Conditions for government help for broadcasters stricter than for producers
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On November 30, 2020, the minister of finance, Chrystia Freeland, announced in her economic statement that broadcasters would see their payment of Part II CRTC fees waived for the current year.
Broadcasters had until December 1, to pay them. Many had already paid but measures were taken to reimburse them Cartt.ca has heard from sources.
On December 14th, the Order in Council to formalize this measure was issued and the criteria were made public. The CRTC issued a notice to broadcasters on December 15.
“The remission of Part II licence fees in 2020–2021 is namely subject to the following conditions:
- Attest that you lost at least 25% in revenues due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- For two years after receiving your remission you will also be required to:
- continue to operate your broadcasting undertaking(s)
- comply with requirements under the Broadcasting Act and the conditions of your CRTC licence,” the CRTC notice reads.
The measure announced by the finance minister is said to be worth $50 million to broadcasters.
At the end of September, another $50 million measure was also announced: The Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian Audiovisual Productions. Its criteria seemed quite of a different nature.
“Through the Fund, Telefilm Canada will indemnify eligible producers for Canadian production costs directly caused by an interruption of more than one day in filming or the producer’s abandonment of the production prior to the end of filming due to a confirmed diagnosis (Covid-19) of an actor or director declared on the insurance policy covering the project or any confirmed outbreak (Covid-19) on set that requires a complete production shutdown in accordance with current standards required by the applicable authorities,” says that announcement.
Understandably, broadcasters are slightly upset over the differences in the two plans.
“While we remain gratified to know that many will be able have their Part II fees waived this year, we were concerned to see that broadcasters were singled out in having regulatory conditions placed on their ability to access emergency funds. As we have stated repeatedly this year, broadcasters are facing a crisis, and the profound structural impacts of Covid-19 on the economy are only deepening the foundational challenges for the sector. In the longer term, these structural challenges will require structural solutions,” wrote Kevin Desjardins, president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters in an email to Cartt.ca.
