Bell confirms April 11 appearance before Heritage committee
In a message titled “Facts Matter” published Thursday on its website, Bell outlined what it says are the facts about its recent restructuring, which includes the elimination of 4,800 positions across the telecom and media company.
The web post appears to have been prompted by what Bell sees as inaccurate information circulating about the situation, saying, “As some distort the truth, here are the facts about Bell’s restructuring as announced on February 8.”
“Bell is supporting each affected team member with…
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Unifor members held a media conference and rally in Ottawa on Tuesday “to call out Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE) for postponing a scheduled hearing before the House of Commons Heritage Committee to answer for the recent termination of 9% of BCE’s workforce,” says a Unifor press release.
But a Bell representative told Cartt that Tuesday’s hearing postponement was requested by the Heritage committee clerk, who confirmed that to be the case.
“The Clerk of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage requested Bell postpone its appearance at committee that was originally scheduled for…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC wants to know whether news publishers that fail to strike a deal with online platforms to host their content should be required to immediately use CRTC staff for mediation, rather than an external third party.
The concern from the regulator – which launched the consultation period Wednesday on the implementation of the Online News Act – is that much of the allotted 120-day mediation period could be consumed by a search and then agreement on that third party mediator, notwithstanding the cost to smaller news businesses.
“Given that Commission staff already offers mediation services to resolve certain…
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Media company Stingray announced Monday it is collaborating with a group of independent broadcasters to call on the federal government to support Canada’s local radio industry.
Stingray said a letter has been sent to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge “outlining actionable recommendations to address the economic challenges posed to local radio by the digital shift and the loss of advertising dollars to online platforms.”
The group is asking for the upcoming federal budget to include a commitment from the federal government to dedicate at least 70 per cent…
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The Governor in Council has reappointed René Légère and Jennifer Moore Rattray to CBC’s board of directors, on the recommendation of Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge.
In addition, Marie-Anne Tawil has been appointed as a director of CBC’s board.
All three will serve on the board for a five-year term. Their appointments were announced on Jan. 26.
Based in Moncton, Légère has served on CBC’s board since December 2017. He began his career in communications, working as a host and reporter with Radio-Canada Acadie. Since 2009, he…
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The Canada Media Fund (CMF) on Wednesday published a new report detailing the results of the federal government’s $60-million investment in 2021 in the CMF for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives.
The CMF’s Creating Change report demonstrates the funding — announced as part of the 2021 federal budget and allocated in $20-million installments over the past three years — “has been a key driver in advancing EDI across Canada’s audiovisual sector,” according to a CMF press release, which notes “this pivotal funding, which has underpinned significant sectoral growth, will come…
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By Connie Thiessen
Canada’s place in the global content industry and government oversight in the face of huge technological change, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), are just a few of the topics Prime Time will tackle this year, the annual media production summit hosted by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), slated to take place Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, in Ottawa.
Andrew Addison, CMPA’s vice president, communications, marketing and membership, says this year’s gathering of content industry professionals will be the biggest to date, with the most vast lineup of concurrent sessions the event has ever staged.
“I think we’re really looking…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Alicia Barin stepped down as the CRTC’s vice chair of broadcasting on Friday to focus on her personal life.
“After a period of deep reflection and consultation with those closest to me following the sudden passing of my husband this past summer, I have concluded that I am at a time in my life when I need to fully step away from my professional commitments and focus on my family, which includes our four children,” Barin told CRTC staff in a statement, which was forwarded to Cartt.
“My appointment to the CRTC and the opportunity to work with the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Governor in Council has rejected an application to force the CRTC to relook at a decision it made that automatically renewed the broadcasting licences of major broadcasters that have been clamouring for changes to their regulatory obligations due to worsening financial conditions.
The Governor in Council said in the decision dated December 8 that it “is not satisfied that the decision derogates from the attainment of the objectives of the broadcasting policy for Canada set out in subsection 3(1) of that Act,” and that it, on the recommendation of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, “declines to refer…
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The Governor General in Council has reappointed Betsy Chaly as a member of the National Film Board of Canada’s board of trustees, on the recommendation of Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge.
Chaly’s new three-year term will begin Jan. 8, 2024.
Based in Ottawa, Chaly has been an NFB board member since January 2018 and currently serves as the board’s vice-chair.
Chaly is a bilingual marketing and communications professional with 20 years of experience in a variety of industries and sectors, including media, arts, telecom, government and education.
Photo of Betsy…
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