New avenues for funding

Communities bereft of local media could see the return of homegrown news, thanks to an injection of funds in Tuesday’s federal budget.

The Liberal government is proposing $50 million over five years to support independent, non-governmental organizations who will spur on local journalism in under served communities.

And for those in large towns and cities whose media outlets are also struggling with the pace of change, the Liberals are promising a review of funding models available to them, as well.

Tuesday’s budget says the government will spend the next year exploring models that would allow private giving or philanthropic support for non-profit journalism and local news.

Dozens of hyper-local newspapers have closed up shop in recent months while broadcasters have announced rounds and rounds of layoffs and buyouts.

The blame is placed on everything from fewer advertising dollars to the ongoing encroachment of online content providers into territory long held by Canada’s traditional broadcast outlets.

The role that online content services — think Amazon or Netflix — are playing in the Canadian economy is also up for some scrutiny.

“It has become clear that the government needs to fill gaps in knowledge for new and emerging cross border services industries, such as content streaming services, which are becoming increasingly important to the Canadian economy,” the budget says.

To that end, it proposes $15.1 million over five years to Statistics Canada to address data gaps in international trade in services, including digital offerings.