All posts by Marc-Andre Cossette

Language courses more critical than ever for refugees to Canada

DataJournlism4_2016, , , , , , ,
Share

Asam Aldori narrows his eyes and knits his bushy brow.

He’s choosing his words carefully.

“This country protected me — helped me, saved me and my family,” he says in broken English. “That means I must know the culture and must connect with the people: do something for this country.”

Fifty years old, Aldori lives with his three children in a modest apartment in Ottawa’s Vanier neighbourhood.

It’s a world away from their native Baghdad: a city they had to flee in 2007, after al-Qaeda threatened to kill Aldori for his work with a prominent Iraqi politician.

The family escaped to the Syrian capital of Damascus. Four years later, war found them again.

When they arrived in Ottawa as government-assisted refugees in June 2015, the Aldoris faced a challenge shared by a growing number of refugees who call Canada home: learning English or French.

According to analysis of data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 54 per cent of refugees who arrived in Canada in 2014 didn’t know either English or French. It was the first time since 2002 that more than half of refugees arriving in Canada weren’t familiar with either of the country’s official languages.

Though learning a new language can be a daunting challenge — especially later in life — it’s one Aldori is determined to overcome.

“Language is very important here. Because if I want to work, I must talk. If I go out shopping, I must talk,” he says.

“I don’t sit in my home and talk only Arabic. No,” he adds, shaking his head. “I go out and talk — with anyone.”

Speaking to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights last May, federal Immigration Minister John McCallum said language training is a “top priority” when it comes to refugees.

It’s a priority that Emilie Coyle knows well.

“It’s paramount,” she says. “It’s the first thing you have work on — that and getting gainful employment.”

Coyle is the senior director of newcomer services with the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region. Her team includes Ottawa’s Language Assessment and Referral Centre, which determines newcomers’ ability to read, write, speak, and listen in either English or French.

Coyle and her colleagues are seeing more and more refugees with little to no knowledge of English or French. Of all the Syrian refugees assessed by the centre since April, 84 per cent were found to be illiterate in their own language, never mind English or French.

That shouldn’t be surprising, she adds, because the government purposefully resettled the most vulnerable of refugees.

With so many refugees having received little in the way of formal schooling, Coyle says language schools are trying to develop new approaches to allow students to learn outside the classroom — and maybe even find work, too.

“It’s really unrealistic for us to think that they can be spending all this time sitting in a chair in a classroom,” she says. “Contrary to what some people believe, refugees are not here to live off the system.”

Refugees in Canada - Arrivals vs. Language Course Participation

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Facts and Figures 2014). (Graphic credit: Marc-André Cossette)

For now, Aldori is more than happy to be attending ESL courses five days a week, between 9 a.m. and noon from Monday to Friday. He started only two months after he first arrived, and he’s progressed two levels.

But it’s his children’s own progress that he is most proud of. None of his three kids spoke English when they came to Canada, but Aldori says two of them are already at the top of their class in school.

“It’s a good life and a safe life,” he says. “I and my family are very lucky.”

Originally from Baghdad, Asam Aldori and his three children arrived in Ottawa as refugees in June 2015. Aldori attends ESL courses five days a week to learn English. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)
Originally from Baghdad, Asam Aldori and his three children arrived in Ottawa as refugees in June 2015. Aldori attends ESL courses five days a week to learn English. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)

Need major repairs? Better hope you have a good landlord

DataJournalism3_2016, , , ,
Share
Located at 235 Cooper St., the Manhattan building is just one of hundreds in Ottawa's Somerset Ward that tenants say need major repairs.
Located at 235 Cooper St., the Manhattan building is in Ottawa’s Somerset Ward, an area with a high number of buildings tenants say need major repairs. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)

Note: The tenant featured in this story asked that his name not be included. A fictional name is used instead.

Justin Smith knew what he was getting into when he moved into the Manhattan building at 235 Cooper St.

“It’s old,” Smith said with a chuckle. “It was built in the 1930s with 1930s sensibilities in mind.”

The Manhattan is an attractive, four-storey apartment block, with a red brick façade, and Art Deco-inspired doors and columns.

Jonas Langille worries that the large cracks running across the floors and walls in his apartment building are signs of an underlying structural problem.
Justin Smith wonders whether the large cracks running across the floors and walls in his apartment building are signs of an underlying structural problem. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)

A stone’s throw from the bustle of Elgin Street, it was just the kind of place Smith was looking for in April 2015 when he moved in.

“I like living here. It’s got a little character,” he said.

But like dozens of other buildings in Ottawa’s downtown core, the Manhattan is starting to show its age.

“They do a great job of gussing it all up and making it look pretty good,” Smith said. “But there are some structural things you notice that are always in the back of your mind.”

Like a crumbling, three-foot-wide ceiling patch in the lobby, with several layers exposed. Elsewhere in the building, obvious cracks stretch six feet across the tiled floor, while others run the entire length of the hall’s textured walls.

“I wonder if that’s the wall itself or just the veneer,” Smith asked himself. “Is this a sign of things to come? Is this a sign that perhaps this building is not structurally sound? I’m not sure.”



(Click the note above to read the City of Ottawa’s entire Property Standards By-Law.)

According to analysis of data from Statistics Canada’s 2011 National Household Survey, more than 2,000 homes or apartments across Somerset Ward were reported as needing major repairs.

Source: Statistics Canada (2011 National Household Survey).

In Smith’s immediate neighbourhood alone, near the eastern edge of the ward, there are 455 homes or units that reportedly need major repairs.

People responding to the survey were asked to assess the condition of their residence. The survey provided examples of problems that would need major repairs, including defective plumbing or faulty wiring, as well as structural problems affecting walls, floors or ceilings.



(Click the note above to read Statistics Canada’s entire Housing Reference Guide for the 2011 National Household Survey.)

And it’s not just issues with the walls or floors that Smith has had to deal with.

“These were all two-pronged outlets,” he said, pointing to the newly installed electrical outlets.

Smith had to ask his landlord to update all of the outlets and wiring in his apartment, a job that he said required “tremendous work.”

And while he credited his landlord for accepting to do the work, Smith said he had to insist on the upgrade. “‘Well, why don’t you just use an adapter plug?’” his landlord asked him.

Even with the new outlets, Smith worries they aren’t properly grounded. “I’ve gotten a few shocks,” he said, adding that he’s still concerned about the risk of an electrical fire.

Pascale Ouellette is a lawyer with the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic. She said the clinic handles the vast majority of tenancy-related cases across the city, especially those involving low-income residents.

“What we generally see are minor and regular maintenance issues,” said Ouellette, adding that they deal with these kinds of cases “all the time.”

To Jonas Langille, the damaged ceiling in the lobby of the Manhattan building where he lives at 235 Cooper St. is a worrying sign of other potential issues with the building.
To Justin Smith, the damaged ceiling in the lobby of his apartment building might be a  sign of other potential issues. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)

Ouellette said she and her colleagues will occasionally also treat cases involving major repairs, usually after a major flood or once a building is condemned.

While some landlords are more accommodating than others, Ouellette said the clinic will always support whatever decision the tenant decides to take. This might involve contacting the City of Ottawa’s Property Standards By-Law officers in order to issue a warning or fine, or instead filing an application with the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Smith said he’s grateful he hasn’t had to go that far. And as much as he likes the building, he said he’s looking forward to moving out sometime in the new year.

Tickets for illegally parking in accessible spaces up again in 2015

DataJournalism2_2016, , , , , ,
Share

The number of tickets issued in Ottawa for illegally parking in a space reserved for the physically disabled hit a six-year high in 2015.

According to City of Ottawa parking data obtained through an access to information request, a total of 2,506 tickets were issued last year for the infraction, up 13 per cent from 2,208 tickets in 2014.

Troy Leeson leads the City of Ottawa’s parking enforcement program. He said the increase is the result of improved enforcement, thanks in large part to the city’s deputization program. The program trains property owners to enforce parking by-laws on their property, without having to resort to city officials.

“One of the biggest challenges with a person who parks (illegally) in disabled parking is time. They know it’s a big ticket, and they’re going to try to be in and out of their location as quickly as they can,” said Leeson. “But as more places take control of their own property, they have somebody on site and they’re able to address their parking issues much quicker.”

Source: City of Ottawa.
Most of the top 10 hotspots in 2015 were shopping centres with large parking lots, routinely patrolled by deputized officers. The most ticketed location was the Walmart Supercentre at the Ottawa Train Yards, where 133 tickets were issued. Close behind was the College Square Loblaws, with 130 tickets.

More tickets? More money in city coffers

Only people with certain health conditions can apply for an accessible parking permit. Accessible parking spaces are wider than conventional spaces, allowing easier access to and from the vehicle. They are also normally located as close as possible to building entrances.

An accessible parking permit sits on the dashboard of a car parked at the Walmart Train Yards Supercentre in Ottawa.

An accessible parking permit sits on the dashboard of a car parked at the Walmart Supercentre at the Ottawa Train Yards on Oct. 22, 2016. In 2015, 133 people received tickets there for illegally parking in a space reserved for the physically disabled — more than anywhere else in Ottawa that year. CARLETON UNIVERSITY/Marc-André Cossette

Anyone parked illegally in those spaces runs the risk of a $450 fine: the highest of all parking-related fines regulated by the city. If paid voluntarily within 15 days, the fine can be reduced to $350.



(Click the note above to read the entire City of Ottawa parking by-law.)

 
Either way, more tickets means more money in city coffers. Last year alone, parking officers issued $816,938 in fines for this infraction, but Leeson insists the focus is on compliance.

“Don’t get me wrong: the dollars are certainly a by-product of the program and the city will happily accept those dollars, but at the end of the day,” he said, “it’s about making people aware of the by-law and ensuring they leave the spaces available for those who need them.”

Enforcement only part of the solution

James Hicks lives in Ottawa, walks with a cane, and knows first-hand the frustration of finding someone parked illegally in an accessible parking space.

“It drives me crazy,” he said. “I’ll knock on their window and say, ‘You know, you do realize that if you’re here, someone else can’t park here who needs to, right? Think about it.’ ”

Hicks is the national co-ordinator of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, an organization working to ensure equal access for people with a disability across Canada. He welcomes the city’s efforts to crack down on illegal parking, but says ticketing alone won’t solve the issue.

“Most of the people that I know who get tickets tend to be repeat offenders,” he said, adding that more must be done to raise awareness about the importance of accessible parking.

“I do think that a campaign around what those spots are, indicating what the implications are for people if you park (illegally) in those spots — that that maybe will help give more awareness,” he said.

In the meantime, Troy Leeson has a simple message for anyone thinking about parking illegally: “Leave the spots to those who need them.”

Mediterranean refugee and migrant deaths threaten to set grim new record

DataJournalism2016_1, , , , , , , , , ,
Share

3,171 refugees and migrants died or disappeared attempting to cross the Mediterranean during the first eight months of 2016, a 20 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

The startling figure is the result of analysis of data made available by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Julia Black leads the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, which documents migrant deaths worldwide. “If the pace keeps up,” she says, “we are on track to have the most deaths in the Mediterranean (ever recorded in a single year).”

Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive on the island of Lesvos in Greece. (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive on the island of Lesvos in Greece. (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The Central Mediterranean route, which connects North Africa to Italy, saw the highest number of deaths this year, claiming 2,719 lives between January and August. The route has long been recognized as the deadliest crossing in the Mediterranean by groups such as the IOM and Médecins Sans Frontières. But Black says new smuggling tactics have led to more deaths this year.

“Now that there are a lot of rescue operations off the coast of Libya,” says Black, “smugglers will basically equip a boat, often overload it, and give it basically enough petrol to take it out of Libyan waters, so it can be rescued by these rescue operations. But then the ship will suddenly stop, and the people are stranded at sea.”

Smugglers are also increasingly launching multiple boats at once, each potentially carrying hundreds of migrants. When the boats scatter and encounter trouble on the open waters, rescue vessels are left scrambling.

Mediterranean refugee and migrants deaths by migration route (2015-16)

A gruesome responsibility

Few people understand the grisly task of recovering dead bodies better than Jan Bikker, a forensics specialist with the International Committee of the Red Cross. Since May, Bikker has been in Athens, Greece — part of the Eastern Route that migrants take from Turkey — training organizations on how to recover and identify dead migrants.

Bikker has responded to seven shipwrecks since his arrival. “It’s always difficult because, well, normally half of the people who are involved are children, or at least young adults,” he says. And while Bikker is well prepared to respond to these catastrophes, he knows the toll it can take on coast guard crews. “Recovering babies is, of course, not part of their normal job,” he says. “Emotionally, I’m sure many of them will be affected.”

Asked whether he sees an end in sight to the crisis, Bikker offers a bleak assessment: “I don’t think there will be a stop to it.”

No end in sight?

According to Scott Watson, an associate professor of political science at the University of Victoria, this year’s Mediterranean death toll may actually be tied to increased patrolling. Watson points to a similar situation along the U.S.-Mexico border. “As enforcement picked up, they managed to reduce the number of crossings,” he says, “but it forced migrants into more dangerous routes, and so the numbers of fatalities have increased.”

Back in Europe, the number of migrant deaths is all the more concerning considering the number of persons attempting the crossing has fallen by just over 20 per cent. The drop is due in large part to the closing of the Balkan borders, as well as the agreement negotiated this March between the European Union and Turkey.

Like Bikker, Watson is unsure the crisis can be resolved. “The international community is clearly aware of what’s going on and the need to do something,” he says. Watson points to recent efforts to drum up support for increased refugee resettlement, but remains skeptical. “I’m not sure that the tools they have are ultimately going to resolve this, but at least that’s one of the options that’s been kicked around.”

B.C. government looks to save millions in prescription drug costs

ATI_Story, , , , , , , , , , ,
Share
COSSETTE-Etanercept_Enbrel
A patient holds an Enbrel auto-injector syringe. Enbrel (Etanercept) is one of several biologic drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. (Creative Commons licence provided courtesy of Flickr user mnicolem)

Faced with soaring prescription costs, the B.C. government is looking for alternatives to expensive biologic drugs, not long ago hailed as revolutionary.

Used to treat debilitating joint disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, biologics were “game-changers” when they were first invented 15 to 20 years ago, said Dr. Jason Kur, president of the B.C. Society of Rheumatologists.

Biologics are genetically-engineered proteins, developed using living cells. As such, they are far more complex — and costly — than drugs manufactured through a conventional chemical process.

According to documents obtained through an access to information request, B.C. PharmaCare spent a record $82.5 million in 2014 to treat the three most common forms of inflammatory arthritis using biologics. That’s more than 12 times the amount the province spent on these medications when they were first introduced in 2002.

Excerpt from an information note provided to B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake
Click annotation to see full document



With an annual cost of around $20,000 per patient, one drug alone — Infliximab — accounted for $51 million in spending in 2012-13: PharmaCare’s single largest drug expenditure that fiscal year.

Documents also show the number of patients receiving PharmaCare coverage for a biologic to treat one of the three most common forms of inflammatory arthritis grew more than tenfold, from 547 patients in 2002 to over 6,400 patients in 2014.

Cheryl Koehn understands the importance of biologics first-hand.

A former Olympic-calibre volleyball player, she was just 27 when she developed rheumatoid arthritis 27 years ago.

“Before these drugs, we basically were left at home to become disabled and die,” said Koehn, who now works as founding president of Arthritis Consumer Experts, a national organization offering science-based information to Canadians living with arthritis.

But PharmaCare administrators hope subsequent entry biologics (SEBs) will offer not only comparable patient results, but also huge savings to the province.

Biologics cannot be perfectly replicated, but SEBs — or “biosimilars” — have been shown to offer similar relief of patients’ symptoms. In other words, they are designed to be comparable, but not identical to the original biologic on which they are based. Importantly, they are also developed to be significantly less expensive.

Since Feb. 19, 2016, a biosimilar of Infliximab — Inflectra — has been available through PharmaCare, priced about a third lower than the original Infliximab. Inflectra is also listed in provincial drug coverage plans in Ontario and Quebec, and will be available in Manitoba in April.

Excerpt from B.C. PharmaCare’s February 2016 newsletter
Click annotation to see full document


Kur said he and his colleagues are “cautiously optimistic” about the arrival of biosimilars in B.C.

“We’re all quite aware these are some of the biggest costs driving drug expenditures,” he said, adding there are some lingering concerns.

Many of the original biologics have more than one or two decades’ worth of data to support their safety and efficacy, he said. “That’s not something that should be taken lightly.”

Still, Kur supports the B.C. government’s decision to have Inflectra prescribed to patients who have never before taken Infliximab. Long-term studies conducted in Europe strongly suggest the drug is just as safe and effective as the original biologic.

Koehn, too, agrees that SEBs offer an exciting opportunity, especially if the provincial government re-invests savings to expand coverage to other biologics and SEBs.

She also hopes the government might relax some of the eligibility criteria, which require patients to take less effective medication before being considered for a biologic.

Only biologics and SEBs, said Koehn, can restore up to 50, 70 or even 90 per cent of a patient’s health.

“It’s like saying to a cancer patient, ‘We’ll get rid of 20 per cent of your tumour and tough luck with the rest,’” said Koehn. “You don’t say that to cancer patients, so why should you say that to people with auto-immune arthritis?”

Additional information and ATI requests

B.C. Ministry of Health – Information note and additional information

ATI request – Federal government – Public Safety Canada

ATI request – Provincial government – Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services

ATI request – Municipal government – City of Ottawa

ATI request – Federal government (previously completed request) – Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

Spike in Ottawa human trafficking incidents signals improved awareness, uphill battle

Data_Assignment, , , , , , , , ,
Share

Police in Ottawa uncovered a record 24 incidents of human trafficking in 2014, but experts say there are countless more cases that go unreported.

According to analysis of crime data from Statistics Canada, the number of police-reported incidents of human trafficking has more or less doubled every year in Ottawa since 2010.

Sgt. Jeff Leblanc, lead investigator with the Ottawa Police Service’s Human Trafficking Unit, said that number will only continue to grow.

“As long as we’re out there doing more proactive work to find out what the full picture is in the city,” he said, “we’ll see an upward trend for the next little while.”

The Criminal Code defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, harbouring or control of a person and their movements, typically for the purposes of sexual or labour exploitation.

Though human trafficking-related offences have been on the books for more than 10 years, it was only five years ago the Ottawa police uncovered its first major case.

Excerpt from the Criminal Code
Click annotation to see full document


Sex trafficking victims are often advertised on online classifieds site like Backpage.com. On Friday, March 18, over 260 women were listed in Ottawa.
Sex trafficking victims are often advertised on online classifieds site like Backpage.com. On Friday, March 18, over 260 women were listed in Ottawa.

Leblanc said the most recent swell in the number of incidents reflects a growing awareness about human trafficking — both within the police force and across the city.

In October 2013, the Ottawa Police Service launched a two-year pilot human trafficking unit. Led by Leblanc and staffed by four detectives, the unit has worked not only to identify and rescue trafficking victims, but also to help service providers and first responders recognize the signs of human trafficking.

Excerpt from the Ottawa Police Service’s 2014 Annual Report
Click annotation to see full document


Zaneta Miranbigi chairs the Ottawa Coalition to End Human Trafficking, which brings together a wide range of organizations likely to encounter victims of trafficking. These include victim services groups, health care providers, as well as youth shelters and group homes. Miranbigi also credited the trafficking unit’s work for the increased number of reported incidents.

“When word gets out there’s a dedicated unit, victims are much more likely to report than when they know they’re dealing with officers who don’t have a clue,” she said.

While this may be cause for optimism, Miranbigi cautioned the scale of the problem goes far beyond incidents recorded by the police.

A landmark 2014 report from local community organization Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking in Humans (PACT)-Ottawa found 140 trafficking victims between June 2013 and April 2014.

Excerpt from PACT-Ottawa’s 2014 Local Safety Audit Report
Click annotation to see full document


But even those numbers are now far off the mark, said Miranbigi. “If you were to talk to any of my service providers around the table on the coalition, they will all tell you it’s a gross underestimation of what the actual reality is.”

Despite efforts by police, advocacy groups and service providers, Miranbigi said trafficking victims are often reluctant to contact law enforcement.

Youth are very impressionable, and may be convinced by their traffickers that they will be charged for their involvement in the sex trade if they report. Similarly, many victims fear they might be shamed by officers or the broader community once they leave their trafficking situation.

“There’s so much more work to be done on this,” said Miranbigi. She warned that a lack of sustained funding poses a real threat to the progress that has been made over the past several years.

Though the human trafficking unit’s formal lifespan has come to an end, it continues to operate while the police service mulls whether it should be made permanent.

Both Leblanc and Miranbigi hope that Ontario’s anti-human trafficking strategy — to be released in June — might help support their efforts to combat human trafficking in Ottawa.

A squandered opportunity: 25 years after royal commission, Canada’s relationship with aboriginals remains fractured

WEHT_story, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Share

It was hailed as Canada’s last chance to make amends. But 25 years on, it seems most aboriginals agree the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples failed to restore Canada’s relationship with indigenous peoples.

“It was virtually ignored and laid to gather dust,” says former commissioner Paul Chartrand, who represented Métis people.

Chartrand remembers aboriginal organizations rallying behind the commission’s recommendations. But faced with government inaction, fervour soon gave way to disappointment. “The shouts turned to murmurs, and the murmurs died away.”

Established in 1991, the commission was born of growing clashes between aboriginals and non-aboriginals. These tensions had reached a flashpoint in the 1990 Oka Crisis: the 78-day standoff that pitted Canadian soldiers against Mohawks from the Quebec community of Kanesatake over a land dispute.

Then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney gave the commission an ambitious mandate — to redress “literally centuries of injustice.” By the time the commission released its report in 1996, its costs had ballooned to $58 million, making it the most expensive royal commission in Canadian history.


The commissioners roundly condemned Canada’s long-standing assimilationist policies. Their report contained 440 recommendations, setting out a twenty-year plan to address indigenous issues: from self-governance to resources, economic development to social and cultural affairs.


But when asked about the commission’s legacy, Chartrand offers a bleak assessment: “None of the significant foundational recommendations were ever accepted.”


In response to the commission’s findings, Liberal Minister of Indian Affairs Jane Stewart apologized in 1998 to residential school survivors. “To those of you who suffered this tragedy, we are deeply sorry,” she said.


Unfortunately, to many aboriginal observers, that’s where the government’s efforts ended.

“That was the one public statement that I think captured the Canadian imagination for at least a news day,” says Cindy Blackstock, who heads the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. “Then it faded into the white noise of Canadian society.”

Ten years later, Prime Minister Stephen Harper again apologized for Canada’s residential schools — but not before scrapping the Kelowna Accord in 2006. Endorsed a year earlier by Paul Martin’s Liberal government, the agreement would have provided $5 billion towards Aboriginal education, employment, housing and health. The Conservatives committed $450 million.

Little progress has been made against the litany of problems facing aboriginals. Inadequate housing remains a reality in many indigenous communities, as was seen in 2011 in Attawapiskat. Despite representing only three per cent of Canada’s population, aboriginal adults make up a quarter of inmates in provincial and territorial jails. First Nations youth remain five to six times more likely to commit suicide than their non-aboriginal peers.

And aboriginal leaders struggle to spur Ottawa into action. “I never anticipated how difficult it would be to get the federal government to respond to basic equity issues for children,” says Blackstock. Blackstock recently won a nine-year-long legal battle against the federal government before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which found Ottawa provides far less child welfare funding to on-reserve children than provinces do off-reserve.

But Hayden King, director of Ryerson University’s Centre for Indigenous Governance, remains optimistic. He says the commission’s work offers a path forward, pointing to the Idle No More protest movement.

A young girl holds a placard at an Idle No More protest in London, Ont. on March 21, 2013. (Creative Commons licence provided courtesy of Flickr user The Indignants)
A young girl holds a placard at an Idle No More protest in London, Ont. on March 21, 2013. (Creative Commons licence provided courtesy of Flickr user The Indignants)

“Canadians were just losing their minds. ‘What do the Indians want?’” King says the commission’s report “was a helpful device for people to put forward and say, ‘If you’re curious, give this a read. Take a look at this. Understand your own history to better understand what we’re asking for.’”

Now that the Liberal government has committed to carrying out all 94 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations, aboriginals can only hope history won’t again repeat itself.

———

Documentation – 1

a) Institute on Governance. (2014). Revisiting RCAP. Towards Reconciliation: The Future of Indigenous Governance. Symposium Discussion Paper.

b) I found this discussion paper through a Google search early in my research process. Considering the breadth of the commission’s actual report (i.e. close to 4,000 pages), I was looking for an effective summary of the commission’s work and recommendations, as well as developments since the release of its report.

c) This discussion paper was an extremely valuable reference throughout my research and writing process. It provided a useful overview of the commission’s work and recommendations, quickly bringing me up to speed in advance of my interviews. It was also a useful resource while conducting those interviews; having marked up a paper copy, I was able to flip back and forth between relevant sections while discussing various aspects of the commission’s work with my sources.

Documentation – 2

a) Feschuk, S. and Platiel, R. (November 22, 1996). The Globe and Mail. Natives warn Ottawa not to ignore report.

b) I found this press clipping through ProQuest’s Historical Newspapers database, available through Ryerson University. More specifically, I searched for articles published near the date of the release of the commission’s final report.

c) This article was helpful in gaining a sense of the initial reaction from both aboriginal leadership and the federal government immediately following the release of the commission’s report. Besides providing insight into the reasons behind the government’s slow response, this information helped inform my line of questioning for all four of my interviews.

Twitter reports $105M operating loss due to rising costs

Assignment_One_Business, , , , ,
Share
Twitter's splash screen appears on a mobile phone.
Twitter’s splash screen appears on a mobile phone. CARLETON UNIVERSITY/Marc-André Cossette

Two years since going public, social networking site Twitter is still losing money. According to its latest quarterly financial statement, the company posted a third-quarter operating loss of $105 million.



Never mind that this result is a 35 per cent improvement over the same period last year, when the company lost $161 million through its operations. Twitter’s stock price still fell sharply following last quarter’s announcement, with the company’s management team acknowledging it may not be able to turn a profit.

Analysts, too, are growing wary of the company’s long-term prospects. “If Twitter can’t get out of this situation, and it’s coming to the end of that time, they’re going to be in trouble,” said Gartner technology analyst Brian Blau.

Twitter’s stock price over time


Source: TradingView.com

INVESTMENTS KEY TO LONG-TERM GROWTH

Twitter was weighed down last quarter by increased spending. The company’s total costs jumped close to 30 per cent, rising to just under $675 million compared to $523 million in the same period last year.

Much of the added spending came from what the company calls “traffic acquisition costs,” referring to the amount Twitter must pay when selling its ads to third parties. Twitter relies heavily on advertising sales for revenue. But to broaden the reach of those advertisements through third parties, the company spent an additional $38 million last quarter compared to the same period the previous year.

The company also invested an additional $25 million in its data centres — the facilities that house its servers and networking equipment. The importance of such investments was underlined earlier this month, when millions of people worldwide were unable to access Twitter after it crashed on Jan. 15, 18 and 19.

Blau said this level of spending is not unusual for a growing technology company with global aspirations like Twitter. The problem isn’t so much Twitter’s need to invest in its future, he said, but rather that this spending is dragging on longer than anticipated. “They had said that 2015 was going to be the year of rebuilding. Well, clearly that wasn’t the case.” For its part, Twitter has already confirmed that it expects its costs will continue to increase.

FIERCE COMPETITION, FLAGGING INNOVATION ARE UNDERLYING CHALLENGES

For Mustapha Cheikh-Ammar, an assistant professor at the Ivey Business School who specializes in social networking sites, Twitter’s greatest challenge remains attracting and retaining new people to its service. It’s no secret, he said, that the rate at which people are joining Twitter has been declining steadily, in part due to stiff competition from social networking goliath Facebook and similar sites. Twitter has readily acknowledged this threat in its latest quarterly statement.


More fundamentally, Twitter has an innovation problem. Cheikh-Ammar said Facebook has had much greater success in terms of adding new features, which helps ensure people keep coming back for more. Twitter, on the other hand, has barely evolved from its original design, with little to no major modifications.

While analysts agree that Twitter must make drastic changes in order to grow, the path forward is anything but obvious.

“They’re in a real conundrum,” said Blau. “How do you change Twitter without alienating current users, while making it attractive to everybody else?”

During the company’s third quarter earnings call, Twitter’s chief executive officer Jack Dorsey re-affirmed plans to simplify services and better communicate the company’s value.

Investors will have to wait and see what new direction Twitter ultimately takes, but they will soon have another opportunity to consider their support for the company. Twitter’s fourth quarter and fiscal year results are expected Feb. 10.