Regulatory, Telecom & Media News – Ryan Reynolds, Randy Lennox among new Order of Canada appointees

Ryan Reynolds, former Bell Media President Randy Lennox, Montreal International Black Film Festival founder Fabienne Colas, and retired CTV Atlantic anchor Steve Murphy are among 88 new appointments to the Order of Canada. Other new Members from the broadcast and creative industries sectors include award-winning CBC Radio producer Karen Levine; CBC Sports, Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Scott Oake; and Montreal-based science broadcaster and author Joseph A. Schwarcz, host of the long-running Dr. Joe Show on CJAD 800. Read more here.

The CRTC has released the mandatory bargaining framework that will apply when major online platforms and eligible Canadian news organizations negotiate agreements under the Online News Act. The Act sets out a mandatory bargaining process that stipulates that if the two sides cannot come to an agreement during a 90-day bargaining period and 120-day mediation period, a final 45-day arbitration period would follow where a panel of independent arbitrators will select the final offer made by one of the parties. The commission will serve in an oversight role to ensure parties participate in good faith. The commission has also clarified expectations around data collection, stating that to avoid unnecessary administrative burden on news businesses, it will generally only collect detailed information mirroring what is found in annual broadcasting returns to streamline reporting requirements. Read more here.

The CRTC has approved a corporate reorganization that places the assets of TV distributor VMedia under Freedom Mobile, both under the effective control of Quebecor. The reorg encompasses BDUs serving the Greater Toronto Area (including Ajax, Aurora, Bolton, Brampton, Caledon, Claremont, Etobicoke, Georgetown, King City, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Nobleton, North York, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Toronto, Vaughan and Woodbridge), Barrie, Hamilton-Niagara and Oshawa, and national on-demand service VMedia.

The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the major foreign streamers may have a legitimate grievance against the base financial contribution levied on them by the CRTC to support Canadian content. The high court has granted a hearing to Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and the Canadian affiliate of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) – which represents Netflix, Paramount, Pluto, and Crunchyroll – after the parties filed their own applications against the proposed June decision, which was finalized in August. In approving the applications, the court rejected a submission from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) that sought to have the court throw out the applications on the grounds the CRTC decision is a matter of policy, not law, and that the parties were challenging a proposal that had yet to be finalized. Read more in our sister publication, CARTT.ca (paywalled).

Rogers Communications has received clearance from the Competition Bureau to proceed with the acquisition of Bell’s 37.5% stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) for 4.7B. Rogers and Bell received a “no-action letter” last week from the Bureau, indicating that the Commissioner of Competition does not intend to challenge Rogers acquisition of Bell’s interest in MLSE. The deal is subject to league and CRTC approvals. 

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is inviting members of the media to submit stories for their annual Media Awards by Feb. 28. An independent committee of reporters and nurses selected by RNAO will judge stories published or broadcast in Ontario in 2024. Past winners include journalists from CTV News Kitchener, Global News, Hamilton Spectator, The Recorder and Times, and the Toronto Star.