get on the list
if you were bullied, threatened or silenced by an authority,
this documentary gives you the opportunity to speak out and
share your story with the public.


THE COLLECTIVE VOICE OF A DEMOCRACY

AND THE COURAGE TO SPEAK OUT

Blakout.ca is a place for victims of injustice to speak
out and share their stories with the public. It assumes that crimes against
social justice persist in a democracy, not because people don’t care,
but because the victims are not heard and the public is uninformed.

By encouraging a collective voice to contribute, this work aspires to
demonstrate systemic issues, which stem from an abuse of power by publicly
paid officials and democratically erected organizations.

Through documentary media, this site encourages anyone who feels bullied
and silenced by employees of democratic organizations (any agencies or
employees funded by tax dollars), including: government workers, lawyers,
judges, politicians, leaders of publicly held corporations, religious
organizations and any other authority figure, to speak out.

A society that is silenced by fear has a dysfunctional democracy; in
Canada, each citizen is entitled to their voice but many people have been
bullied not to use it. This issue creates a society that is not democratic
at all. If people are abused and remain silent, the abuse will, inevitably,
affect more victims. If you’re the first person to raise an issue, you
are likely not alone. Your courage to speak out will be felt by many.

Unlike YouTube.com, where a person uploads content and it’s immediately
displayed to the public, this is a directed online documentary.
This means that witnesses agree to a consent form, are contacted, and
stories are edited and researched before being published to the “Voices
Archive” section of the website.

All members of the public (including public servants) are encouraged
to contribute.

NOTICE:
Public submissions to the documentary commenced in June 2011 and concluded in January 2013. Story submissions are no longer being accepted. This page is for archival and documentary purposes only. To view story submissions, visit the Voices Archive section of the documentary.

how it works

1. Read and Agree to the Consent Form.
2. Create your password and answer some questions.
3. Write your story.
4. Upload any files you want.
Finish

Read and agree or disagree to the consent form. You will be required to enter
your personal information at the end of the consent form, which will be kept confidential.
If you agree, you will be prompted to the next screen.

Answer some general questions about yourself including password creation to
access or edit your story later on.

Write your story. You can write a summary of your story or write it in full.

Upload any audio, video, photos or documents (optional). Finished.

Note: Your story will not be submitted for editing and publication until you click the “Finish” button.

[The “Start Now” button was removed in January 2013, when the online documentary closed for public submissions. To read, view and listen to stories submitted by the public, visit the Voices Archive section of the website.]

 

 

Featured Topic: The Children's Aid Societies of Ontario: a documentary film, with ongoing stories contributed on this website by the public.

For parents with children under the age of 16, the Ontario Children's Aid Society (CAS) is the most powerful agency in Ontario. Its mandate is to protect the lives of abused children and orphans. The province's caring public has spared no measure to protect its children by empowering the agency with laws and money that enable it to execute the people's will and do its job effectively.

Through interviews with witnesses and seasoned experts, this documentary film explores the workings of the CAS. It asks questions fundamental to the blakout project. How are employees of a publicly funded agency using their power? How are children and parents affected by the process? Are there factors that could mitigate a noble and compassionate public initiative to reverse-course? Are your children's lives at stake? Who are the oppressed and what role does money play? Is this a widespread systemic issue? And if so, what is the cost and risk to society? Who is accountable? And finally, if the system is broken, how would you fix it without leaving the vulnerable exposed to harm?

This documentary examines if any child is at risk, regardless of family income, cultural background or parental investment. It seeks to empower the electorate to vote for politicians who will competently guard society's children. Research is conducted on-camera and a complex subject is examined through a broad cas_windsor spectrum of witness stories. Licensed professionals, with years of hands-on experience, inform, educate and offer critical observations and recommendations. Elected politicians are put to task in areas of competence and proposed solutions.

This film is a case study of a publicly funded agency that is not unlike most government agencies in the country. Financed by the public and wielding extraordinary power, employees of these organizations can affect lives in areas where the stakes are often the highest.

[ read more ]

FROM THE TRANSCRIPTS
[ ASK THE WITNESS ]

One of the other points I'd like to make is implementing a standard of parenting. Often what happens, is the society wants to impose a standard of parenting that is inappropriate to many people. They're poor! They're marginalized. We can't impose that standard on them.

DOC NOTES

15 May

Letters from viewers and visitors

Letters from visitors to blakout.ca are published to this page. If you would like your comments to published to the website, please note your consent in your email or message. Click to read the most recent letters
24 Mar

Letter from former CAS Supervisor

re: CAS staff asked to keep cased open to retain funding Letter to the Editor, Toronto Star, March 16, 2013 Former Toronto area CAS Supervisor writes, “From now on it’s all about the numbers...” Read Article
22 Mar

Media & Publicity

Media & Pubicity added to site. See listings from National Post, Toronto Star, NewsTalk1010, Primetime on SunTV and others. Visit Media Section
15 Jan

Web documentary closed

The ethics certificate expired in January 2013 and the web documentary closed for public submissions. The website/film will remain online for public viewing. Read stories from the public