CANARIE on Wednesday announced the appointment of Michael (Mike) Tremblay as its new president and CEO, effective Sept. 8.
Tremblay’s appointment follows the retirement of former president and CEO Kathryn Anthonisen earlier this year. CANARIE’s chief technology officer, Mark Wolff, has been serving as interim president and CEO since April.
“With over 40 years of leadership experience in technology, innovation, and economic development, Mike brings a wealth of expertise and a visionary mindset to help drive CANARIE’s next phase of delivering world-class networking and cybersecurity services to bolster Canada’s research and…
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The Disability Screen Office (DSO) and the National Screen Institute (NSI) announced Tuesday they are partnering to develop a program that will formalize a new managerial-level role dedicated to integrating accessibility into TV and film productions of all sizes across Canada.
Called the Production Accessibility Role Initiative (or ProdAccess for short), the program is supported by the Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates and the City of Toronto.
“Professionals trained through this program will work with productions to identify and remove barriers to access for staff, cast, and crew, ensuring accessibility is…
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The CRTC via an Aug. 12 letter is asking telecommunication service providers (TSPs), as well as intervenors, for their input on a potential increase to the $10-million revenue threshold for participation in the commission’s National Contribution Fund (NCF) and payment of annual telecom fees.
An April 2024 application by the Independent Telecommunications Providers Association (ITPA) had requested the revenue threshold be increased from $10 million to $25 million. Large telecoms, including Bell, Quebecor, Telus and Rogers, have argued against the increase, while the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) and the…
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By Monica Auer, executive director of the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC)
Parliament established the CRTC in 1968 to implement a new Broadcasting Policy for Canada and added telecommunications to its responsibilities in 1975. The CRTC must follow this and other legislation, such as the Accessible Canada Act and other requirements of other federal departments. In 2024, for example, the Treasury Board issued a Trust and Transparency Strategy setting out three strategic objectives for government departments and agencies such as the commission: transparency, accountability and public participation.
The Treasury Board describes “transparency” as the availability…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Bell said Thursday it has agreed to sell its home security and monitored alarm assets, in a transaction that aligns with its efforts to focus on its core businesses.
The transaction to Toronto-based a.p.i Alarm Inc. is part of a strategy of focusing on its telecommunications, enterprise solutions and media businesses, the company said Thursday. Closing is expected in the second half of this year.
The deal, whose top-end value is estimated at $170 million, comes nearly eight years after it purchased Alarm Force for $166 million – a move that it said would boost its…
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Eastlink says it is suspending planned upgrades
By Ahmad Hathout
The federal government will not send back the CRTC’s decision to allow the three largest telecommunications companies to ride on the internet networks of others, pointing to competition and lower costs.
“Canada’s new government has a strong mandate to bring costs down and to build one, strong, Canadian economy – one that aligns with our core values as a nation,” Industry Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement late Wednesday.
“According to the policy direction, the CRTC is responsible for considering how its decisions affect all forms of competition and investment, as well…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC conditionally approved Friday a plan of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to administer a new temporary fund for the production of radio news in smaller markets.
The commission told the CAB – which pitched the plan at the request of the CRTC to fill a void in that space – that the Commercial Radio News Fund (CRNF) must be operational by August 31. The target markets for the fund are those outside of Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa-Gatineau.
To qualify, the CRTC has set the definition of news as outlined in a Continue Reading
Telco previously hinted at a minority sale in its cell tower portfolio
By Ahmad Hathout
Telus announced Friday that it has agreed to sell to a pension fund a minority stake in a separate entity that will carry its wireless infrastructure.
La Caisse, one of the largest pension funds in the country, will spend $1.26 billion on the 49.9 per cent interest in Terrion, a newly created cell tower operator headquartered in Montreal and headed by long-time Telus executive Eros Spadotto.
Terrion will manage about 3,000 tower sites across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and will generate money through wholesale rental. Telus…
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The challenges facing the audiovisual distribution industry are structural and call for a systemic response in order to better support, develop and promote the distribution and exports of Canadian and Indigenous films, says a new report conducted by La Société des demains for Telefilm Canada.
The report, Exploring the Futures of Distribution – Strategic Visions for the Canadian Audiovisual Industry, is based on findings from a series of workshops with industry representatives held virtually in August and in-person in November of last year as well as a final workshop held in Ottawa in January 2025…
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CBC and ABC News Studios announced last week the new feature-length documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery will premiere in Canada on Sept. 17 on CBC and CBC Gem, and on Sept. 21 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and on Disney+ internationally (excluding Canada), following its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
From Canadian director Ally Pankiw (I Used to Be Funny, Black Mirror, The Great), Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery was commissioned by CBC with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Rogers Group of Funds. The…
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