Investigative Journalism Search Tips.pptx

BC assessment search
https://www.bcassessment.ca/

Briefing Book for the Minister of Public Safety Canada
https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/trnstn-bndrs/20191120/index-en.aspx

Theses Canada
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/services/theses/Pages/theses-canada.aspx

Interviewing techniques

Six basic rules of interviewing.pdf

CBS 60 Minutes interview with former U.S. President Barack Obama —  Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KieU1kzUCRo

Charlie Rose interview with Barack Obama
https://charlierose.com/videos/26938

Assigned task for following week: Follow the tutorial for chronology-building tutorial.
Using Excel to build chronologies

Assigned task for the following week: Watch the tutorial for downloading Ontario political financing data.

Week 13: April 6

Class recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TU7zZWf3No

What we will cover

Finish discussion about filing access-to-information complaints;
Story pitches from all three groups;
Course wrap-up;

Links

At Canada’s universities, institutional racism more than a case of a few bad apples

Additional Resources

In Behind the Scenes: A Canadian Journalism Foundation with Globe and Mail investigative reporters discussing their techniques and tips
https://twitter.com/cjffjc/status/1466850238677794816

Data Journalism Academy: Writing with data
https://sites.google.com/view/mj-basic-data-academy/data-state-of-mind/writing-with-data?authuser=0

The Quartz guide to bad data
https://github.com/Quartz/bad-data-guide

Michael Creagen’s instructional video for photo ideas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Gb69vlxKo&feature=youtu.be

Downloadthemall (Youtube demo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzl4WIExeUA

Downloadthemall (for Firefox)
https://www.downthemall.net/

Downloadthemall (for Chrome)
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/downthemall/nljkibfhlpcnanjgbnlnbjecgicbjkge?hl=en