GENERAL:
The Liberals have largely fulfilled their $1.3-billion election promise to the cultural community, including CBC. The public broadcaster is slated to get an extra $675-million over the next five budgets but only $75-million in this first year. The budget specifically mentioned working with the CBC on an accountability plan and a system of five-year mandates tied to guaranteed levels of funding. Also required is a new governance structure wherein the CEO reports to a non-politicized board instead of directly to the government.
The CRTC’s Public Service Renewal Results 2016 focuses on organizational development initiatives, part of what’s called the Blueprint 2020 vision. Its endeavours include the need to hear from Canadians so as to make informed decisions, and to inform and educate them; CRTC staffers staying ahead of the curve as it relates to technology; and, ensuring that issues are resolved as quickly as possible so as not to disrupt morale and the appetite for taking risks.
Bell will spend $854 million for direct fibre links and faster Internet speeds meant to reach 1.1. million Montréal homes and businesses. The expansion will see more than 7,000 kilometres of new fibre installed and 25 central offices upgraded across the city.
Bell and Microsoft Canada business customers can now take advantage of an expanded suite of Microsoft Azure cloud services, including Compute and Backup and Disaster Recovery.
Jim Pattison has made a record $75 million donation to the St. Paul’s Foundation that will fund the Jim Pattison Medical Centre, an 18.4-acre facility on False Creek Flats that will be home to the new St. Paul’s Hospital. The donation is the largest in Canadian history by a private citizen to a single medical facility.
Award-winning journalists and authors Amy Goodman, Naomi Klein, Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill and Matt Taibbi will appear in a two-part evening The Media as Opposition: Covering Trump in a Post-Truth Era, presented by The Canadian Journalism Foundation and The Globe and Mail. Part of the CJF J-Talks series, the event takes place May 24 at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.
The Awards Nomination period for the Western Association of Broadcasters closes on Friday, April 7th. All member stations of the WAB are eligible to submit entries for the Gold Medal Award for Community Service, Leader of Tomorrow and Broadcast Hall of Fame. For more information on award criteria please visit www.wab.ca/nominate. Award winners will be celebrated on June 8th at the WAB 83rd Annual Conference in Banff, Alberta. For more information, please visit www.wab.ca.
