Canadian Heritage committee  All the BDUs are expected to make a 5% contribution to Canadian content every year. Historically, with satellite companies, the whole 5% went to the Canadian media fund or other funds for professional production. Cable companies have the option to retain 2% of that 5% to fund a c

Canadian Heritage committee  Just before I start, I want to let you know that I've been told that the appendices to this presentation will be available from translation by next week. My name is Cathy Edwards. I'm the spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations. CACTU

Canadian Heritage committee  I just think we have to be really careful about network managing practices that would discriminate against Canadian content in the future. For example, from the point of view of the community sector, which is the open access, grassroots production tier, if you like, in the long t

Canadian Heritage committee  So it is very distributed. There's money available for about 50 more regional centres, so what we envision in a case like that is that there might be one facility that's got full studio facilities, training facilities, and computer labs where people can use and access Internet.

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, community television traditionally, because it has a mandate to serve communities, has pioneered things like phone-in television and getting mobiles out into the community at community events. Even in a pre-interactive Internet age, the community television sector was alway

Canadian Heritage committee  We are already working on a plan--and they have supported our presentation before the CRTC--with, for example, the Canadian Library Association. We want to work with community centres and with video and film cooperatives that already exist; there are over 100 in Canada. So we wan

Canadian Heritage committee  For the whole riding?

Canadian Heritage committee  Can you drive from one end of the riding to the other end in half an hour?

Canadian Heritage committee  Sure. With eight staff we used to produce forty hours of new production per week. You can't do that with a professional model.

Canadian Heritage committee  First of all, we're not in any way against the channels that cable offer if they want to continue to offer them and people value the service offered by them. We just feel that maybe it would be more transparent for them to go back to the CRTC and apply for the kind of licence the

Canadian Heritage committee  Before I start, I sincerely apologize that our presentation is not available in French. We've been in intense consultations with the CRTC for the past three weeks. We are a small volunteer citizens organization, and it simply wasn't possible. However, I would be absolutely deligh

Canadian Heritage committee  Good morning. It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks for giving us this opportunity. The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations is building a bilingual national membership of independent community television channels, cable co-op community television channel