Canadian Crossing

RIM's Blackberry continues to struggle, especially with latest outage

We write a lot about good things and people that are Canadian that Americans don't realize are not American. This isn't one of those times.

Blackberry is Canadian by birth: many Americans found that out in 2008 when we learned that presidential candidate John McCain's campaign didn't know Blackberry is Canadian. Given what has been happening with Blackberry lately, you would think Blackberry might starting talking with an American accent.

The latest outage that went around the world is only the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Research in Motion (RIM), out of Waterloo, ON, has come under fire from falling behind on technology and innovation. Its Playbook tablet hasn't made much of a splash at a time where others are soaking wet.

Blackberry's edge has been in the corporate field, where its ability to handle secure conversations has gained it advantage in the workplace. Of course, this niche is more dependent when things go wrong, and louder to complain. And RIM may not hold onto the top of that niche much longer if Apple gets its way.

After the death of Steve Jobs, this could be a good time to strike (yes, that seems crass, but business is business). However, even if opportunity knocks, you still need to have something when the door opens.

Canadian children's book on evolution wins praise, but too much for U.S. publishers

Canadians have a higher tolerance for some topics that Americans do: swearing on broadcast TV and gay/lesbian marriage leap to mind.

The latest topic is a children's book that is receiving extraordinary praise up north, but was turned down by American publishers.

"Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be" by Daniel Loxton is geared toward children in grades 3-7 (3rd grade through 7th grade in American). The Globe and Mail reports that the book is a finalist for the Lane Anderson Award for Canadian science books, a finalist in the Norma Fleck Award (Canadian children's nonfiction) and was a finalist for the Silver Birch award.

The key to the issue in the United States lies in the first word: "Evolution." Both countries make primary education textbook decisions on the state/province level. I can't speak for how that affects Canadian education, but I do have some idea about the U.S. system. And in the United States, one or two states can control what goes into textbooks across the country since education companies don't want 50 textbooks. In other words, the U.S. system ends up targeting the lowest common denominator (and these aren't even math books).

Evolution doesn't go over well in parts of the Southern U.S., not even counting the Creation Museum in the Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati.

If Canadians are freaking out over the notions of teaching evolution, they are pretty silent on the issue.

Given the huge scientific evidence of evolution, you would think that education would be above politics. Uh, no, it isn't.

Canadians having tougher skin than Americans on these issues, and yes, to my American readers, Canadians are making fun of Americans. As the Globe and Mail writer noted, the book "does not depict nudity. It does not contain curse words. It does not include blasphemy. The love scenes, such as they are, involve males with females."

And yet in America, enough people freak out over evolution. Most Canadians don't. You might even say on this issue that Canadians are more evolved than Americans, unless, of course, you don't believe in evolution.

August 31 marks digital transition for Canadian TV signals

Today is the transition day for digital TV signals in Canada. At midnight, stations in top markets will shut down their analog transmitters and make the switch to a digital signal.

But unlike the U.S. transition, we have a lot of asterisks.

Many signals in major cities have already made the transition. CBC stations in certain markets will keep their analog signals for another year. Stations aren't receiving help to switch or publicize the switch.

The CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission) says these markets will make the transition:

• national, provincial and territorial capital cities
• areas with a population over 300,000
• other areas with more than one local television station broadcasting over-the-air signals

In the U.S., we were convinced that people would have a rough transition, but the reality didn't reflect this. In Canada, panic hasn't been a factor, and hopefully the transition will be smooth.

The CRTC says about 850,000 Canadian households don't have either cable or satellite. And some of those people live in markets that aren't effected by the August 31 deadline.

In the latter stages in the transition in the United States, American TV viewers were able to test the digital signal and figure out whether they needed additional resources to pick up the digital signal that weren't needed for the analog signal.

CBC viewers on both sides of the border will have that shot in the interim year (or longer). The digital signals will go up but the analog signals will stay behind.

Having both analog/digital signals will allow CBC stations an easier time to make adjustments in case issues come up over station interference and signal problems.

After the transition in the U.S., some stations lost viewers when it broadcast from a UHF signal after having been a VHF signal.

[Geek timeout: VHF is the 2-13 band. UHF is 14-69. The smaller the number, the more powerful the signal. Even if the TV says 9-1, the station might actually be broadcasting on 34-1. Also, antennas have to be aimed in different directions depending on whether a station broadcast in UHF vs. VHF.]

In Windsor, for example, CBET will broadcast in digital at 9-1 even though its signal will be at xx-1. At least, when you tune in your TV, the channel marker says 9-1. This is to reduce confusion for TV viewers.

Those in Detroit and Windsor should still pick up the new CBET digital signal. But Ann Arbor viewers will need a lot of help.

Outdoor antennas help, as does aiming the antenna at the proper direction. While the signal comes in clearer, the signal goes darker instead of being fuzzy. This is why cable is popular, even if the cable companies aren't popular.

The United States made the transition in February, postponing sweeps to March. Canada is making this move at the end of August, but the start of the new TV season is around the corner. And hockey starts for real in about a month.

To Canadians, we suggest patience, and lots of it. Bonne chance and good luck!

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Resources

• Digital television in Canada — Wikipedia (Take Wikipedia for what it's worth)
• American and Canadian CBC viewers get 1-year reprieve on losing analog TV signals (CanadianCrossing.com)
• Some Canadians and Americans will lose CBC-TV over the air after August 31 (CanadianCrossing.com)

American and Canadian CBC viewers get 1-year reprieve on losing analog TV signals

We warned you last month that on August 31, some Canadians and Americans were going to lose their analog CBC access and not get a digital CBC replacement. The good news is that the CBC has received a 1-year reprieve. The bad news is no one seems to know what will happen on August 31, 2012.

The other Canadian TV stations (CTV, Global, etc.) will still move ahead on August 31 of this year to make the transition from analog to digital. So some American viewers near the border could lose access to those channels if they live too far away to get a digital signal. Canadian viewers would have an option to get those channels via cable, not always an option for the Americans. But this was going to happen anyway.

Past coverage: Some Canadians and Americans will lose CBC-TV over the air after August 31

The CBC issue is more complex because many English and French viewers were going to lose CBC completely over-the-air since analog would shut down and the CBC couldn't afford to build a digital equivalent.

Given the time frame and the current Canadian budget, a 1-year extension means one more year of CBC in analog. But then what?

Either the CBC somehow comes up with the money, or the network will be in analog forever.

To be fair to the CRTC (Canadian Radio-TV Commission), the ruling body does plan to review the situation at a license renewal hearing — for June 2012, 2 months before the new deadline.

One advantage for CBC viewers is that the August 31 deadline should mean a digital signal to go along with the analog signal. Canada has progressed at a much slower pace than the United States at providing digital signals to its viewers.

We will be monitoring the situation (though unfortunately not first-hand) to see how the transition goes. For our Canadian readers, if the majesty is anything like it was in the United States, you should definitely stay up to midnight to see the analog signal go off the air. Many U.S. stations added fanfare to the transition, having special notices for the end to the analog signal. Hopefully, Canadian TV stations will celebrate in the same spirit.

Some Canadians and Americans will lose CBC-TV over the air after August 31

Longtime readers know I am a fan of the CBC, and one major reason is that Americans who live along the border has relatively easy access to the "ambassador," the introduction of Canadian culture to Americans. The CBC signals, whether over the air or cable, are on in countless communities at or near the Canadian border. And since U.S. cable systems don't have a cable Canadian channel, we have to take what we can get.

Unfortunately, at the end of the summer, those who access the CBC over the air (OTA) via the antenna may lose that ability. Those on the American side of the border know all too well of the struggles in the conversion from analog to digital. Well, Canadians are going to go through this process (pronounced PRO-cess) on August 31. While the panic on the American border was due to confusion, the struggle on the Canadian side will be the loss of the CBC over the antenna.

16 good-sized communities will lose an analog English signal without an accompanying digital signal, including Saskatoon, SK, London, ON, Kitchener, ON, Moncton, NB, Saint John, NB, and most Quebec markets outside of Montréal and Ottawa/Gatineau. A number of cities will lose analog French service without an accompanying digital signal, including Calgary, Windsor, ON, and Halifax.

The CBC cites money woes as the reason for not converting all the analog signals by the deadline. And those who will suffer may get a short-term reprieve as the CBC may convince the Canadian Radio Television Commission (CRTC) to keep analog signals in those markets past the deadline. Other Canadian commercial broadcasters are switching over their signals, most by August 31, and aren't running into these issues.

More: Canadian analog signals map and the effects of the digital conversion.

Let's look at the three biggest U.S. markets for the CBC: Seattle, Detroit, and Buffalo. In Seattle, you couldn't get the CBC with an antenna anyway; cable is the only option. For those who can pick up OTA signals from Victoria, those will virtually disappear. In Detroit, CBET-9 will start broadcasting in digital on the deadline date, so those who live close enough can get a HD feed. But a lot of those in Detroit and the surrounding area (including Ann Arbor) will need cable to get the channel. Buffalo may depend on the strength of the antenna, but most who have received CBLT-5 won't with a traditional antenna.

The rules for trying to pick up a digital signal are the same as for the American transition. A good start is a strong antenna on the roof of a house. Point it in the direction of the signal destination. Make sure the channel isn't broadcasting elsewhere on the dial; most if not all should correlate to its previous analog home (e.g., Detroit viewers can tune in 9-1 to still get CBET). Be patient, very patient. Or if these options aren't viable, save up for cable.

Oh, on the American side, for all the agony you went through to get a digital converter box, the box will work for the new Canadian digital signals even if you still have an analog TV. Canadians hopefully (hopefully) already have their digital conversion boxes.

The U.S. channels pushed the idea of broadcasting multiple signals on one channel as a benefit to digital. The Canadian broadcasters are having enough financial troubles that this isn't likely to be a part of the landscape. But if you live close enough to a CBC digital signal, you may get rewards down the road.

Way down the road. To show you how behind the curve the CBC has been, only 4 stations (according to Wikipedia) were broadcasting in OTA HD until April of this year: Montréal and Toronto ( 2005), and Vancouver and Ottawa (2006). The two major Alberta cities, Edmonton and Calgary, joined the list on April 1.

For more information:

• The CBC has a link on its Web site that goes further into which communities are affected.
• CRTC link on which Canadian communities are affected

Previous coverage of U.S. analog/digital transition:

• Government's Role in Digital TV Transition Should Be to Help Those Who Want Help
• Despite Congress' move to delay the digital TV transition, some stations start today
• Delay in digital TV conversion has negative ramifications
• The digital TV transition is another huge mess Obama inherits from Bush
• Those without cable or satellite have a fuzzy view of the presidential race

 

Montréal is viable MLB city, but would need a salary cap to compete on the field

If you find yourself challenged by someone at a bar or an outdoor barbecue that Montréal isn't a viable MLB city and deserved to lose the Expos, you now have more than just talk to convince them that they are mistaken.

Glen Hodgson and Mario Lefebvre produced this report for the ongoing series of Canada and sports for the Conference Board of Canada with a detailed analysis to why Montréal lost the Expos, whether the Toronto Blue Jays are in danger of relocating, and whether Montréal could support a franchise.

For all the reasons we might think, such as the then-weak Canadian dollar and the bad timing of Expos playoff runs, the current reason why Montréal might struggle to maintain a MLB franchise is MLB's lack of salary cap.

Toronto has trouble competing in the AL East Division since their salary level is less than half of their rivals in New York and Boston. Montréal would similar trouble with New York and Philadelphia.

A Canadian team would do much better competing in either of baseball's Central Divisions, but geography wouldn't justify that short of putting a team in Winnipeg.

Montréal would also need a new stadium, adding to the cost of a potential franchise.

Within the United States and Canada, Montréal is the largest city without a MLB team. Short of a redistribution of teams and divisions or an actual salary cap, La Belle Province will be without Major League Baseball for many years to come.

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Speaking of those 1981 Montréal Expos, Dick Williams, the manager who led the team to its only playoff appearance, has died at the age of 82. Williams managed three different franchises to the World Series (Boston, Oakland, San Diego) and almost made it a fourth in 1981. Williams, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, managed the Expos from 1977-1981.

Canadians not nearly as obese as Americans, according to a new study

The image of Canadians is donuts, maple syrup, and poutine. And yet in a recent study from the CDC, a higher percentage of Americans were found to be obese versus Canadians.

In the study, 34 percent of Americans are obese yet about 24 percent of Canadians are considered obese.

Canada should appreciate that it isn't the fattest country, though second (unofficially) isn't a good sign.

For more, here is the take from out sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.

Earthquake hits near Ottawa, affects Ontario and Quebec

UPDATE: There wasn't any significant damage — great news. One funny aside came from Stephen Colbert: "A 5.5 magnitude earthquake hits Canada. Even their earthquakes are bland."

An 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit Eastern Canada this afternoon. The epicenter of the quake was in the province of Quebec, 36 miles north of Ottawa, and struck at 1:41 pm EDT.

There were earthquake reports stretching as far south as Windsor, ON, on the U.S. border with Detroit and as far east as Montréal.

There don't appear to be significant injuries so far, so that is hopefully a good sign. If there is more on this story, we will bring it to you on CanadianCrossing.com.

Study shows Canadians live longer and better than Americans

A friend of mine who is Canadian but lives in the United States made sure I saw this recent study that shows Canadians live longer and better than Americans.

In the study published in BioMed Central's journal Population Health Metrics, Canadians' life expectancy is 79.7 years, 77.2 years for Americans. Weighing healthy 19-year-olds, in the Canadian scenario, that person can expect 52 more years of perfect health versus 49.3 more years for the healthy 19-year-old American.

The two major factors cited for differences between the two countries were the differences in access to health care and the prevalence of poverty.

One amusing factor was that the interviews were conducted in 2002 and 2003. Given the sharper decline of the American economy and increased health care woes, one can easily imagine that things are much worse for Americans (versus Canadians) in 2010 than 2002 or 2003.

The Canadian economy has snapped back much better than the U.S. economy. Deficit and debt are much milder words on the Canadian side. There was actually an uproar when the Canadian economy had to carry a short-term deficit. There is nothing short-term about the U.S. deficit or debt.

Canada didn't decriminalize marijuana — because of the United States?

The segment on "To The Contrary" was about Marijuana Moms. Each story on the PBS public affairs show is followed by a panel discussion.

The guest this week from the right-wing section of the panel was the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell. The former Prime Minister of Canada also served as the Defense Minister.

Campbell's comments on marijuana raised a few eyebrows:

"It would be great for the Canadian economy because we're huge producers of marijuana... We have actually talked about decriminalizing it, because our criminal law is federal. And it was pressure from the Americans that has kept Canada from decriminalizing possession of marijuana."

At the end of the last Liberal government, when Paul Martin had a minority government, the Liberals were trying to get a law passed that would decriminalize marijuana.

Since the Conservatives have taken over, Canada's reaction to marijuana possession has grown more harsh, not less. As has been noted, "the biggest proposed policy change is mandatory six-month sentencing for those growing as little as one marijuana plant for the purposes of trafficking."

Campbell belongs to the Conservative Party, which is the party in charge. Though to be fair to Campbell, the Conservative Party of 1993, when she served as prime minister, isn't quite like the Conservative Party of today. You almost gathered from the tone she took in the interview that if she were in Parliament today, and she could vote her conscience, Campbell would vote to decriminalize marijuana.

Campbell is from British Columbia, where hemp growth is more apparent than in other parts of the country. This could account for her thoughts on helping the Canadian economy.

But the key point is the apparent pressure from the U.S. government. There isn't any reason to believe Campbell is wrong or mistaken.

A country doesn't have a right to put pressure on another country to implement laws. The idea that Canadian citizens, who want a law passed for their own society, can't get that law passed because of factions in another country, violates basic sovereignty.

After all, hemp is now legal in Canada, yet not legal in the United States. If Canadians want marijuana decriminalized, the United States shouldn't stand in its way.