Lobbying Information
Subject Matters
- Broadcasting
- Telecommunications
Subject Matter Details
Politique ou Programme
- Kelly Duffin was co-chair of External Advisory Committee to Service Canada and the last External Advisory Committee meeting was on April 29, 2009. Service Canada's draft policy in response to Federal Court of Canada's Canadian Association of the Deaf decision (Augist 2006). The Service Canada's draft policy for the provision of services to deaf, deaf-blind, deafened, and hard of hearing people is currently being tested through two pilots: 1) in person interpreter or intervenor service to clients in designated Service Canada centres in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal (ASL and LSQ), and Halifax-began in December 2008 and is expected to run 12 to 18 months; and 2) researching options for videoconference interpreting in rural locations as well as use of other technologies (such as Ubi Duo)
Politique ou Programme, Règlement
- On November 28, 2008, Gary Malkowski, Special Advisor, President, Public Affairs, Cheryl Wilson, Director, Provincial Ontario Interpreter Services and JoAnn Bentley, Manager, Communication Devices Program, attended and made a presentation at CRTC Commission in response to CRTC Public Notice 2008-08 on to discuss concerns regarding to lack of meaningful consultations on the use of deferral account funds to improve access to telecommunications services for persons with disabilities including deaf, deafened and hard of hearing individuals as key consumer stakeholders initally and on an ongoing basis throughout the development and delivery of Video Relay Services (VRS);significant delays in the development and implementations of VRS in Canada despite VRS has been operating completitively in USA since 2000; lack of understanding and consultative mitigation planning by the telecommunications industry with respect to the capacity of the interpreting field and its ability to support VRS and the impact of community interpreting services once VRS is realized; lack of a national solution to the provision of VRS in four languages; lack of ASL and LSQ, and captioning content in web casts or video of internet providers; lack of CRTC regulations requiring cable TV and TV broadcasters to be accountable for ensure quality captioning; lacj of compatibility of internet phone (VoIP), cell phone and services such as TTY, 711; lack of employment equity initiatives specifically with regards to persons with disabilities in telecommunication industries and in CRTC's perconnel hiring, retention and promoting employees with disabilities practices from front line to senior management and lack of CRTC Disability Secretariat/Advisory Committee and CRTC complaint mechanism for dealing with related disability and accessibility issues. We made recommendations that it is essential that the CRTC mandate th efull and complete engaement all stakeholders--deaf, deafened and hard of hearing community members (ASL and LSQ), representatives of the interpreting community, existing community interpreting services providers in the development and delivery of VRS in Canada to assure that resource capacity will not be entirely draining from community service needs; CRTC creates a funding framework from which the telecommunications companies and teh VRS vendors can create concrete business development plans in an accountable and transparent way; and it is imperative that CRTC require the use of the deferral account funds that will be utilized for VRS a national solution and that the service be available in 4 languages: ASL and English; and LSQ and French.
Communication Techniques
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Written communication
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Oral communication
In-house Organization Details
Description of the organization's activities
INCORPORATED IN 1940, THE CANADIAN HEARING SOCIETY IS A NON-PROFIT AGENCY THAT PROVIDES A WIDE RANGE OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO ENHANCE THE INDEPENDENCE OF DEAF, DEAFENED AND HARD OF HEARING CANADIANS AND TO ENCOURAGE THE PREVENTION OF HEARING LOSS. SERVICES INCLUDE AUDIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT, HEARING AID DISPENSING, THE SALE OF TECHNICAL DEVICES, AURAL REHABILITATION, SIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION, INTERPRETER SERVICE, EMPLOYMENT SERVICE, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLING, COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO SENIORS, AND PUBLIC INFORMATION AND EDUCATION.
Responsible officer name and position during the period of this registration
KELLY DUFFIN,
PRESIDENT & CEO
Organization's membership or classes of membership
THE CHS BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONSISTS OF A MINIMUM OF 15 DIRECTORS AND A MAXIMUM OF 21 DIRECTORS, AT LEAST ONE THIRD OF WHOM SHALL BE DEAF, DEAFENED OR HARD OF HEARING. HEADQUARTERED IN TORONTO, THE SOCIETY HAS 12 REGIONAL OFFICES AND 12 SUB/AREA OFFICES ACROSS ONTARIO. ANY INDIVIDUAL INTERESTED IN FURTHERING THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CANADIAN HEARING SOCIETY MAY BECOME A MEMBER BY PAYING AN ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE OF $25. MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL, ADDITIONAL FAMILY MEMBERS, AND LIFE.
Government funding
End date of the last completed financial year:
2009-03-31
List of Government Funding
Government Institution
|
Funding Received in Last Financial Year
|
Funding Expected in Current Financial Year
|
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
|
$164,060.00
|
Yes
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Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC)
|
$98,643.00
|
Yes
|
In-house Organization Contact Information
Address:
271 Spadina Road
Toronto, ON M5R 2V3
Canada
Telephone number:
416-928-2507
Fax number:
416-928-2517
Lobbyists Details
Employees who lobby for the organization
- Fred Enzel,
CFO |
No public offices held
- Katherine Hum-Antonopoulos,
Vice President Programs and Services |
No public offices held
- Susan Main,
Vice President Fundraising & Strategic Communications |
No public offices held
- Gary Malkowski,
Special Advisor to the President, Public Affairs |
No public offices held
- Maribeth Meijer,
COO |
No public offices held