OTTAWA — The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) and the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération) today announced the recipients for funding under the federal government’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) for 2022-2023.
Under this program, CACTUS is distributing funding to community media organizations in areas underserved by other media because of geographic location and to support underrepresented voices including Indigenous, racialized and official language minorities.
The list of recipients for 2022-23 include:
- Metro Vancouver Community Media Society – New Westminster, B.C.
- Tri-Cities Community Television – Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, B.C.
- Sun Valley Entertainment Society – Ashcroft, B.C. (Indigenous)
- Sipishk Communications Inc. – Beauval, Sask. (Indigenous)
- Neepawa Access Community Television – Neepawa, Man.
- U Multicultural Incorporated – Winnipeg, Man. (multicultural)
- Schreiber Media Centre – Schreiber, Ont.
- Barrie Community Media – Barrie, Ont.
- Focus Media Centre – Toronto, Ont. (multicultural)
- Télévision communautaire de la Cité de Clarence Rockland inc. (TVC22) – Clarence-Rockland, Ont. (bilingual; official language minority)
- Nunavut Independent Television Network (Indigenous)
- Community University Television – Concordia (CUTV) – Montreal, Que. (official language minority)
- Télévision Communautaire Frontenac – Montreal, Que. (multicultural)
- Télévision Communautaire de Grande-Rivière – Grande-Rivière, Que.
- Télé-Coeur – Saint-Léonard-d’Aston, Que.
- Télévision Communautaire de l’Érable – Plessisville, Que.
- Télé-Soleil Inc. – Mont-Louis, Que.
- Corporation de télédiffusion régionale de berthierville inc – Berthierville, Que.
- New Brunswick Media Co-op – Fredericton, N.B. (Indigenous)
- Andrews Community Channel Inc. – St. Andrews, N.B.
- Telile–Île Madame Community Television Society – Arichat, N.S. (bilingual; official language minority)
Cathy Edwards, executive director of CACTUS, says the new funds “will build on the successful model developed by CACTUS, its partners and journalists in the first phase of the program,” according to a press release.
“We are excited that CACTUS will enable more communities to host a civic journalist, create more jobs for video journalists, and provide more support for underrepresented voices. These objectives are key to community media’s philosophy of supporting diversity and dialogue about civic affairs, particularly in communities not served by other media,” Edwards said in the release.
CACTUS and the Fédération also said in the release they were gratified to see the federal budget announced in April “commits to doubling the funding for this successful program in 2023-24, and in continuing the focus on underrepresented narratives and voices.”
“Local journalism and the community media infrastructure that supports it are fundamental to our democracy,” said Amélie Hinse, director of the Fédération.
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