QUEBEC – As reported by Cartt.ca last week, the government of Quebec has now appealed the decision of the Superior Court of Quebec which said the provincial government could not force ISPs to block certain online gambling sites.
In its appeal, the provincial government is arguing that the gaming, consumer protection and public health issues are clearly of provincial jurisdiction, which has precedence over anything else.
The province adds in its filing that crime prevention, a provincial jurisdiction, cannot be invalidated just because enforcement involves a federally regulated activity, such as telecom in…
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OTTAWA – The federal government has begun its search for a new CRTC commissioner for Quebec, just under a year to go before current commissioner Yves Dupras’ term expires on August 10, 2019.
It's assumed the current Liberal government wants to replace Dupras (a Conservative appointee) prior to the next federal election, in October 2019. However, an election could be called sooner, if the government so desired.
According to the posting, the full-time position will be based in Quebec and the incumbent's duties will include participating in processes to establish rules, policies, and guidelines for licences and carriers; participating in public…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has renewed the licence of Canal M, the national French-language audio programming undertaking, as well as its distribution order for mandatory carriage on basic.
Owned by Vues & Voix, Canal M airs full readings of news, editorials and other articles published in newspapers, magazines and other periodicals for Francophone Canadians who are blind, partially sighted or print-restricted. All TV service providers in Francophone markets must distribute the service, and direct-to-home satellite broadcasting distribution undertakings must offer it in their French-language digital basic service packages.
The Commission also agreed to Vues & Voix’s request to increase Canal…
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QUEBEC – The Government of Quebec will appeal a Quebec Superior’s Court decision to quash an amendment of the Consumer Protection Law of Quebec banning online gambling and forcing local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block online gambling websites.
The Court confirmed that telecommunications was an exclusive federal jurisdiction.
Cartt.ca has learned from a Quebec Department of Justice official that the Attorney General of Quebec will file an appeal with the Quebec Court of Appeal on or before August 24.
In its 2015 Budget, the Government of Quebec introduced amendments to the Consumer Protection Act to put an end to what the province…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has renewed the mandatory distribution order for the services of the Legislative Assemblies of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, without an expiry date.
These services, which operate under the Parliamentary and Provincial or Territorial Legislature Proceedings Exemption Order, exclusively cover the proceedings of the Legislative Assemblies of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Aboriginal languages, as well as in English and French.
They will continue to be offered on the digital basic service of direct-to-home satellite broadcasting distribution undertakings serving Nunavut and the Northwest Territories without a per subscriber monthly wholesale rate.
“The Commission is satisfied that these…
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OTTAWA – Registration is now open for the ‘Canadian Communications Policy and Legislation: Time for a Review’ presented by the Canadian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications.
Scheduled for October 31 and November 1, 2018 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, the event promises to bring together communications regulators, policy makers and lawyers from Canada and the U.S. to debate the key issues affecting broadcasting, telecommunications and the Internet today.
Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien will moderate the opening morning plenaries, and confirmed speakers include CRTC chair Ian Scott, CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Catherine Tait, and U.S. FCC Commissioner…
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LAST WEEK, CARTT.CA's Greg O’Brien published an edited version of a presentation he gave as a “provocateur” at a roundtable session about the future of Canadian television production at Ryerson University. The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) was, in the best spirit of intellectual engagement and discussion, indeed provoked!
To begin with, the WGC wholeheartedly agrees with O’Brien’s acknowledgement that Canadian film and television production is an important driver of economic activity in Canada. We also agree that the Canadian creative industries need and deserve government support in order to survive and thrive. And we particularly…
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“A once-in-a-lifetime chance to change the buyer-beware culture”
OTTAWA – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is making it easier for both consumers as well as current and former employees of telecom companies to share their tales of telecom sales practices with the CRTC.
With less than two weeks until the Commission’s August 30 deadline for comments, the consumer organization released two 'how-to’ documents – one entitled What Consumers Need to Know and the other called What Telecommunication Company Employees Need To Know – to help ease the process.
“In our lengthy experience with Canada’s telecommunications market, we believe the CRTC…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has extended the deadline for comments and replies on whether or not the radio market in and around Quebec City can sustain more stations.
The Commission issued a call for comments earlier this month regarding the market capacity and appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications in Quebec City, as well as Sainte-Marie and the Regional County Municipality of Portneuf, both of which are small towns within transmitter range of Quebec City.
On Monday, it issued amendments to all three of those Broadcasting Notices of Consultation, pushing out the deadline for submitting…
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I THINK YOUR SUGGESTION that the cultural industries should be funded entirely from the treasury, like the army, and eliminate all levies or similar measures creates worrying problems.
I don’t know where tax credits fit into this model. I do not believe that Canadians would revolt over a modest ISP tax that funded Cancon, especially if “revenue neutral” as the CRTC proposes.
Would Canadians be willing to pay more to have a country, or not, whether the funding is coming from general taxes or dedicated taxes or levies?
As you point out, that general tax funding would be…
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