Google reaches $100M deal to meet Online News Act obligations

By Connie Thiessen Google has reached an agreement with the federal government that will see the digital giant contribute $100 million in annual financial support to meet its obligations under the Online News Act. By far the biggest digital advertising dominator in Canada with an estimated 50 per cent market share, Google had been preparing to exclude Canadian news sites from search engine results, starting Dec. 19 when Bill C-18 comes into force. Under the legislation, by government calculations, Google would have been required to pay an estimated $172 million per year to prop up the media sector, equivalent to...