Dire situation facing Ontario’s community and ethnic media
Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife urges provincial government to support community newspapers and radio stations
CATHERINE FIFE Re: A recent letter to MPP Victor Fedeli, minister of economic development, job creation and trade
Dear Minister Fedeli,
I am writing to you to share the concerns of local media organizations across the province. Like most smalland medium-sized Ontario businesses, community and ethnic newspapers, radio and TV stations are having a difficult time remaining viable during this time.
In Waterloo Region, local radio station CKWR has asked local MPPs for support to stay open. CKWR is the voice of arts, culture and heritage in Waterloo Region, and with a new sustainable path forward developed last year, it would be a huge loss to the community if they did not receive the support they need to stay afloat.
In Oshawa, community newspaper the Oshawa Express is facing similar difficulties. They are a family business and are struggling of late. In Niagara-on-theLake, small papers like the Niagara-onthe-Lake Local are also struggling. In London, Blackburn
Radio stations in six markets have also found themselves in a difficult position because of COVID-19. And, across the province the community-based advertising public relations, networking and marketing organization Snapd has faced difficulties amidst social distancing and event cancellations.
The National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada has shared that many of their Ontario members are suffering without their regular sources of advertisement. Members of NEPMCC provide crucial information to their communities and yet they are raising the alarm that many of them will go out of circulation during this crisis without support from the Ontario government.
As the Official Opposition, we are calling on you to address this dire situation for community and ethnic media. We are writing to ask you to designate a portion of the $10-million provincial government advertising campaign (announced by the government on March 14, 2020) to small media organizations that are critical for communities’ economic, cultural, and social well-being and to create a stabilization fund for ethnic and community media. For these small, community-run businesses, the opportunity to secure advertisements and small grants from the provincial government will go a long way to ensuring they stay afloat during this pandemic and continue to serve their communities.
Community and ethnic media provide much needed news to communities across Ontario. Now, more than ever, getting true and accurate information to people is critical. We look forward to your favourable reply.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you would like to discuss this further.
Kind regards,