PRESENTATION TO TORONTO LIBRARY BOARD AGAINST PLANS TO IMPOSE POLITICALLY CORRECT RULES TO PREVENT MEETINGS

PRESENTATION TO TORONTO LIBRARY BOARD AGAINST PLANS TO IMPOSE POLITICALLY CORRECT RULES TO PREVENT MEETINGS
 
The enemies of free speech, the usual suspects — the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, B’nai Brith, Bernie Farber, Warren Kinsella and the street thugs of the Antifa raised a huge ruckus in July to try to shutdown CAFE’s memorial for free speech lawyer Barbara Kulazska. The Library hung tough. the meeting proceeded without a hitch. However, the Library was clearly spooked and promised to “review” its policies. The review goes to the Library Board tonight.  It is a vile document of cloying political correctness which would let staff deny a booking on the mere suspicion that remarks might expose a group or person to “contempt”; that is, criticism. Here is the presentation I shall giver.
 
Paul Fromm
Director
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FREE EXPRESSION
 

Canadian Association for Free Expression

Box 332,

Rexdale, Ontario, M9W

PH: 416-428-5308 ; FAX: 905-566-4820

Frederick Paul Fromm, B.Ed, M.A. Director

Presentation to the Toronto Library Board by Frederick Paul Fromm – December 11, 2017

1.  The Toronto Library Board is considering revisions to its  Community and Event Space Rental Policy What concerns us are changes to the Denial of Use Section of the Policy.

“The Purpose section has been revised to add language about the Library’s objectives of providing equitable access to services and maintaining a welcoming supportive environment free from discrimination and harassment. 

 

· The Denial of Use sections 4.4 (a) and 5.4(a) both state much more strongly that room bookings will be denied or cancelled when the Library reasonably believes the purpose of the booking is likely to promote, or would have the effect of promoting, discrimination, contempt or hatred of any group, hatred for any person on the basis of race, ethnic origin, place of origin, citizenship, colour, ancestry, language, creed (religion), age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation, membership in a union or staff association, receipt of public assistance, level of literacy or any other similar factor. 

 

· Under the same Denial of Use sections 4.4(b) and 5.4(b), violations of the Criminal Code of Canada (including hate propaganda laws) and the Ontario Human Rights Code are specifically referenced as unacceptable.”

 

2. First, the Toronto Public Library is not a private club. It belongs to all citizens and should be open to use, including rental of rooms for meetings, to all citizens, without discrimination, if for no other reason than all taxpayers pay for it.

 

3. It is fair to ask persons renting facilities to be aware that they must obey the law, including the Criminal Code and various bylaws. Thus, for instance, a smokers’ rights group should be able to rent a room for a meeting, but, if they announced, they would stage a smoke-in to dramatize their views, it would make sense to deny the booking.

 

4. People renting Library facilities must be responsible to their own words and actions. Staff should not have to try to guess what their words or actions might be.

 

5. In renting meeting space, the Library is not condoning or supporting any point of view, any more than having a book on the shelves means the library endorses the book’s conclusions. Clearly, the library contains many books with wildly different views on a given subject.

 

6. The revised policy is saddling staff with an impossible task — to decide, in advance, of an event, what will be said at that event and whether words that haven’t yet been uttered  are “likely to promote, or would have the effect of promoting, discrimination, contempt or hatred of any group, hatred for any person on the basis of race, ethnic origin, place of origin, citizenship, colour, ancestry, language, creed (religion), age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation, membership in a union or staff association, receipt of public assistance, level of literacy or any other similar factor.”

 

* “Promotion of hatred” is a bogeyman. No person or group who has rented Toronto Public Library facilities has, to our knowledge, ever been charged or convicted of “hate”; that is, Section 319 of the Criminal Code. This is a restrictive policy seeking to solve a problem that does not exist.

 

* But, it’s not just “hatred” but contempt that is being prohibited. “Contempt” is a very broad term, meaning dislike of a negative opinion of. It is hard to see how any criticism based on “race, religion, gender orientation or political affiliation or any of the other mentioned grounds” could pass muster. Suppose someone wrote a book entitled Mike Harris 20 Years Later. If the book repeated some of the common criticisms of the time — that Mike Harris balanced the budget on the backs of the poor and squeezed the education system —  and if the author were to speak about his book at a meeting, might is not be likely that the meeting would promote contempt of Mr. Harris because of his political affiliation and, therefore, should be cancelled?

 

* “Contempt” was included in the Sec. 13 (Internet censorship) of the Canadian Human Rights Act but was repealed by Parliament in 2013. It is overly broad and basically chills any criticism on a whole range of topics.

 

* One wonders what “any other similar factor” might be.

 

7. This policy could lead to the banning of all sorts of meetings dealing with contentious topics. It is an affront to free speech, especially as it involves subjective “prior restraint” which is a violation of Canadians’ basic right to be considered innocent until proven guilty.

 

7. This policy is a reaction to an organized campaign by censorship minded groups and individuals who protested a memorial to a lawyer who represented controversial clients. these groups took the view that, because they disagreed with Barbara Kulazska’s clients, her friends and admirers should not be allowed to meet to remember her. The Library did the right thing in permitting that memorial to proceed.

 

8. In October, C-FAR Books sought to book a meeting for a talk by Victor Fletcher, editor and publisher of Toronto Street News. We were turned down on October 3 and informed: “  Given the history of the individual and group involved in the booking and the publication being discussed, Library staff believe that the booking could lead to a violation of hate speech legislation.” This decision was unreasonable and outrageous. Neither the individual or group involved in the booking or Mr. Fletcher or Toronto Street News has ever been charged, let alone convicted under Sec. 319. We fear that this censorship is a harbinger of what will happen should the Board adopt this new policy.

 

9. We fear the hecklers’ veto. If an organized lobby makes enough noise in trying to shut down a meeting of people they don’t like, the new policy is so broad that it gives staff the power to shut down any gathering more controversial than the Rosedale Orchid Society.

 

10. The policy contains no independent appeals process against the denial of a room booking. This is especially important as staff decisions may be made only on the basis of accusations or allegations made by groups or individuals seeking to get a meeting cancelled.

 

10. May we suggest a truly inclusive, open door policy. Any person or group, who is a taxpayer,  should be able to rent a meeting room, if available. They are made aware that they are responsible for their own conduct and for obeying all relevant laws. The community should be informed that the library follows a free speech policy. Meetings will not be cancelled because the speakers or topics are controversial.

 

11. The proposed policy will not buy peace but will embolden those who have no tolerance for views critical of their own group or ideology to try to shut down groups or speakers to whom they object.

Free speech critic of abortion bubble zone silenced at Ontario legislature

And this is MPPs’ idea of democracy. All 3 abortion parties collude to gag anti-abortion protests.

Paul Fromm is the Director, Canadian Association for Free…
YOUTUBE.COM

Court Tosses Out Kinsellas’ “Threat” Charges Against Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine

Court Tosses Out Kinsellas’ “Threat” Charges Against Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine

TORONTO. September 7, 2017. A Toronto judge today tossed out a private charge of uttering threats (Sec. 264.1 of the Criminal Code) laid by Liberal Party attack dog Warren Kinsella and his wife Lisa against YOUR WARD NEWS publisher Leroy St. Germaine and editor Dr. James Sears.The private prosecution was undertaken by the combative Kinsellas who specialize in dumping heaps of yak doodoo and vitriol — “neo-Nazi; White supremacist” — on a host of political opponents. They have been  strident antagonists trying to get the satirical anti-ZioMarxist publication shut down.

The National Post (June 21, 2017) reported that in the Summer, 2017 issue of YOUR WARD NEWS, editor Dr. James Sears explained “that his family had been targeted by a ‘hoax’ complaint to the Children’s Aid Society. In his column, Sears accused Lisa Kinsella of …  being responsible for the complaint. Kinsella, for her part, vehemently denied any involvement.Sears said he waited months to inform his ‘thousands’ of friends and followers about the apparent CAS investigation due to fear that ‘some hothead who cares deeply about me and my family, would lose it and do something illegal, like bludgeon the Kinsellas to death.’” That passage, the Kinsellas alleged, constitutes a threat.

Kinsella went wild over a story in the Summer issue of YOUR WARD NEWS. A person who is all elbows and insults in politics, Warren Kinsella went scurrying to the Metropolitan Toronto Police. The National Post’s account continued:  “Kinsella brought the article to Toronto Police, but she was told that there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash told the National Post that a detective looked at the case, then asked the advice of a Crown attorney. That Crown attorney, in turn, asked another Crown. ‘Both Crowns came to the same conclusion as the detective’ Pugash said, “which was that there wasn’t enough evidence.'”

So, the Metropolitan Toronto Police and two Crown Attorneys found no evidence of a crime. Still, the relentless Kinsellas initiated a private charge. This harassment is a time and resource waster. Dr. Sears and Mr. St. Germaine had to attend a court hearing August 2. The Kinsellas did not attend. The required disclosure to the defence was not ready. The case was adjourned to September 7.


Publisher Leroy St. Germaine & YOUR WARD NEWS editor

Dr. James Sears leave Toronto court victorious over

Warren & Lisa Kinsella

Again, the Kinsellas were no shows at the ordeal they had inflicted on the controversial editor and publisher. Again, the required disclosure was not forthcoming.

Court Tosses Out Kinsellas’ “Threat” Charges Against Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine

Court Tosses Out Kinsellas’ “Threat” Charges Against Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine

TORONTO. September 7, 2017. A Toronto judge today tossed out a private charge of uttering threats (Sec. 264.1 of the Criminal Code) laid by Liberal Party attack dog Warren Kinsella and his wife Lisa against YOUR WARD NEWS publisher Leroy St. Germaine and editor Dr. James Sears.The private prosecution was undertaken by the combative Kinsellas who specialize in dumping heaps of yak doodoo and vitriol — “neo-Nazi; White supremacist” — on a host of political opponents. They have been  strident antagonists trying to get the satirical anti-ZioMarxist publication shut down.

The National Post (June 21, 2017) reported that in the Summer, 2017 issue of YOUR WARD NEWS, editor Dr. James Sears explained “that his family had been targeted by a ‘hoax’ complaint to the Children’s Aid Society. In his column, Sears accused Lisa Kinsella of …  being responsible for the complaint. Kinsella, for her part, vehemently denied any involvement.Sears said he waited months to inform his ‘thousands’ of friends and followers about the apparent CAS investigation due to fear that ‘some hothead who cares deeply about me and my family, would lose it and do something illegal, like bludgeon the Kinsellas to death.’” That passage, the Kinsellas alleged, constitutes a threat.

Kinsella went wild over a story in the Summer issue of YOUR WARD NEWS. A person who is all elbows and insults in politics, Warren Kinsella went scurrying to the Metropolitan Toronto Police. The National Post’s account continued:  “Kinsella brought the article to Toronto Police, but she was told that there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash told the National Post that a detective looked at the case, then asked the advice of a Crown attorney. That Crown attorney, in turn, asked another Crown. ‘Both Crowns came to the same conclusion as the detective’ Pugash said, “which was that there wasn’t enough evidence.'”

So, the Metropolitan Toronto Police and two Crown Attorneys found no evidence of a crime. Still, the relentless Kinsellas initiated a private charge. This harassment is a time and resource waster. Dr. Sears and Mr. St. Germaine had to attend a court hearing August 2. The Kinsellas did not attend. The required disclosure to the defence was not ready. The case was adjourned to September 7.


Publisher Leroy St. Germaine & YOUR WARD NEWS editor

Dr. James Sears leave Toronto court victorious over

Warren & Lisa Kinsella

Again, the Kinsellas were no shows at the ordeal they had inflicted on the controversial editor and publisher. Again, the required disclosure was not forthcoming.

The judge dismissed the charges.

When the charges were laid, Dr. Sears had commented that the Kinsellas’ charges were a “mischievous, impotent complaint laid in desperation by these publicity whores. My legal team and I will mop the floor with the Kinsellas on our first available opportunity in court”

Today the anti-free speech Kinsella crusaders were duly mopped.

Paul Fromm Reports on YOUR WARD NEWS Postal hearings, August 9 & 10.

Paul Fromm Reports on YOUR WARD NEWS Postal hearings, August 9 & 10.

Coverage of the Board of Review hearings into the Canada Post interim order against YOUR WARD NEWS, held on August 9 & 10 2017, at federal government offices…

Check Out These Weird Tweets by Warren Kinsella, Latest Columnist for Canadian Jewish News

I sat in on the hearing today and was shocked when I got home and read the twitter account of Warren Kinsella and his related tweets from the hearing today. There’s good reason why my editor Dr. James Sears has referred to Mr. Kinsella as a pathological liar.

In his tweets from the hearing room today Kinsella referred to the Board members as “Cranky” and the lawyers who presented briefs today as “Neo-Nazi lawyers” and of course he referred to us as “Neo Nazi’s” and Mr. Paul Fromm as a “white supremacist” as part of his on going campaign to slander and libel the paper and anyone involved with it.

 

I consider Mr. Kinsella’s berating and mocking attitude toward the review process as detrimental and so have decided to send you links to the tweets he sent out today so you can be aware of what he is doing to derail this process.

 

===Lawrence McCurry===

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895286057230585856

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895294476956172290

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895295791291670529

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895313970084536320

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895317885433790464

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895318415660929025

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895325153634041856

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895359369495420928

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895369437553074177

 

https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/895380886098776066

 

http://warrenkinsella.com/2017/08/panel-reviewing-neo-nazi-rag-screws-up-again/

 

CAFE Backs Freedom of the Press & Free Speech As YOUR WARD NEWS Hearing Opens in Toronto

CAFE Backs Freedom of the Press & Free Speech As YOUR WARD NEWS Hearing Opens in Toronto

Temporary ban on delivery of controversial newspaper under review

BY NEWS STAFF

POSTED APR 25, 2017 4:48 PM EDT

LAST UPDATED APR 25, 2017 AT 5:04 PM EDT

Procedures have begun for Board of Review hearings over a controversial newspaper that began appearing in mailboxes across Toronto last year.

In June 2016, Canada Post was ordered by the federal government to prohibit delivery of Your Ward News, a publication that sparked allegations of racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism and hate. Judy Foote, the minister responsible for Canada Post, issued the interim prohibitory order under the Canada Post Corporation Act.

James Sears, the publication’s editor-in-chief appealed that order and, as procedure under the Act dictates, Foote appointed a Board of Review consisting of three members to consider whether Canada Post should legally distribute the paper.

Over the last few months, members of the public had the opportunity to make submissions in the hopes of participating in the review.

It has been a divided issue encompassing a debate between proponents of freedom of speech and opponents of alleged hate speech. Here’s what some players on both sides had to say as the proceedings began Tuesday.

 

IN SUPPORT OF DISTRIBUTION:

Paul Fromm, director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression:

Paul Fromm, director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression, on April 25, 2017. CITYNEWS

“This is an incredibly arbitrary and ruthless power all because some politically-correct people didn’t like what’s in Your Ward News. Tough. People should have the right to publish what they want. If people don’t want to read, there’s a garbage can. There’s a blue box. There’s the bottom of the birdcage. What we are seeing is an effort by people who don’t like the content for whatever reason to say, ‘I don’t like it and you can’t read it and you can’t send it out.’ And that’s what this battle is all about…..We used to be a country where we said, ‘Look, I don’t agree with you. But you’ve got a right to your opinion. You’ve got a right to say it. That’s what Your Ward News is.”

 

AGAINST DISTRIBUTION:

Sara Lefton, vice president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

Sara Lefton, vice president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, in Toronto on April 25, 2017. CITYNEWS

“This is pure and simple hate. When people are getting Your Ward News in the mail and they’re getting it at their doorstep, they feel unsafe, they feel targeted in their homes. There’s no place for hate like this in Canada, and we need the decision to stand so hate like this will not continue … When there are pieces of clear discrimination and hate speech that are being disseminated en masse to people’s doorsteps there should be no place for that, and that shouldn’t be allowed.”

 

IN SUPPORT OF DISTRIBUTION:

Raychyl Whyte, Board of Review applicant

 

“Someone should still have the right to freedom of speech. I myself know what it is like to have public humiliation, public shame due to libelous comments and presumptions made about me. I know all too well what that is like. However, I still support people’s rights to have their own independent free speech.”

 

AGAINST DISTRIBUTION:

Warren Kinsella, founding member, Standing Together Against Mailing Prejudice

Warren Kinsella talks to CityNews in Toronto on April 25, 2017. CITYNEWS

“For the people that have been victimized by this so-called newspaper, that’s a problem. There’s Holocaust denial, there’s propagation of rape, there’s use of the N-word. There’s racism on every single page. It is the most disgusting thing. I’ve been doing this stuff for 30 years. I’ve never seen a publication like this distributed in Canada as widely as this one is and certainly not one distributed by Canada Post … We need to say Canada Post should not be distributing hatred.”

 

IN SUPPORT OF DISTRIBUTION:

Emilie Taman, co-counsel for James Sears

Emilie Taman, co-counsel for James Sears, is seen during an interview in Toronto on April 25, 2017. CITYNEWS

“It’s not something that I’m necessarily per se excited to be reading about, but I do believe in the constitutional right to free speech, and it’s one that I think is very important to be defended at every opportunity.”

 

AGAINST DISTRIBUTION:

Derek Richmond, Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Derek Richmond, of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, is seen during an interview in Toronto on April 25, 2017. CITYNEWS

“Me, personally, I didn’t deliver [Your Ward News] but many of our letter carriers did. A lot of them are very diverse and had to go through the whole day viewing swastikas, viewing hate, viewing sexist material, rape culture. It really affected a lot of our letter carriers.”

Publisher and Editor of YOUR WARD NEWS Stripped of Mail Service

Publisher and Editor of YOUR WARD NEWS Stripped of Mail Service

TORONTO, June 6, 2016. Don’t worry if you’ve never been to North Korea or seen its comic book president Kim-Jong On. You can see the same repressive tyranny in politically correct Ottawa. Of course, there aren’t brutal work camps. Canada is more sophisticated — a soft tyranny, but a tyranny nonetheless.

The apostles of “diversity” and “inclusiveness” have no tolerance for diversity of opinion. Their latest target is a zany East End Toronto satirical paper, Your Ward News. The agitation for silencing this irreverent tabloid has been spearheaded by longtime Liberal Party backroom boy Warren Kinsella and Ottawa lawyer and champion human rights complainant Richard Warman.

The cultural Marxist elite in Ottawa have abandoned traditional procedures of English Common Law, like the quaint belief that one is INNOCENT until proven guilty and that one should not be punished in advance.

On June 6, Your Ward News Editor, Dr. James Sears was informed by Canada Post that Public Services [but not if you’re a dissident] Minister Judy Foote had slapped him with an Interim Prohibitory Order under Sec. 43.1order, essentially forbidding him or Your Ward News Metis publisher Leroy St. Germaine from using the mail for any purpose.

Dr. Sears reports: “Canada Post received a registered letter from Judy Foote, the Member of Parliament in charge of the post office, ordering them to reject delivery of our newspaper (even though they have not yet even seen a copy of it). Every level of government has tried to nail us for “hate crimes” repeatedly but their lawyers kept telling them that we are breaking no laws. Now Judy Foote says we are guilty of “criminal libel” for “publishing lies”. She did not specify which “lies”, but I am sure it is due to the “Holohoax”. We have never been charged with any crimes, let alone convicted!” The Minister, as well, said she had reason to believe Your Ward News contained material in violation of Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code (Canada’s notorious “hate law.”)

It must be emphasized that Your Ward News has never been charged much less convicted of anything.

Dr. Sears did receive his copy of the letter dated May 26 until June 6! ‘[Is this typical of Canada Post’s service?] He has 10 days to seek an appeal of this Prohibitory Order.

“The Canadian Association for Free Expression will be organizing support for Your Ward News to uphold freedom of speech, freedom of the press and full access to the monopolistic and overpriced services taxpayers pay to Canada Post,” said Paul Fromm, CAFÉ Director, from Port Credit, Ontario this afternoon.