OTTAWA — Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault is praising CBC/Radio-Canada’s plans to increase local news coverage as part of its new five-year strategy.
But he would not say whether the Liberals’ promised funding increase will be included in the upcoming federal budget.
The public broadcaster says it plans to expand its audience by reaching out to children and youth, newcomers and non-users or dissatisfied users.
CBC president Marie-Philippe Bouchard says that means a new focus on rural areas and Western Canada through a larger on-the-ground journalistic presence.
While the strategy says the CBC intends to “fund additional coverage and hire sufficient journalists” to cover 15 to 20 smaller communities, including 11 in Ontario and three in B.C., it’s only extending coverage to one more community in Alberta and none at all in Saskatchewan or Manitoba.
A CBC spokesperson said the broadcaster already announced last month it was hiring new journalists in Western Canada, including six in British Columbia, six in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan and one in Manitoba.
