[d@DCC] Fwd: B.C. to lead Canada in offering students free, open textbooks

From: Russell McOrmond <russell _-at-_ c11.ca>
To: "General Copyright Discussions (questions, organizing, etc)" <discuss (at) list.digital-copyright.ca>
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:55:12 -0400
References: <5080039B.903@c11.ca>

  Forwarding this to the list in case others want to promote this in
their own provinces, or send similar letters to their own MPPs.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: B.C. to lead Canada in offering students free, open textbooks
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:26:51 -0400
From: Russell McOrmond
To: dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org


Dalton McGuinty,
my MPP in Ottawa South,


  Reports are that you plan to continue to be our MPP in Ottawa South
until the next election.  To that end I would like to forward the
following to appropriate Cabinet ministers:

B.C. to lead Canada in offering students free, open textbooks
http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2012AEIT0010-001581.htm


  It has been frustrating to note how much Ontario educational money has
been pumped into legacy publishers: both directly with purchasing
sole-sourced textbooks which are still too few to supply the need, as
well as in inappropriate fees to textbook publisher controlled Access
Copyright.

  Many jurisdictions globally have been moving to save money by making
use of Open Access.  Open Access is a technique where the one-time costs
of authoring textbooks are funded, and then the textbooks are available
royalty-free.  Since these textbooks are not proprietary to any single
organization, it is possible for multiple jurisdictions and multiple
sectors to collaborate to further reduce overall educational costs.

  This is similar to Free/Libre and Open Source Software which is
responsible for the core of the Internet and nearly ever modern business
dependent on software.

  I am available to meet to discuss this more if you wish.

Russell McOrmond
[other contact removed]

-- 
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
 Please help us tell the Canadian Parliament to protect our property
 rights as owners of Information Technology. Sign the petition!
 http://l.c11.ca/ict

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  manufacturers, can pry my camcorder, computer, home theatre, or
  portable media player from my cold dead hands!"
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