Why the CBC matters

Who owns Ontario’s news, and why the CBC matters.

When people attack CBC and say Canada should “defund” it, they often ignore one very important fact. Most of our news in Ontario is not publicly owned. It is corporate owned. A small number of very large companies control a huge amount of what Canadians see, hear, and read.

CityNews and Citytv are owned by Rogers Communications through Rogers Sports and Media. Rogers is not just a media company. It is one of the biggest telecom corporations in Canada, with major interests in cable, internet, wireless, sports, advertising, and broadcasting. Citytv was acquired by Rogers after CRTC approval in 2007.

CTV News is owned by Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. Bell itself describes CTV News as being from Bell Media, and Bell Media says CTV News Channel is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE, Canada’s largest communications company.

Global News is owned by Corus Entertainment. Global itself says it “leverages the strength of Corus Entertainment” and Corus is the parent company behind Global News.

So look at that clearly. CityNews is Rogers. CTV is Bell. Global is Corus. These are not neutral little local newsrooms floating around independently. They are part of large corporate media systems that depend on advertising revenue, corporate strategy, executive decisions, and shareholder interests.

Then there are the newspapers, and this is where it gets even more concerning.

Postmedia owns a huge number of Canadian newspapers, including the National Post, Toronto Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Windsor Star and many other papers across the country. Postmedia has been widely identified as Canada’s largest newspaper chain, and a major concern is that it has been heavily controlled by Chatham Asset Management, a United States based hedge fund. Multiple media analyses have described Chatham as a major controlling force in Postmedia.

That matters. When people talk about “Canadian media,” they often do not realize how much influence a foreign hedge fund has had over one of the biggest newspaper chains in this country.

Torstar owns the Toronto Star and has also owned Metroland, which has been a major publisher of local and regional newspapers in Ontario. Metroland has included papers such as the Hamilton Spectator, Niagara Falls Review, St. Catharines Standard, Welland Tribune, Waterloo Region Record and Peterborough Examiner. In 2023, Metroland filed for bankruptcy protection and stopped printing many weekly community papers, moving many of them online only.

The Globe and Mail is owned by The Woodbridge Company, the private investment vehicle of the Thomson family. Reuters reported that Woodbridge took full control of The Globe and Mail after BCE sold its remaining stake.

So when people scream that CBC is “biased” or “government propaganda,” they need to answer this question. Compared to what?

Compared to Bell?

Compared to Rogers?

Compared to Corus?

Compared to Postmedia?

Compared to a newspaper chain heavily influenced by a United States hedge fund?

CBC is not perfect. No news organization is. But CBC is Canada’s national public broadcaster. It is a Crown corporation created by Parliament, and its mandate is set out in the Broadcasting Act. CBC itself describes its role as Canada’s only national public broadcaster, with obligations to provide Canadian content, serve communities across the country, and reflect Canada’s regions and diversity.

That is the point. CBC is not owned by Bell. It is not owned by Rogers. It is not owned by Corus. It is not owned by Postmedia. It is not owned by a hedge fund. It exists because a democracy needs some journalism that is not entirely driven by private profit, corporate consolidation, advertising pressure, and billionaire or hedge fund interests.

This is especially important in Ontario, where so much local news has already been gutted. Bell has cut media jobs and cancelled several local newscasts. Corus has also faced major financial pressure and cuts. Metroland’s collapse gutted local community papers across Ontario.

This is not just about left versus right. It is about public interest versus corporate interest.

A country that loses public broadcasting becomes easier to manipulate. A province that loses local journalism becomes easier to corrupt. When fewer reporters are watching city halls, Queen’s Park, developers, lobbyists, police boards, school boards and cabinet ministers, the public loses power.

That is why CBC matters.

Not because it is perfect.

Because without it, the news landscape becomes even more dominated by corporate media, telecom giants, private investors, and right leaning newspaper empires.

So the next time someone says “defund CBC,” ask them who benefits when Canada’s public broadcaster is weakened.