Part IV in our series on rewriting the Broadcasting and Telecom Acts
THE CANADIAN TV INDUSTRY faces a growing crisis. Financial contributions from the broadcast distributors to support the production of Canadian stories are on the decline. This is combined with the fact that online TV providers, namely Netflix, aren’t required to pay into the Canadian system like their Canadian competitors.
Since Netflix has emerged as a major competitor to traditional broadcasting services, many have called for the U.S. company to being paying into the Canadian system. Some have suggested taxing internet service providers is the best approach. Others have simply…
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IF YOU’RE AGAINST THINGS like theft and plagiarism, then support of the FairPlay Coalition is a no-brainer.
Over 25 companies, unions, associations and other groups have banded together to file an application to the CRTC to try to curb blatant content piracy in Canada. The group (a list of organizations who are often at each other’s throats) is calling themselves the FairPlay Canada Coalition and the application (to which Cartt.ca was granted early access) calls for the creation of the Independent Piracy Review Agency, an independent, third party organization with a strong mandate to protect both net neutrality as well…
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Proposes new agency to battle billion-dollar problem
OTTAWA – FairPlay Canada, a new coalition of Canadian artists, content creators, unions, guilds, producers, performers, broadcasters, distributors, and exhibitors is has filed an application with the CRTC urging the Regulator to have Canadian ISPs shut down access to websites which enable content piracy.
According to the coalition, the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Canadians who work in the creative sector (songwriters, set builders, TV writers, makeup artists, reporters, as well as cable technicians, engineers and customer service reps) are at risk as a result of increasing online piracy…
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Q HOST TOM POWER is a good interviewer. But even he can’t penetrate Heritage Minster Mélanie Joly’s ability to avoid giving a direct answer to a direct question.
The Minister appeared on CBC’s Q last week (screen-capped at right) to talk about the #MeToo movement (she was in Toronto to meet with a number of groups on that topic) as well as discuss Canadian content in the new, digital era. We’ll pick up the chat at the 6:40 mark.
After mentioning Netflix’s planned $500 million investment in making content in Canada, which was the centrepiece of Minister…
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TORONTO – Broadcast and music industry veteran and philanthropist Gary Slaight will receive the 2018 Humanitarian Award at this year’s Juno Awards.
Given out annually, the Humanitarian Award celebrates and recognizes the philanthropic efforts made by Canadian artists or industry leaders who have made a positive impact on social welfare worldwide. It will be presented at the Juno Gala Dinner & Awards on March 24, 2018 in Vancouver.
Slaight personifies the essence of the award through his devotion to Canadian music and emerging Canadian artists as well as his philanthropic support of health care, social service, culture and at-risk youth at…
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A curious omission, though
OTTAWA – Just before the federal government shuts down for the holidays, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly and Innovation Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains co-signed a mandate letter for the committee about to begin the process of reviewing the Copyright Act.
“While often underappreciated, the Copyright Act impacts Canadians every day, shaping what we see and hear, and enhancing our systems for the creation and use of content,” wrote the minsters to the chairman of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, which will lead the statutory review in the new year.
The letter asks the…
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Search continues for new CEO
GATINEAU – Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly named five new directors to the CBC/Radio-Canada board of directors on Tuesday.
The new members are:
− Harley Finkelstein (Ontario), mandate effective immediately
Mr. Finkelstein is an entrepreneur, lawyer and chief of operations for Shopify. He is a member of C100's board of directors and advises Felicis Ventures, which makes him involved in two organizations that promote innovation. He was also one of the dragons on CBC's Next Gen Den. Mr. Finkelstein was a recipient of the Order of Ottawa in 2016 and recently received Canada's Top 40 Under 40 award.
− René…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s Copyright Act should enable creators to get paid properly and on time as well as promote discoverability and Canada’s culture and heritage, say ISED Minister Navdeep Bains and Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly.
Copyright is a major driver of the Canadian economy, with core copyright-based industries representing an estimated contribution of $50 billion to the GDP and accounting for 483,000 jobs in 2015, reads the joint statement issued following the adoption of a motion put forward in Parliament to review the 2012 Act next year.
“In order to thrive in the digital economy, we need to support both creators and…
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MONTREAL — “I’ve gotten such great press lately,” Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly joked to break the ice in a speech Friday to Montreal’s board of trade. But despite mounting pressure, especially in Quebec, to impose sales taxes on foreign over-the-top services like Netflix, Joly had no new announcements to make, sticking to repeating the promises made in the Creative Canada plan released in September.
“I hear you,” she told the crowd present, including board president Michel Leblanc, who said during his introduction that he expected Joly to explain the government’s position on this issue. She repeated several times that she’s…
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GATINEAU – Toronto-based lawyer Monique Lafontaine has been named the CRTC’s new Commissioner for Ontario.
Wednesday’s announcement by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly says that Lafontaine (pictured) brings over 17 years' experience in entertainment and communications law to the role, and that her areas of specialization include television, radio, new media regulation, program licencing and affiliation agreements, stakeholder relations, and anti-spam and privacy legislation.
Lafontaine, who is fluently bilingual, will begin her five-year post on January 2nd, 2018. According to her LinkedIn profile, she held senior roles at ZoomerMedia, the Directors Guild of Canada and law firm McCarthy Tétrault before opening her own communications and entertainment…
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