VMS Media Group Ltd. has filed the second petition to cabinet asking the government to overturn the CRTC’s decision on licences for operating urban aboriginal radio stations, following a July appeal by an Ontario-based group. In the petition to governor-in-council dated July 28, VMS — which applied for two licences in Calgary and Edmonton, Alta. — argued that not only does the decision to award the licences to the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA) fail to...
Filling all 13 spots allotted to CRTC commissioners could go a long way in addressing what some are calling decades of ongoing disparity between the demographics of those who make decisions about the country’s broadcasting and telecommunications sectors and the rest of Canada, according to advocacy groups, community broadcasters and researchers keeping an eye on the composition of the regulator. There are six vacant positions on the commission, following the departure of Candice Molnar, whose five-year term as the regional commissioner for Manitoba and Saskatchewan ended Jan. 9. With...
GATINEAU, Que. — The question of whether differential pricing practices (DPPs) can be used for socially beneficial purposes came up on the fourth day of the CRTC’s hearing on DPPs...
CRTC commissioner Linda Vennard broke conflict of interest rules by accepting a birthday gift from a stakeholder, the ethics watchdog announced Tuesday. “All public office holders should be...
The Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) and the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) have written to Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly to ask her to look into allegations of...
A CRTC commissioner is refuting allegations of inappropriate conduct and racism levied by a former colleague, Raj Shoan, the recently fired representative for Ontario. Included in documents filed...
CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais announced Tuesday that the federal government has appointed Linda Vennard and Christopher MacDonald as regional commissioners for the CRTC. A memo from Blais, forwarded to The Wire Report, said Vennard will represent Alberta and the Northwest Territories and start May 11. He said she is coming from the University of Calgary and has 15 years of experience as a researcher with a focus on broadband technology and community engagement. Blais said MacDonald will represent the Atlantic and Nunavut and be starting June 17. He has worked for Rogers Communication Inc....