Lawsuits Don't Come Cheap

Scales of Justice

Try as you might sometimes you just can't tip the Scales of Justice...

What does ACOA do anyway?

Seems that ACOA's mandate in supporting small business is lost in the case of one small company. It has two choices: 1. Accept a proposal that would see ACOA's loan paid in full along with 27 other creditors or 2. Reject the proposal and get nothing, and also the other creditors get nothing.

Which one do you think they voted for?? WRONG!

Perhaps they need to review their operations manual (pictured)

Chronology of Events

Prior to present CHS Actions
This is an article from the RCMP "Impact of Piracy on Canadian Businesses" it lists the dangers of pirated nautical chart data when there is no checks and balances and specifically mentions the importance of NDI and CHS in this assurance.

"Pirated Software Jeopardizes Mariners' Safety" a similar article from DFO themselves which listed the safety aspect of having certified charts.


Summer of 2004
In July of 2004 Nautical Data International launches a copyright infringement lawsuit against two foreign companies who were scanning CHS data themselves and using digital data in their own product. This data used in chartplotters is popular among boaters but no certification or saftety checks were in place and no licensing was obtained for the use of the data.

With the piracy lawsuit launched against the chartplotter companies DFO posted supporting documents on their website with regard to the copyright issues of non-licensed charts.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans also posted a list of the only companies licensed to use digital chart data from the CHS. The chartplotter companies are not on this list.

January of 2005
On the first day after News Years Holiday DFO posts information that they will terminate agreements with Nautical Data International.

They cite numerous complaints as the basis for terminating the public/private partnership. Numerous complaints would certainly be expected considering that the lawsuit against chartplotters companies would have seen a large number of boaters unable to get Canadian Chips for their chartplotters for the 2005 season. Recreational boaters had a right to be angry. What has to be known though is that DFO and CHS supported the actions against the foreign companies producing chartplotter data - as the documents above show. CHS now has removed the copyright infringement articles above from their website and they go so far as to welcome the chartplotter companies that they had condeemed just monthes previously. CHS has setup Nautical Data International in their lawsuit against the chartplotter companies but then mere months later have allowed Nautical Data International to take the full force of the negative impact from recreational boaters.

The CHS is the bully from high school that throws snowballs at cars and then hids in the shadows while his brother is left to speak with the driver.

Recreational Boaters take notice - there is a lurker in the shadows...


In February Nautical Data International files for protection under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act in an effort to protect its company. In effect preventing the Canadian Government from terminating the public/private agreement and allowing the company the time to reponse to the blatant attack of January 4. In the procedings of the Newfoundland Supreme Court the truth of the incompetencies of DFO in their handling of this case become known. See the article below:


May 14, 2005
From an article in The Telegram by reporter Brian Callahan "Data Company Wins Suit Against DFO". This is an article which describes a court case in the Newfoundland Supreme Court. DFO's actions to terminate the public/private partnership with Nautical Data International is descibed as "illegal and improper" and the court has favoured this opinion.

... and you don't believe in Federal Government Conspiracies?! ...

July 12, 2005
Another article by Brian Callahan in The Telegram"Company Fights ACOA for Survival". The federal agency ACOA jumps onboard with DFO to bury NDI in legal fees. The article describes a federal government conspiracy by ACOA and DFO to bankrupt a small business in Newfoundland.

July 15, 2005
A Follow up Article to the Above."Trustee Says NDI Proposal is Fair". This follow up article describes how the Proposal by Nautical Data International is rejected by ACOA and DFO despite the fact that 27 other creditors voted for it and against the trustee's recommendation to accept it as fair.

CHS ACOA and NDI

The federal government of Canada has made of mess of the way it is dealing with the relationships between Boaters, the Marine Industry and private and public partnerships, as they relate to marine cartography in Canada. The most recent result of their incompetence is the subject of this Blog.

In an attempt to cover-up their incompetence they have acted in such a way as to anger Canadian Boaters and use a small Newfoundland company as a scapegoat to their own blundering. Some rather disturbing trends have developed including a conspiracy with other federal government agencies. The Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans (through CHS) and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) have joined forces to end the existence of a small Newfoundland Company. This blog is a space to record the events of the disputes between CHS/ACOA/C-MAP/Navionics against Nautical Data International. There is a conspiracy in every sense of the word, and this is a forum for Justice.

But First Read "A Chronology of Events" to get up to speed. Then the story of "David and Goliath" where the story is told. I think this will be particularly interesting to all Canadians, especially those in the Nautical field or with The Sea in their veins - who have heard only parts of this story.