In Volume 1 Issue 6 we covered the troubling case of one Kyle Spaans.
Mr. Spaans' employer ceased paying him and CECS did little to help rectify the situation.
We mentioned that it was unknown whether or not the Employment Standards Act of
Ontario applied to co-op jobs. It was brought to our attention that in the co-op
student manual, under ``Payment of Vacation Days, Overtime, Severance'' the ESA
is mentioned, and it is stated that the co-op program does not fall under the
provisions of the ESA. While the ESA does not apply, contract law still does.
Mr. Spaans remains unpaid, and is pursuing legal options, still with minimal guidance
from CECS. When he informed his field coordinator of his plans to take his employer
to court the field coordinator stated he should have thought of the idea sooner and
referred Mr. Spaans to the office of the Ombudsman, despite that office no longer existing.
In Volume 1 Issue 4 we covered the proliferation of security cameras on campus,
the privacy concerns that accompany such a proliferation, and the lack of any official policy
on the matter from the University. In his September report to Council, FedS President Brad
Moggach mentioned that the SLC Management Board is obtaining a quote for upgrading and expanding
the cameras in the SLC.1 In the report Mr. Moggach states the new systems is being considered because
there have been "some issues with vandalism and security of the building due to the low quality
of the cameras currently present". Due to a change in printing schedule we were unable to
get in touch with Mr. Moggach before press time to clarify these remarks, but in their present wording
there is some concern that the SLCMB views cameras as deterrents, despite Director of Police Services
Dan Anderson's previous remarks that he "[has] never been a strong believer that cameras are a deterrent",
but that "they have been a terrific investigative tool."
by Charlie Chaplain