Genealogists Heads Up re Proposed Bylaw: No Photographs in Cemetery!

Thanks to Murray Pletsch for bringing this to our attention. Polite action is called for - tell them NO!

Cause for Concern...

It has come to our attention that the City of Waterloo in Ontario Canada is considering
implementing a bylaw that would ban photography at all municipal cemeteries.

The proposed bylaw: "Photography: No person shall cause or permit the taking
of any photographic or video imaging within any Cemetery except with the
prior permission of the Manager."

This would mean that as of September 1st, no one would be allowed to take
photographs or video in any municipally owned cemetery operated by the City
of Waterloo without prior permission.

In other words, you could not take a photograph or video of a headstone you
own without prior permission. Or a photograph / video of a loved ones
headstone. Or request that someone take a photograph / video on your behalf
without prior permission. The bylaw does not provide guidelines for granting
or denying permission, only that the manager would decide.

Approval of this bylaw would also set a precedent for other municipalities
in Ontario to follow.

It would have a major impact on genealogy, and not just in terms of projects
like ours (think of the number of cemetery photographs you currently use in
your personal genealogy research!)

There are also multiple businesses and organizations that use cemetery
photographs, including the government.

Luckily there is time to stop this bylaw from being approved, and your help
is need to make this happen.

The bylaw changes were submitted to The Bereavement Authority of Ontario for
approval. The BAO are the ones who ultimately decide if cemetery bylaws will
be approved.

Before September 1st, please take a moment and send them a polite written
message to let them know what you think about this bylaw and how it would
impact you personally.

Bereavement Authority of Ontario
Email: info@thebao.ca
Telephone: 647-483-2645
Toll Free: 844-493-6356
Fax: 647-748-2645
Mail: Bereavement Authority of Ontario, 100 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 505,
Toronto, ON M2N 6N5

Need more info? The cemetery bylaws were discussed by the City of Waterloo
Council at their July 24th meeting. A copy of the agenda can be read here:
http://www.waterloo.ca/en/calendar/council/Details.aspx?Id=d11b5d9f-7c1a-4326-9fde-8369970131fa

The proposed cemetery bylaws are on pages 101-177, the clause regarding
photography is on page 113.

Call to Action! Government puts Canadian 1921 Census Release on Hold

Word is out that a reliable source at Library and Archives Canada has informed bloggers that the 1921 Canadian census has been digitized and is on the LAC server ready to go BUT... the Federal Government has ordered it held and not made public.

According to the source, those in power believe that the only people interested in this 1921 census release are "3 little old ladies in Kingston". So we all need to get involved and show them that there are thousands of genealogists and historians who want to study that census.

Here is who you should write to (or phone)

The Honorable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage & Official Languages
Telephone: 613-992-9650
Fax: 613-992-9868
EMail: james.moore@parl.gc.ca

Right Hon. Stephen Harper - Prime Minister
Telephone: 613-992-4211
Fax: 613-941-6900
EMail: stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca

Local MPs- see the list to find your MP, complete with email addresses

Fellow Canadians - please WRITE THOSE EMAILS!! The 1921 Census could be a long time coming if you don't act. Tell the government how important this census is to you. It's best if you write your own email but if you want to use mine as a template, here is a copy of the email I sent.

Dear [name of government official]: 

It has come to my attention that the 1921 Canadian Census has been digitized and is ready for release to the public but the Federal Government has put it on hold. Statistics Canada released it to Library and Archives Canada on June 1, 2013 and it was to be released to the public soon after.

As a Canadian and a genealogist this census is very important to my continued research. There are tens of thousands of genealogists and historians who will benefit from the release of this census. I urge you to approve its release as soon as possible.

Sincerely

[Your name here]