By Howard Law, author of Canada vs. California, and MediaPolicy.ca
Earlier this month Cartt published “C-11, CRTC, and destabilizing market-driven CanCon,” an opinion piece from Len St-Aubin.
Two years ago St-Aubin and I volleyed back and forth on the merits of the Online Streaming Act as it passed the House of Commons. I suppose the two grumpy old men are back at it again: St-Aubin’s recent column is an indictment of the current regulatory state of affairs and here I am responding.
For the sake of brevity and avoiding repetitious debate, I will…
Continue Reading
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced Tuesday the appointment of Drew Olsen as vice chair and CEO of the Copyright Board of Canada for a five-year term, starting Aug. 26.
In this position, Olsen will lead the work of the Copyright Board as well as supervise and direct board staff. He succeeds Nathalie Théberge, who was recently appointed as the CRTC’s vice chair of broadcasting for a five-year term that began in April.
Olsen is currently associate director general of the audiovisual branch at Canadian Heritage. While at the department, he has held other leadership…
Continue Reading
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) last week announced a new chair and the appointment of a new director to its board.
Michael Schmalz has been elected as chair of the board, succeeding outgoing chair Alain Cousineau, who left the board of directors after an 11-year tenure.
Appointed as a CMF board director by the Department of Canadian Heritage in 2017, Schmalz resides in London, Ont., is fully bilingual, and brings more than 17 years of experience in the digital media industry, with a focus on gaming innovation.
René Guimond has been appointed…
Continue Reading
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has entered into a new collective agreement with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), having received approval last week from the Governor General in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The new NFB-PIPSC agreement is retroactive to July 1, 2022 and will expire June 30, 2026. The previous four-year agreement expired June 30, 2022.
The agreement covers all employees of the NFB in the Administrative and Foreign Service Category and the Scientific and Professional Category.
The terms of the new agreement include wage increases…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
A new bill that would force the CRTC to “consult” with the provincial governments on matters affecting French-speaking markets is drawing concern from regulatory authorities both in its legal terminology and the precedent it could set for a tribunal freshly saddled with increased responsibilities.
The private member’s bill C-354, which passed second reading in the House and is in the committee stage, would amend the CRTC Act to add to section 12 a paragraph that would require it to “consult with the Government of Quebec or the governments of the other provinces, as the case…
Continue Reading
By Howard Law, author of Canada vs. California, and MediaPolicy.ca
Last week the CRTC released its anticipated “Phase One” ruling on the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11. The headline was the $200 million price tag put on Canadian content contributions assessed by the commission on large foreign online audio and audio-visual streamers operating in Canada.
Following the commission’s decision, many industry players and public policy commentators were quick to declare victory or disaster, something we can expect in a regulatory drama that never quits.
This drama is chronicled in my book, Canada vs California: How…
Continue Reading
Canadian Heritage has announced the appointment of Marc Beaudet to the board of directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as the re-appointment of Marie Wilson and Guillaume Aniorté, all for five-year terms expiring May 23, 2029.
Beaudet is being appointed in place of François R. Roy, whose term expired recently.
Currently senior vice president of studio operations at Montreal-based Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), Beaudet is the former co-founder and CEO of digital platform developer Turbulent, which was acquired by CIG in July 2023.
Beaudet was one of nine appointees to an independent advisory committee created in June…
Continue Reading
Canada and the government of Quebec announced Monday they are co-organizing the inaugural meeting of the UNESCO Group of Experts on the diversity of cultural expressions in the digital environment, which is being held in Québec City from May 28 to 30.
Composed of 18 independent experts from around the world, the group has a mandate to reflect on the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (known as the 2005 Convention) in the digital age and make recommendations to parties who ratified…
Continue Reading
By Connie Thiessen
Independent ethnic community television producers have launched the “This Show is Made with Zero Support from the Government” campaign, saying third-language programming is in jeopardy without more funding.
A number of shows broadcast on Rogers Sports & Media multicultural broadcaster OMNI TV began airing the public service announcements last week, which warn viewers that without support, multicultural voices could start disappearing from the airwaves, urging their audiences to contact their local Member of Parliament.
The producers say advertising revenues are insufficient to maintain quality programming and the campaign has been launched out of frustration with government inaction.
“Politicians and government…
Continue Reading
Canadian Heritage has announced the appointment of Sylvain Lafrance as chairperson of Telefilm Canada. In addition, Deborah MacPherson and Claude Doucet have been appointed as members of Telefilm’s board of directors.
The five-year terms of all three appointees began May 9.
An expert in the fields of media management and communications, Lafrance worked at CBC/Radio-Canada for more than three decades. Before leaving the national public broadcaster in 2011, he held the position of executive vice president of French services, where he led the integration of the Crown corporation’s radio,…
Continue Reading
