In the News
Carleton students set out to prove it really can get better for tormented gay teens
OTTAWA — Some Carleton University students want to give a "big cyber hug" to gay and lesbian teens who are victims of bullying.
Rob Nettleton and Melanie Rickert are planning to set up a video camera in the University Centre atrium today to record staff and students offering messages of encouragement to these young people.
The pair will edit the messages into one video and post it to YouTube as part of the "It Gets Better" project.
The project has its own YouTube channel consisting of thousands of videos by people sharing their own experiences of growing up gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.
Struggling students could pay more in copyright battle
By Michael Geist, Citizen Special September 14, 2010
Thousands of Canadian students headed back to school last week with many facing rising loans to pay for tuition, books and accommodation. As students struggle to make ends meet, significant new costs loom on the horizon as a result of a battle brewing over copying in universities and colleges.
The potential new costs stem from a tariff proposal by Access Copyright, the copyright collective that licenses copying and course-packs on most campuses across the country.
Fresh off a legal victory at the Federal Court of Appeal in July that will generate millions of dollars for copying that occurs in kindergarten to Grade 12, Access Copyright has now proposed a new licensing scheme to cover copying and course-packs set at $45 per university student and $35 per college student. The proposed tariff represents a massive increase over current fees, which are $3.38 per full-time equivalent student as well as 10 cents per page for course-pack copying.
Recent bus fires tipped off OC Transpo to problems with cooling fans
By Neco Cockburn, The Ottawa Citizen September 13, 2010
OTTAWA — OC Transpo says two bus fires in recent weeks tipped off the transit service to a problem with hydraulic cooling fan systems on some buses. After 140 Orion buses were inspected, the problem was identified on Friday, Larry Atkinson, chief of transit maintenance, said in an e-mail response to questions.
The buses were immediately pulled from service and parked until the problems could be fixed, which led to 42 trips being cancelled on Monday morning, Atkinson said.
Fixing the problems had been “hampered” by a lack of parts and the time it takes to fix the problems on each bus, according to transit general manager Alain Mercier.
Buses went up in flames on Aug. 9 and 13, and Sept. 7. City spokesman Mouktar Abdillahi said in an earlier interview that the last blaze started in a bus’s battery area and was thought to be unrelated to the others, which started elsewhere. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
Mercier told councillors in a memo that some of the Orion buses “may have issues with their high-pressure hydraulic cooling fan systems.” An engineer's report identifying the problem was received on Friday.
“With the risk of fire this issue can pose, management feels it is best to err on the side of caution and keep the buses parked until it can be addressed,” Mercier told councillors. The number of cancelled trips Monday represents about one per cent of the morning peak-service trips, Mercier said.
More buses were to be back in service Monday afternoon and employees “continue to work diligently on the necessary repairs,” according to Atkinson. Eight buses remained out of service by Monday afternoon.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
OC Transpo bus shortages expected on some routes
The Ottawa Citizen September 13, 2010
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