Federal fall update expected to offer more support for struggling news industry
OTTAWA — The federal government is expected to lay out fresh plans next week to support Canada’s struggling news industry.
The measures, expected in Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s fall economic statement Wednesday, will be designed to help journalism remain viable after years of shrinking advertising revenues.
The decline has already shuttered newsrooms, led to job cuts in many others, and eroded coverage of key democratic institutions across Canada — everything from municipal councils to provincial legislatures to Parliament.
In last winter’s federal budget, Ottawa committed $50 million over five years for local journalism in “underserved communities.”