By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Last week, the Canadian Government published the mandate letters the prime minister gives to cabinet ministers.
Mandate letters have existed in many shapes and forms for a long time but in 2015, the Liberal Government made them public for the first time. They have now become part of the government’s ritual after each election. It starts with the electoral platform, followed by the appointment of ministers, the Speech from the Throne that flows right into the mandate each minister is given.
Lobbyists and corporations work diligently to ensure their issues are mentioned. Considering the…
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OTTAWA – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) announced today it has launched a “consultation on a policy and licensing framework for spectrum in the 3800 MHz band to support 5G and promote competition in wireless services,” a press release says.
The government is looking for input on issues including “network build-out requirements that should be imposed on licence holders, measures within the auction framework to support wireless competition, and additional provisions to support Canada’s Connectivity Strategy.”
ISED initially announced in May it would repurpose the 3800 MHz band to improve connectivity in rural Canada and to ensure…
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TORONTO – The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) today announced Brenda Gilbert (above), president and co-founder of BRON Media Corp has been appointed as vice chair of the festival’s board of directors and Justin Stockman, vice-president of content development and programming at Bell Media has joined as a member of the board.
“We’re delighted to welcome BRON’s Brenda Gilbert as Vice Chair of the Board and Bell Media’s Justin Stockman to our BANFF family,” said recently appointed BANFF board chair and Lionsgate Television Group chair, Kevin Beggs, in a press release.
“Brenda leads one of today’s premier production companies and…
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TORONTO — The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (the Canadian Academy) announced today the addition of three new members to its board of directors — Blue Ant International’s Solange Attwood (above, left), Thunderbird Entertainment Group’s Jennifer Twiner McCarron (centre) and Netflix Canada’s Lindsey Scully (right).
These new board members will serve until the Canadian Academy’s next annual general meeting in September 2022.
“The Canadian creative industry continues to grow, evolve, and change thanks to the zeal and passion of those within it, and I look forward to working alongside our new board members to continue the Canadian Academy’s growth and…
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NORTHBAY – Supply chain issues are not going anywhere anytime soon, the audience of a conference on rural and remote broadband held by Canada’s Rural and Remote Broadband Communities (CRRBC), heard today.
CRRBC’s conference featured several panels and talks, including a keynote speech titled Supply Chain in Crisis and the panel Rural Funding Project Deadlines and Supply Chain “The Perfect Storm”.
The keynote was given by Peter Collier, vice-president of technology products and solutions at Sci Group Inc., a Toronto-based logistics and supply chain company.
Collier kicked things off with a laugh, showing the audience a cartoon picturing two students walking, one…
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NORTH BAY – Registration is open for the next Canada’s Rural and Remote Broadband Communities (CRRBC) conference, with i-Valley, taking place Monday, Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. ET.
“Covid has fundamentally changed our expectations for connectivity anywhere in Canada,” said conference founder Amedeo Bernardi, in a press release. “Access to reliable, sufficient and affordable broadband has become an essential public good as opposed to just a consumer good.”
The event will feature panel discussions and keynotes on several topics including Canada’s digital divide, rural broadband technology, open access, the supply chain crisis and rural funding project deadlines…
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TORONTO — WarnerMedia Access Canada and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (the Canadian Academy) announced today applications will open Dec. 9 for the inaugural WarnerMedia Access x Canadian Academy Directors Program.
In addition, applications for the second session of the WarnerMedia Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program (launched last year) will open the same day. The submission deadline for both programs is Jan. 7, 2022.
“Both talent activation initiatives focus on supporting experienced Canadian writers or directors from underrepresented communities, including Indigenous, Black, racialized groups, people with disabilities, LGBTQ2IA+ and Francophone members of the aforementioned communities,” explains a…
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HALIFAX — Women in Film and Television – Atlantic (WIFT-AT) announced yesterday it hired Joanne Kerrigan (above) as the organization’s first-ever executive director.
Kerrigan comes to WIFT-AT “from a varied background that encompasses strategic leadership, filmmaking, communications and marketing, change management, and non-profit governance,” says a press release.
“Joanne has led, volunteered, and worked for many Atlantic Canadian artist-run centres and arts organizations, including the Khyber Centre for the Arts, Linda Joy Media Arts Society, Moving Images Group, and the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative,” the release reads.
Kerrigan has also worked in many positions in public service business transformation, “most recently leading the…
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Rogers and Fido see largest increases
OTTAWA – The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) accepted 17,003 consumer complaints in the past year – a 9% increase compared to the previous year, according to its annual report released today.
The annual report covers the period from Aug. 1, 2020, to July 31, 2021. In this timeframe, CCTS concluded 17,506 complaints, a 10% increase from last year (this includes complaints received before Aug. 1, 2020, which were concluded during the year covered by today’s report.)
The concluded complaints raised over 42,000 issues. The top issues were billing (16,304), contract dispute (13,147), service…
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TORONTO — The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) announced today they have reached a tentative deal on a new three-year Independent Production Agreement (IPA).
The tentative agreement will be presented to ACTRA’s membership as well as the CMPA and AQPM’s respective boards of directors for ratification, says a CMPA press release. The current 2019-2021 IPA is set to expire Dec. 31, 2021.
The IPA “establishes the terms, conditions and rates for on- and off-camera performers engaged on English-language film, television and media…
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