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Toronto Sun
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
LILLEY UNLEASHED: Why cheaper internet is costing Canadians billions
A person navigates to the on-line social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on a cell phone in Ottawa on Monday, May 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick WATCH: Government bodies such as the CRTC are full of idiots making dumb decisions that will drive away investment. Sun political columnist Brian Lilley on how something must be done. What do YOU think? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below or send us a Letter to the Editor for possible publication to . Letters must be 250 words or less and signed. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Toronto & GTA Olympics Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Basketball
Canada Standard
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Canada Standard
How do we define Canadian content? Debates will shape how creatives make a living
What should count as Canadian content (CanCon) in the era of streaming and generative AI (GenAI)? That's the biggest unknown at the heart of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's recent (CRTC) public hearing, held in Gatineau, Que., from May 14 to 27. The debate is about how Canada's current points-based CanCon system remains effective in the context of global streaming giants and generative AI. Shows qualify as CanCon by assigning value to roles like director, screenwriter and lead actors being Canadian. The outcome will shape who gets to tell Canadian stories and what those stories are, and also which ones count as Canadian under the law. This, in turn, will determine who in the film and television industries can access funding, tax credits and visibility on streaming services. It will also determine which Canadian productions big streamers like Netflix will invest in under their Online Streaming Act obligations. The federal government's recent announcement that it's rescinding the Digital Services Tax reveals the limits of Canada's leverage over Big Tech, underscoring the significance of CanCon rules as parameters around how streaming giants contribute meaningfully to the country's creative industries. The CRTC's existing approach to defining CanCon relies on the citizenship of key creative personnel. The National Film Board argued that this misses the "cultural elements" of Canadian storytelling. These include cultural expression, narrative themes and connection to Canadian audiences. That is, a production might technically count as CanCon by hiring Canadians, without feeling particularly "Canadian." It's worth noting there are varied global regulatory frameworks for defining film nationality. The Writers Guild of Canada supports the CRTC's view that cultural elements shouldn't be part of CanCon certification, and argues that attempting to further codify cultural criteria risks reducing Canadian identity to superficial symbols like maple leaves or hockey sticks, and could exclude entire genres like sci-fi or fantasy. The Writers Guild of Canada argues that while Canadians should expect to see cultural elements in programming, the concept of "Canadianness" is too broad and subjective to be effectively regulated. Cultural elements are regulated by the 1991 Broadcasting Act as amended by the 2023 Online Streaming Act. Broadcasters and streamers must reflect Canadian stories, identities and cultural expressions. Read more: How the Online Streaming Act will support Canadian content The acts empower broadcasters and streamers to decide which Canadian stories and content will be developed, produced and distributed through commissioning and licensing powers. This implicitly limits the CRTC's role to setting rules about which creatives are at the table. The Writer's Guild advocates broadening the pool of Canadian key creatives to modernize the CanCon system. It trusts the combined perspectives of a broader pool to make creative decisions about Canadian identity in meaningful ways. Accordingly, it supports the CRTC's intent to add the showrunner role to the point system since showrunners are the "the chief custodian of the creative vision of a series." Streaming introduces more players with financial stakes, complicating who controls content and who profits from it. A seismic shift is happening in how intellectual property (IP) is handled. CRTC has proposed that the updated CanCon definition include Canadian IP ownership as a mandatory element to enable Canadian companies and workers to retain some control over their own IP, and thereby earn sustainable income. For example, in a streaming drama, Canadian screenwriters who retain ownership of the IP could earn ongoing revenue through licensing deals, international sales and royalties each time the series is distributed. However, the Motion Picture Association-Canada (MPA-Canada), representing industry titans like Netflix, Amazon and Disney, is pushing back against requirements that mandate the sharing of territory or IP. Without IP rights, Canadian talent and the industry as a whole may be reduced to becoming service providers for global companies. Our own research highlights how this type of contractual arrangement increases the power asymmetries between producers, distributors and streaming services. We emphasize the critical importance of fair remuneration and IP rights for creators. Intervenors shared a range of preferences from 100 per cent Canadian IP ownership to none at all. One hundred per cent Canadian IP ownership means Canadian creators like a producer of a streaming series would control the rights to the content. They would receive the majority of profits from licensing, distribution and future adaptations. Even 51 per cent ownership could give them a controlling stake, but would likely require sharing revenue and decision-making with the streaming service. And then, of course, there's the question of how generative AI should be considered within the updated CanCon definition. The Writers Guild of Canada has drawn a firm line in the sand: AI-generated material should not qualify as Canadian content. The guild argues that since current AI tools don't possess identity, nationality or cultural context, their output cannot advance the goals of the Broadcasting Act, centred on promoting Canadian voices and stories. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) raised a different concern around AI. AI, ACTRA argued, "should not take over the jobs of the creators in the ecosystem that we're in and we should not treat AI-generated performers as if they are a Canadian actor." Depending on how the CRTC addresses AI, this could mean that streaming content featuring AI-generated scripts, characters, or performances - even if developed by a Canadian creator or set in Canada - would not qualify as CanCon. The WGC notes that it has already negotiated restrictions on AI use in screenwriting through its agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association. These guardrails are being held up as the "emerging industry standard." Another contested point is how streamers should pay into CanCon: through direct investment or through more traditional modes of financing. Under the Online Streaming Act, streamers are required to pay five per cent of their annual revenues to certain Canadian funds. This model echoes previous requirements used to manage decision-making at media broadcasters, some at the much more substantial level of 30 per cent. But no payments have been made yet, and streamers are appealing this requirement. Streamers prefer investing directly into Canadian content, taking a risk on its commercial potential to benefit from resulting successes. Research in the European Union and Canada highlight how different stakeholders benefit from different forms of financial obligations, suggesting the industry may be best served by a policy mix. As Canada rewrites its broadcasting rules, defining Canadian content is a courtroom drama unfolding in real time - and the verdict will have serious ramifications.
Canada News.Net
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Canada News.Net
How do we define Canadian content? Debates will shape how creatives make a living
What should count as Canadian content (CanCon) in the era of streaming and generative AI (GenAI)? That's the biggest unknown at the heart of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's recent (CRTC) public hearing, held in Gatineau, Que., from May 14 to 27. The debate is about how Canada's current points-based CanCon system remains effective in the context of global streaming giants and generative AI. Shows qualify as CanCon by assigning value to roles like director, screenwriter and lead actors being Canadian. The outcome will shape who gets to tell Canadian stories and what those stories are, and also which ones count as Canadian under the law. This, in turn, will determine who in the film and television industries can access funding, tax credits and visibility on streaming services. It will also determine which Canadian productions big streamers like Netflix will invest in under their Online Streaming Act obligations. The federal government's recent announcement that it's rescinding the Digital Services Tax reveals the limits of Canada's leverage over Big Tech, underscoring the significance of CanCon rules as parameters around how streaming giants contribute meaningfully to the country's creative industries. The CRTC's existing approach to defining CanCon relies on the citizenship of key creative personnel. The National Film Board argued that this misses the " cultural elements" of Canadian storytelling. These include cultural expression, narrative themes and connection to Canadian audiences. That is, a production might technically count as CanCon by hiring Canadians, without feeling particularly "Canadian." It's worth noting there are varied global regulatory frameworks for defining film nationality. The Writers Guild of Canada supports the CRTC's view that cultural elements shouldn't be part of CanCon certification, and argues that attempting to further codify cultural criteria risks reducing Canadian identity to superficial symbols like maple leaves or hockey sticks, and could exclude entire genres like sci-fi or fantasy. The Writers Guild of Canada argues that while Canadians should expect to see cultural elements in programming, the concept of "Canadianness" is too broad and subjective to be effectively regulated. Cultural elements are regulated by the 1991 Broadcasting Act as amended by the 2023 Online Streaming Act. Broadcasters and streamers must reflect Canadian stories, identities and cultural expressions. The acts empower broadcasters and streamers to decide which Canadian stories and content will be developed, produced and distributed through commissioning and licensing powers. This implicitly limits the CRTC's role to setting rules about which creatives are at the table. The Writer's Guild advocates broadening the pool of Canadian key creatives to modernize the CanCon system. It trusts the combined perspectives of a broader pool to make creative decisions about Canadian identity in meaningful ways. Accordingly, it supports the CRTC's intent to add the showrunner role to the point system since showrunners are the "the chief custodian of the creative vision of a series." Streaming introduces more players with financial stakes, complicating who controls content and who profits from it. A seismic shift is happening in how intellectual property (IP) is handled. CRTC has proposed that the updated CanCon definition include Canadian IP ownership as a mandatory element to enable Canadian companies and workers to retain some control over their own IP, and thereby earn sustainable income. For example, in a streaming drama, Canadian screenwriters who retain ownership of the IP could earn ongoing revenue through licensing deals, international sales and royalties each time the series is distributed. However, the Motion Picture Association-Canada (MPA-Canada), representing industry titans like Netflix, Amazon and Disney, is pushing back against requirements that mandate the sharing of territory or IP. Without IP rights, Canadian talent and the industry as a whole may be reduced to becoming service providers for global companies. Our own research highlights how this type of contractual arrangement increases the power asymmetries between producers, distributors and streaming services. We emphasize the critical importance of fair remuneration and IP rights for creators. Intervenors shared a range of preferences from 100 per cent Canadian IP ownership to none at all. One hundred per cent Canadian IP ownership means Canadian creators like a producer of a streaming series would control the rights to the content. They would receive the majority of profits from licensing, distribution and future adaptations. Even 51 per cent ownership could give them a controlling stake, but would likely require sharing revenue and decision-making with the streaming service. And then, of course, there's the question of how generative AI should be considered within the updated CanCon definition. The Writers Guild of Canada has drawn a firm line in the sand: AI-generated material should not qualify as Canadian content. The guild argues that since current AI tools don't possess identity, nationality or cultural context, their output cannot advance the goals of the Broadcasting Act, centred on promoting Canadian voices and stories. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) raised a different concern around AI. AI, ACTRA argued, "should not take over the jobs of the creators in the ecosystem that we're in and we should not treat AI-generated performers as if they are a Canadian actor." Depending on how the CRTC addresses AI, this could mean that streaming content featuring AI-generated scripts, characters, or performances - even if developed by a Canadian creator or set in Canada - would not qualify as CanCon. The WGC notes that it has already negotiated restrictions on AI use in screenwriting through its agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association. These guardrails are being held up as the "emerging industry standard." Another contested point is how streamers should pay into CanCon: through direct investment or through more traditional modes of financing. Under the Online Streaming Act, streamers are required to pay five per cent of their annual revenues to certain Canadian funds. This model echoes previous requirements used to manage decision-making at media broadcasters, some at the much more substantial level of 30 per cent. But no payments have been made yet, and streamers are appealing this requirement. Streamers prefer investing directly into Canadian content, taking a risk on its commercial potential to benefit from resulting successes. Research in the European Union and Canada highlight how different stakeholders benefit from different forms of financial obligations, suggesting the industry may be best served by a policy mix. As Canada rewrites its broadcasting rules, defining Canadian content is a courtroom drama unfolding in real time - and the verdict will have serious ramifications.
Ottawa Citizen
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Jeff Leiper says he plans to run for mayor in 2026
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper has confirmed rumours that he plans to run for mayor in 2026. Article content But Leiper also points out that the next municipal election is still a year and a half away. Article content Article content 'There are still a lot of bridges to clear before nomination day,' he said in an interview Wednesday. Article content Leiper, known as a progressive voice on city council, is a cycling advocate, the former president of the Hintonburg Community Association and was a trade journalist and an executive with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Article content He was first elected in 2014, when he unseated then-incumbent Katherine Hobbs by over 3,300 votes, then winning easily in 2018 and 2022, when he cruised to victory with almost 72 per cent of the vote. Article content Article content Leiper admits that he had started to muse about how this was likely his last term as a city councillor. But he said has serious concerns about the direction in which the city is going. Article content 'I'm worried that the transit in place is not the reliable, convenient, affordable transit that this city needs,' said Leiper. Article content 'As a city councillor, I hear concerns about the lack of snow removal, overflowing garbage bins in city parks. Services are getting worse, not better.' In January 2023, he was named the chair of the newly-named planning and housing committee. Article content 'The committee now has a significantly broader mandate to achieve affordable housing in the city,' he said at the time. 'We've heard the message from the province that it wants cities in Ontario to build more units of housing, and the shift in name, I think, is partly to reflect the clear mandate that we have now from the province to approve housing development.' Article content Article content Later that year, Leiper opposed Lansdowne 2.0, calling the $3.9-million funding for affordable housing a 'drop in the bucket.' City-owned land needs to be put at the service of building deeply affordable housing, and that was not the case here, he argued. Article content Last November, he was one of three councillors to vote against the 2025 budget, which included a 3.9 per cent tax hike. OC Transpo faced a $120-million shortfall, leading to controversial proposal for a 120-per-cent increase in the price of monthly OC Transpo passes for seniors that was later scaled back. Article content
Winnipeg Free Press
17-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Telecom complaints watchdog highlights compliance issues in annual ‘report cards'
Canada's telecom and television complaints watchdog is once again urging providers to better inform their customers about its services, as it says just under one-third were fully compliant with the organization's public awareness requirements last year. The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS) released its annual compliance report cards on Tuesday, measuring how well service providers have fulfilled their obligations to remain in good standing. The report said 32 per cent of the 65 providers it audited in 2024 were fully compliant with rules to inform their customers about the CCTS on their respective websites, compared with 35 per cent in 2023 and 18 per cent in 2022. Although most providers had some information about the CCTS on their websites prior to being audited, the watchdog said many of the issues it highlighted were about how and where the information was presented. Four-in-10 had 'some' compliance issues while 28 per cent lacked any level of compliance, which was roughly in line with the results from the previous four years. The CCTS said it engages with non-compliant providers to help rectify the issues. In the past, it has publicly named companies with recurring compliance issues, noting that is one tool at its disposal to enforce the obligations. In more severe cases, such as a provider refusing to implement a resolution ordered by the watchdog following a complaint, it could consider expelling the company from its membership. That would prompt the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to get involved, opening the door for financial penalties. 'Canadians with unresolved phone, TV, or internet service complaints should be made aware about the CCTS by their providers,' said Janet Lo, CCTS assistant commissioner for legal, regulatory and stakeholder affairs, in a press release. 'Providers have a responsibility to inform customers about the CCTS on their websites, customer bills, and in their escalation processes. This year's report cards show some progress on website information, but customers are still telling us that they are not being informed by their providers.' The report cards showed 43 per cent of audited provider websites with a search function did not return search results for the CCTS, down from 52 per cent the prior year. All service providers the CCTS previously flagged for repeated non-compliance with the search function requirement had rectified the issue by 2024. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. In April, the commission published its mid-year complaints report, which revealed it handled 11,909 total gripes from customers between Aug. 1, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025. That was up almost 12 per cent from the same reporting period a year earlier. The increase was driven by customers' issues with their wireless service, which represented around half of all complaints submitted, followed by internet issues, which accounted for just over one-quarter of total grievances. On Tuesday, the CCTS said it confirmed nine instances during that six-month period of service providers failing to implement resolutions to which they had agreed, or remedies that the CCTS ordered following an investigation. The commission said in all nine cases, it worked with providers to fix the issues and ensure the customers obtained the required remedies. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025.
