Popcorn party

by Brandon Mayer

If we ever needed an even better reason to hate Facebook than the multitude of reasons that already exist, we may have gotten exactly that last week. News Media Canada writes that Meta, the company that owns Facebook, “announced last week that it would begin a test that would block news content for some Canadians on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, in preparation for the potential passage of Bill C-18, the Online News Act by federal parliamentarians.”

I don’t agree with much that Prime Minister Trudeau’s government does, but I have no qualms about Bill C-18. The Bill would require large media companies like Facebook and Google to compensate small news companies for articles that they use on their platforms. Why? Companies like Facebook and Google are immensely wealthy, yet their users know them as “free”. Indeed, their wealth comes not from subscription fees or user fees, but from advertising. Quality content is a necessity for online advertising to be effective. No one watches

TV just for the commercials, just as no one browses the internet just for ads. Content creators, including small news agencies, therefore deserve to be compensated for the content they produce. The large social media and search engine companies that use this content have ample funds to do so.

I wouldn’t expect a large, greedy business to have compassion, common sense, or even maturity. But the hissy fit that Meta is throwing over Bill C-18 takes the cake on the immaturity scale. It is also selfish and potentially dangerous. As News Media Canada President Paul Deegan puts it, “Meta’s decision to ‘unfriend’ Canada by denying access to trusted sources of news for some of their users, as wildfires burn and when public safety is at stake, is irresponsible and tone deaf.”

Those of us who work in the independently and locally owned print news industry – and whose work is therefore unaffected by conglomerate hissy fits – are sitting back and watching the petty battle unfold. It’s a veritable popcorn party of “sitting and observing”. It’s so tempting to stand up and

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I'm just reading this article in the NG Times and I must say it is very shallow minded. I have been lucky to share my life, and still am, with some wonderful cats. Never have I been attacked by any of them. They have given me unconditional love and made me smile and laugh every day, how fortunate am I!! Washing my hands after cleaning litter boxes is just common sense, like washing my hands after I use the bathroom. Cats are one of the cleanest animals on earth, cleaner than some people. Having a pet comes with responsibilities, again common sense. All the cats that have owned me were and are indoor cats. They are quite content with their toys and catnip and supervis- sarcastically lament, “if only there was a way people could get trusted news delivered right to their door or mailbox, in printed format, with no interference from disgustingly rich Americans… oh wait!”

What is most insulting about this situation is the mockery it makes of capitalism. The ability to open and run an independent business, making one’s own way in life, helping customers and supporting employees is a hallmark of capitalism. Greed gives capitalism a bad image.

Think of all the small, independently owned businesses in North Grenville, and the tremendous amount of work that local entrepreneurs put into making these businesses successful. Many small business owners can’t pay themselves for several years after they first start their business. They are experts in doing work on the basis of a handshake and the strength of their word. They employ well over half of all Canadian workers. And they eliminate the environmental impacts of unnecessary travel by keeping goods and services nearby.

Now think of what would

Dear Editor, happen if small business owners behaved like Google or Facebook. Take the B&H grocery store, for example.

Celebrating 60 years in business, it did not come this far or earn its stellar reputation from greed. Can you imagine a grocery story insisting that its food suppliers give up their food for free so that it can turn around and sell the food for massive profits?

It’s unheard of, and it’s a request that would be quickly laughed off. The sad thing is – Facebook and Google aren’t just asking for this to happen – they are currently getting away with it! They reuse content produced by small news agencies, fail to pay for the content, and then use it to produce ad revenue.

It’s not stealing in a legal sense, but it is analogous to a small business owner demanding that someone else pay to stock their shelves so that they can reap all the benefits!

More revealing information from News Media Canada: “Earlier this year, Google rolled out tests that block access to news content for some Canadian users in the event C-18 becomes law.” Google had a revenue of $279.8 billion in 2022.

Billion – with a “B”. Most of this money was generated by ads. These ads have absolutely no value without consumers seeing them. And consumers have no desire to see ads, so they must be lured into seeing the ads using quality content. There is no reason why Google can’t afford to pay the people who produce that quality content. For those who need some context – Google made enough money in 2022 to pay every man, woman, and child in Canada over $7,000 each. Google’s revenue could virtually end world hunger in a single day. Yet we are not asking for miracles and grand gestures – we are simply asking that they have enough compassion to pay the hard working people who made their fortune for them. ing all kinds of birds from the safety of their house. Whether you have a cat or a dog, if you treat them with the respect they deserve, return the unconditional love, treat them like family because they are for sure members of the family and provide a warm and comfortable loving home, they are hardly likely to attack you. Your article borders on paranoia of having a cat. Hopefully people won't take you seriously and continue to provide a home for all felines in need. Adopt a cat, or two, today!

We must all wait to see if Google and Facebook will follow through on their threat to stop showing internet news to Canadians. The move is not as powerful as it seems – the companies would essentially be wiping out a huge portion of their own revenue from an entire country of 38 million people by refusing to show those people the content that draws them into the ads. In the meantime, we shall throw a popcorn party. Grab your bowl, and a newspaper, and watch the drama unfold.

Claudia Shepheard, Kemptville

My husband and I picked up our copy of the North Grenville Times on Thursday, June 15th. As I was reading through the paper this morning, I turned to page 11 and there was the announcement of the "50th Wedding Anniversary" of Kevin and Ethel Ferguson. Our family, my husband, me, and our two teenage children moved to North Grenville from our native Nova Scotia the summer of 1997, before the Great Ice Storm of January of 1998. What a “Welcome To Ontario” that was. Once we were settled, I began looking for work. Through a temp agency, I was able to secure a temporary position as an assistant to the Project Engineer at the Canadian Space Agency in Shirley's Bay. At that time, Ethel Ferguson was the assistant to the Director of the Agency. I don't know if Kevin and Ethel remain in the countryside outside of Osgoode. However, I was so pleased to see their 50th Wedding Anniversary photo and to wish them all “Blessings and Happiness for many, many more years”. Good Health and Happiness.

Sincerely,

Josephine (Joey) Herman

Dear Editor,

To MPP Clark:

What healthcare successes?

On June 19th, you announced additional funding for Brockville General Hospital and Kemptville District Hospital. While announcing the funding you said, “It just builds upon some of these successes that we’ve been able to do over the last five years.” We have to ask, what successes are you talking about? In the last five years, we’ve seen rural ER closures in evenings and over weekends become regular occurrences. We’ve seen people waiting hours in ERs to see doctors and waiting days in the ER to be admitted to hospital. We’ve seen staff shortages caused in part by the pay suppression in Bill 124, which has been struck down by the courts, yet Premier Ford is determined to appeal. We’ve seen the number of people in Ontario without a family doctor or nurse practitioner balloon to an estimated 2.2 million.

These are not just numbers, they are real people whose health has been affected. They’re our friends, neighbours, and families. As a community pharmacist, I see people every day who are suffering due to failures in our healthcare system.

Ontario’s healthcare system is in a worse state than it was five years ago. This additional funding is like sticking a band-aid over a gaping wound. Premier Ford and his PC government must stop defending unfair wage-limiting legislation like Bill 124 and ensure that our dedicated nurses have decent wages and working conditions. They must make major investments in our public healthcare system and drop the pretence that privatization is the only route to improvement.

Ontario is in robust financial health and it’s time the Ford government started acting like it, and truly look after Ontarians.

Steve Gabell

Letters cont'd on page 17

Fireworks Sponsor

program through the Kemptville Youth Centre, the youth sports programs and more.

by Wendy Embleton

It is no secret that I am in love with this community we call North Grenville. Since raising my boys in the early years on the outskirts of town to moving my business here over the past years, I have an overwhelming sense of home within these streets. Because of the people. One person in particular has always made me smile and it is sad for our community this year to see this fine gentlemen leave NG and move onto his next step.

Frank Hoffman is known to many here as Canadian Tire Frank. His smile and blessed attitude in our cherished Canadian Tire store and his contribution to many of our community and cultural events has been a gift that we often don't see. During the pandemic Frank would reach out to our community groups asking how he could support, he worked tirelessly to protect his employees and his community and with an email or a phone call he was always trying to assist in any way he was able.

Through the wonderful Jump Start program Frank pushes to help more and more every year benefit from the generosity of the

I choose to focus on the joy for Frank being off to his next step in London Ontario to a community I know will benefit and love him as much as we have over these years. To Frank I know I speak on behalf of your Kempville District Community Association when I say Thank You and best of luck! We hope you return often to visit and relish in the many programs and lives you have had such a strong impact on. To your successor, we look forward to meeting the man that will have very large shoes to fill! Without a doubt North Grenville will welcome him with open arms and appreciation.

Thanks to you Frank, the residents of North Grenville can enjoy a lovely display of fireworks!

Yoshi - Juggler

Spring Action Trampoline

Husband and Wife team Heather and Sean are Olympic level performers, who are also trampoline coaches. They bring their kids into the show (their kids are training to be extreme snowboarders and skiers, and are amazing on the trampoline.) The Spring Action trampoline show is fun for the whole family with high flying acrobatics, flips, and stunts, combined with physical comedy, high energy music..

Its a great show

He juggles, he's funny, he's travelled around the world with his show, and he's great for a family audience. Since he's a street performer and he brings everything he needs, his show can work on grass or equally well onstage. His finale, he balances on a balance board, on a table and juggles dangerous stuff. He even brings a high end, battery powered sound system, and you won't have to worry about power for him.

Chartered Professional Accountants