FAIR Progress Report: 2008-2010

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The following is a summary of progress achieved over the past two years ending August 2010.

Strategic Direction

We developed a long-term vision and plans for change, using a collaborative process, and published this on our website.

Internet-Based Education And Outreach

We migrated the FAIR website onto Drupal, a sophisticated open-source software platform, also used by organizations such as Amnesty International, the White House and Harvard University. This migration included:

  • a new professionally-designed ‘look and feel’
  • greatly expanded content – approximately 700 pages including educational pieces, news, book reviews, video clips, documentaries and movies.
  • website content categorized into 150 searchable topics
  • more interactive facilities (e.g. users can ‘star’ their favourite articles and add their own comments).

This new platform also provides the potential for many more features and unlimited growth.

We created a new Facebook group which replicates all news from the regular FAIR website. More than 130 people joined this group in the first month.

We are keeping our readers informed using three types of mass email: ad-hoc updates for breaking news; a regular monthly headlines roundup, and press releases. These reach more than 600 people, including more than 120 mainstream media contacts.

Our website traffic is growing, ranging from 2,000 - 3,500 unique visitors per month. Visitors spend significant time studying material on the website: more than 200 person-hours per month.

We monitor traffic patterns on our website, and observe substantial numbers of visitors from: Public Works and Government Services, Transport Canada, CBC, Foreign Affairs, the House of Commons, the Department of Justice, and Treasury Board.

Media Coverage

The mainstream media are much more aware of FAIR and look to us as a source of reliable information, interviews and referrals to whistleblowers. For example:

  • When the Richard Colvin case broke we received over a dozen media inquiries and requests for interviews.
  • Our website was discussed at length on national TV (Power and Politics) and described as “the most dangerous in Ottawa” (i.e. a threat to wrongdoers).

We got out our message through the mainstream media more frequently:

  • More than a dozen pieces written by us were published in the Hill Times, National Post and Montreal Gazette.
  • During the Richard Colvin controversy, several media articles quoted us, and two interviews with David Hutton were broadcast nationally: on CBC TV and CBC Radio.
  • We were invited to testify to the Listeriosis inquiry (a Commons committee) and our testimony (regarding the need for whistleblower protection in the food industry) was summarized in the final report.

Support Of Individual Whistleblowers

We have responded to a large number of inquiries (about 150 in the past two years), mostly from whistleblowers  but also from the media and other interested parties.

After almost 12 years whistleblower Joanna Gualtieri’s landmark case was finally settled in early 2010. We believe that ongoing publicity of the case by FAIR may have helped.

We twice attended PSLRB hearings in support of Dr. Shiv Chopra and his colleagues.

We attended parliamentary a hearing in support of veterans rights advocate Sean Bruyea.

In Support Of Better Protection For All Whistleblowers

We participated in an Air Safety Round Table on Parliament Hill in April 2009, captured a complete video record of the 15 presentations and put all of this online in a new ‘sister’ website (safeskies.ca) that we created. This site features 2.5 hours of video and presentation transcripts.

We took part in the development of international guidelines for whistleblower legislation – a very important development in our view – under the auspices of Transparency International at a roundtable held in Prague in July 2009.

We were invited to meet with the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (Oct 2009) – her very first acknowledgement of the existence of FAIR – and also to participate in her next conference/workshop in Ottawa.

We conducted a detailed assessment of draft whistleblower legislation for Prince Edward Island (with the assistance of GAP) and David Hutton was called onto the floor of the PEI legislature to act as an expert witness during the debate. As expected, the legislation did not pass, but the debate received considerable coverage in the local media. The PEI opposition leader has committed to re-introduce similar legislation in future.

We launched a legal information project to catalogue whistleblower legislation across all provinces. This is still in process and nearing completion.

The Integrity Commissioner’s third annual report is due shortly. We have approached several parliamentary committees and met with selected MPs requesting that FAIR be called to testify regarding the performance of the Commissioner’s office.

Alliances And Supporters

Bob Gale, a prominent Ontario businessman, philanthropist, former Niagara Parks Commission board member, and successful whistleblower, agreed to join our Advisory Board.

Our U.S.-based counterpart, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) has been unstinting its support, providing assistance with several projects including the PEI legislation.

We continue to work closely with aviation safety activist Kirsten Stevens who is calling for reforms in aviation including whistleblower protection.

We secured two student interns from Carleton University criminology and criminal justice program, who have performed the groundwork for our legal information project.

We have supported Sean Bruyea on Veterans Affairs issues and collaborated with him in writing some articles.

Lawyer David Yazbeck has provided various types of support, including referrals and assistance with our legal information project.

We continue to collaborate informally with Canadians for Accountability.

 

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