National

Trudeau says he's furious over Bell Media layoffs, calling it a 'garbage decision'

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Feb, 2024 10:57 AM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trash-talking BCE Inc.'s widespread layoffs, calling the cuts a "garbage decision."

Trudeau says he's furious over Bell Media's decision to end multiple television newscasts and that the corporation should know better.

The outlet made program cuts Thursday after its parent company announced job reductions and the sale of 45 of its 103 regional radio stations.

Trudeau says large corporations have bought up radio stations, small community newspapers and local outlets, only to lay off journalists and change the quality of their offerings.

He says when readership and viewership then decline, corporations sell off outlets and say they're not profitable, eroding local journalism and Canada's democracy.

Chief executive Mirko Bibic says Bell Media's advertising revenues declined by $140 million in 2023 compared with the year before, and the company's news division is seeing more than $40 million in annual operating losses.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Google to pay $100M a year to Canadian news publishers in deal with Ottawa

Ottawa has agreed to set a $100-million yearly cap on payments that Google will be required to make to media companies when the government's controversial online news legislation takes effect at the end of the year. The announcement Wednesday has the Liberals bending to the tech giant's demands after Google threatened back in February to remove news from its platform.

Google to pay $100M a year to Canadian news publishers in deal with Ottawa

Squamish hit and run leaves one dead

The crash happened September 2nd, 2022, when the driver of a pickup truck lost control navigating a corner and the vehicle flipped over a sidewalk and landed on a bus stop, pinning two women who were sitting there. Police say 44-year-old Gurpreet Sangha died in hospital, while the second woman survived with "life-altering injuries."

Squamish hit and run leaves one dead

B.C. finds solution for religious ban on assistance in dying at St. Paul's Hospital

The British Columbia government has announced a workaround to help those who want to use medical assistance in dying while they are being treated St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. A statement from the Health Ministry says Vancouver Coastal Health will set up a clinical space adjacent to St. Paul's, allowing it to continue to refuse to opt out of medical assistance in dying on religious grounds.

B.C. finds solution for religious ban on assistance in dying at St. Paul's Hospital

Post about Vancouver sex assault was 'misinformation,' woman fell off scooter: VPD

The Vancouver Police Department says a viral social media post claiming a woman had been violently abducted and sexually assaulted in East Vancouver in early November was based on "misinformation." Police say they reviewed security footage and interviewed witnesses, and found the woman who was allegedly assaulted had actually fallen off an electric scooter and hit her face on the pavement.

Post about Vancouver sex assault was 'misinformation,' woman fell off scooter: VPD

Indigenous signage aims to make B.C. legislature more inclusive, accepting

The Speaker of British Columbia's legislature says the unveiling of Indigenous-themed signs outside the building is a necessary step toward opening doors that have been historically closed. Raj Chouhan says the B.C. legislature is the province's largest symbol of colonialism, but it's his priority to make the building a more welcoming and inclusive place.

Indigenous signage aims to make B.C. legislature more inclusive, accepting

Vancouver Bright Nights extended til Jan

The Vancouver Park Board has two Christmas surprises for everyone who missed out on snagging the tickets for the Stanley Park Christmas Train. The Park Board says it’s releasing another 17-thousand tickets for the Bright Nights event and it’s also extending the run until January 6th due to high demand.