IGLOOLIK, Nunavut — Only six months after its launch in January, Uvagut TV, Canada’s first Inuktuk-language TV channel, is helping to build live production capacity in communities across Inuit Nunangat, by enabling filmmaking teams to produce and share their stories with each other and a national audience.
Since March, Uvagut TV’s flagship program Tunnganarniq Live, a showcase of Inuit talent, has been guest hosted several times by members of the Arviat Film Society. On June 23, members of the Inuvialuit Communications Society, newly trained in live broadcasting techniques, will host the first Inuvik-based episode of the show, says a press…
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To be an open-access network
BROOKS, AB — Brooks, Alberta, announced this week it has reached an agreement with a consortium led by Community Network Partners, a subsidiary of Crown Capital Partners Inc., for the construction and operation of a next-generation, fibre-optic broadband network capable of delivering 10-gigabits-per-second service to every household and business in the community.
The southern Alberta city of 14,400, which is about halfway between Medicine Hat and Calgary, will invest $5.3 million in the project and will own the backbone network. Community Network Partners will invest $15.7 million to connect residents and business locations to the backbone,…
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Indigenous media want to work together
By Bill Roberts
ON THE 25th ANNIVERSARY of National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day which recognizes and honours the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples, the Banff World Media Fest held its inaugural International Indigenous Screen Summit, with a kick-off presentation which included Australia’s SBS, TG4 in Ireland, KNR Radio/TV Greenland, New Zealand’s Maori TV, Nunavut’s Uvagut TV, and was moderated by APTN CEO Monika Ille.
APTN was the first Indigenous television broadcaster the world and the general consensus was the need for Indigenous “narrative sovereignty” has never been…
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TORONTO — On June 30th, the last day of National Indigenous History Month, more than 400 radio stations from broadcasters across Canada, including the big chains Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, Rogers Sports & Media and Stingray Radio, and others, will join together for a full day of programming dedicated to amplifying and elevating Indigenous voices.
Bell Media shared the news today (which is National Indigenous Peoples Day) in a press release, saying “A Day To Listen” on Wednesday, June 30 will be devoted to sharing stories from Indigenous leaders, residential school survivors, elders, musicians and teachers throughout the day…
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Want faster, cheaper piracy measures
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The country’s largest broadcasters and telecoms want new copyright legislation to include provisions that give the courts the ability to order website-blocking, prevent the CRTC from overruling blocking orders, and to expand authority over other intermediaries to choke off infringers.
Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco, Quebecor, SaskTel, Eastlink, and the Canadian Communications System Alliance also want the legislation to reflect the courts’ ability to unilaterally order search engines to de-index infringing websites, social media platforms and to force hosts, like Cloudflare, to take down infringing services and not direct users to it,…
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CANADA’S ISPs ALWAYS want to perform well in PCMag’s analysis of the fastest speeds delivered to their customers.
The magazine regularly, with the help of Ookla and actual customers using its Speedtest, takes a look at the internet service providers across Canada to show who offers the fastest Internet service.
The upload and download speeds are given weighted scores and analyzed by PCMag according to a speed index (PCMag Speed Index or PSI). This year’s big winner was Beanfield Metroconnect, which notched huge performance gaps over its competition in Toronto.
When it comes to national providers however, Telus was the fastest.
“Last year,…
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Also promoting exclusive Internet, wireless and TV offers for home buyers
CALGARY — New home buyers wanting to check out the showhomes in a new development in the northwest Calgary community of Ambleton will be able to do so virtually thanks to Shaw Communications.
Starting on June 26 at 11 a.m. MT, and for the next five Saturdays after that, the home builder Qualico Communities has partnered with Shaw to host weekly virtual home tours to be aired on Qualico’s Facebook page.
Shaw has also designed exclusive offers for home buyers in Ambleton, providing significant savings on its best Internet, wireless…
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Auction starts today
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The strings attached to the federal government’s 3.5 GHz spectrum, whose auction beginning today will repurpose portions of it for mobile wireless use, include a speed-to-deployment component that complements federal policy to accelerate connectivity throughout the country by the end of the decade.
Winners of the auction, which Innovation Canada said will take “several weeks,” will have to deploy the spectrum largely within the 2030 timeframe for which the federal government hopes to provide access to all Canadians to high-speed internet.
While the focus is largely on what the 3.5 GHz spectrum will do for…
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Why we can’t allow two companies who don’t lead, to merge
By Brad Danks
IF YOU HEARD A PRIMAL scream coming from across the country during your morning coffee last Thursday, no doubt it came from people like me who were reading the article in this publication entitled, Why more Canadian media consolidation is a must, summarizing a report from Scotiabank analyst Jeff Fan that recommends the merger of Bell Media and Corus Entertainment.
It’s not clear whether this is an idea actually being considered by those companies, the banks or major investors or if it is just a random report…
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CALGARY — Shaw Communications today announced an open call for Calgary-based 2SLGBTQ+ artists and muralists to participate in the second annual Shaw Pride Marches On public art installation at Central Memorial Park in recognition of Calgary Pride.
Beginning today and extending through Friday, July 9, artists in the Calgary area are encouraged to submit their proposal, including a 250-word description and illustration of their work. Four artists or artist teams will be selected later this summer.
Once selected, the four artists and groups will install their artwork on August 19 at the four corners of Central Memorial Park, the site of…
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