The CBC is a fabulous organization. It is a Canadian gem and it is as connected to our identity as hockey, poutine, and the canoe.

Over the years the CBC has developed shows such as Beachcombers, Schitt’s Creek, and North of North. CBC Radio is part of the fabric of our identity. The theme for As it Happens is nearly as ubiquitous as the theme for Hockey Night in Canada. The Fifth Estate has broken more stories of national importance than any other investigative program. At the core of what the CBC does is investigative journalism, national stories that bring us together, and most importantly, great storytelling.

The CBC became an issue in the election when Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to increase the $1.8 billion dollars the CBC already gets by adding an additional $150 million to support local news. Unfortunately for all the good the CBC does do, it turned away from local news a long time ago in favour of concentrating resources in larger cities, and this additional money is not the answer.

What local news needs is local news outlets and they won’t see a dime of this funding.  Since 2008, according to the Local News Project, Canadians have seen a net loss of 351 local media outlets. First to go were local newspapers, but the data shows we are now losing local commercial broadcasters at an alarming rate. These numbers are scary, but what they don’t capture is the loss of journalists at local news outlets.  According to the Local News Project author, at the venerable Kingston Whig Standard, there are just five unionized staff left in its newsroom, down from 69 in 1992. These losses are not captured in the data, but they are equally as challenging.

Other government initiatives designed to support local news have also failed local media.  Under the Online News Act, Google gave $100 million dollars to support local news, but the lion’s share of that money is being allocated to major operations such as Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, and the CBC. Many smaller outlets who rely on volunteers are being shut out. Those who do manage to qualify are getting about $6,000 dollars for every full-time journalist they employ. The money is not going to where it is needed most.

What local news in Canada needs is for the funding to be directed towards…local news.

For a fraction of the $150 million dollars recently promised to the CBC, support could be directed to not-for-profit community newspapers and community broadcasters, and it would truly support local news and information. These are the outlets that always have been and continue to be committed to supporting their communities because the people at these outlets live there, they love being there, and they are accountable to everyone they see every day.

During the pandemic, radio stations put microphones in municipal councils, and dedicated airtime to make sure citizens could still participate in local government. During wildfires, floods, and hurricanes local news outlets aren’t just there for the disaster shots and then fly out to safety, they stay because they live there. They keep reporting long after the national outlets are gone. They are the ones that make sure you know when the power will come back on, whose house needs additional sandbags and where to take your kids when you are out helping your neighbours.

These radio stations and newspapers have been around for decades.  The brands are strong and they are trusted on social media. This is where local communities go for their information and unless Prime Minister Carney and his new government demonstrates they are as important as the CBC, we are in a lot of trouble. This is about supporting local Canadians. Canadians in rural parts of this country, in Indigenous communities, in ethnic and minority communities, and in the parts of larger cities that have been abandoned by everyone else.

These are not for profit news operations. Unlike the millions of dollars going to national operations, none of the money would go to pay bonuses to executives or to appease shareholders. Every penny would be reinvested in the communities they serve. Invested in programming by and for the citizens, invested in supporting up and coming artists, and invested in coverage of the local news and information that impacts those communities.

You don’t fix a problem by investing in a monopoly. There is nothing wrong with supporting our national broadcaster, but since local news is what’s under threat, invest in local media too.