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Caption Movies Now

August 30, 2005

Elmer G. Wiens
Egwald Web Services Ltd.
204-5555 Balsam Street
Vancouver B.C.
V6M 4B5

Dear Editor

Deaf and hard of hearing people are discriminated against when they attend a theatre to watch a movie. While a few Canadian theatres offer limited captioning services, most theatres do not. In all of Ontario for example, 18 theatres offer rear-view (closed captioning), whereby the movies subtitles are shown on a small panel inserted into the cup holder at a person's seat. However, these theatres provide their captioning service at only a limited number of dates and times.

The Captioning Movies Now Coalition (CMNC) demands that all movies be distributed, as of the date of release, with captions that meet professional standards of readability and accuracy. Through its website, www.captionmoviesnow.ca, CMNC intends to support the deaf, deafened and hard of hearing individuals in Canada to obtain equitable access to movies shown in theatres in their own neighbourhood, including first-run movie theatres.

At the present time, three deaf / hard of hearing people, Scott Simser, Gary Malkowski, and Nancy Barker, have lodged human rights complaints at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario against Famous Players, Cineplex Galaxy, AMC Entertainment International Inc., Alliance Atlantis Cinemas, and Rainbow Centre Cinemas Inc., Universal Studios Canada Inc. and Paramount Pictures Canada Distribution Inc. The first five own movie theatres, while the last two distribute movies.

On September 8 and 9, 2005 the parties will attend mediation supervised by former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Peter Cory. Should mediation fail, the parties will head back to the Human Rights Tribunal for a final decision on this matter. The deaf / hard of hearing complainants are represented by Mary Cornish and her team at the law firm, Cavalluzzo Hayes Shilton McIntyre & Cornish.

CMNC welcomes everyone to visit our website, www.captionmoviesnow.ca, to obtain background information on the issue of captioning movies at theatres in Canada. Please join us and help make our vision of having all movies distributed with captioning a reality. This is a vital and necessary basic requirement, to ensure deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing people are able to access and take part in enjoying movies. Help us obtain 100 per cent quality captioning on all movies at movie theatres everywhere in Canada .

Sincerely

Elmer G. Wiens

 

 

 

 
   

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