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“Shattered Mirror”: New Report Examines Canadian Media’s Uncertain Future

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2 minute read

The past decade has been marked by massive upheavals in news and journalism. Even if you haven’t followed the media industry turmoil particularly closely, the disruption is easy to see; here in Red Deer we’ve seen the local daily newspaper scaled back to 4 days a week and our local TV station RDTV was closed in 2009.

Declining advertising revenues throughout the industry in Canada have led to massive budget cuts, restructuring and layoffs. For evidence, look no further than the Todayville office! Much of our team is comprised of recently laid-off managers and employees from large broadcasters and now we spend our days working to scale our small digital news and community platform while also monitoring what’s happening in the industry-at-large, talking (and scratching our heads frankly) about what to make of it all.

In turns it’s been fascinating to watch the way the Internet has changed news and journalism, incredibly sad to continually see friends and colleagues restructured out of the industry they love and also quite daunting as we do our best to navigate a completely uncertain future.

It’s safe to say no one has a road map for what lies ahead for our industry, but the Canadian think tank Public Policy Forum recently released a report which takes a thorough look back and makes some bold predictions and suggestions about the future. Titled ‘THE SHATTERED MIRROR: News, Democracy and Trust in the Digital Age’, the report investigates the broken revenue model of traditional media, the under-development of digital-only news providers and the consolidation of revenues by Google and Facebook.

The report can be downloaded and read by visiting www.shatteredmirror.ca, where you’ll also find videos, FAQs and more.

And to hear some compelling criticism and context on the report’s recommendations, listen to this recent episode of the CANADALAND podcast where host Jesse Brown speaks to the report’s author, PPF President Edward Greenspon. CANADALAND is a crowd-funded news site started by Brown that focuses on media criticism, news, politics, and investigative reporting. (It’s one of our favourites here at Todayville and well worth your time to check out.)

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2025 Federal Election

As PM Poilievre would cancel summer holidays for MP’s so Ottawa can finally get back to work

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From Conservative Party Communications

In the first 100 days, a new Conservative government will pass 3 laws:

1. Affordability For a Change Act—cutting spending, income tax, sales tax off homes

2. Safety For a Change Act to lock up criminals

3. Bring Home Jobs Act—that repeals C-69, sets up 6 month permit turnarounds for new projects

No summer holiday til they pass!

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced today that as Prime Minister he will cancel the summer holiday for Ottawa politicians and introduce three pieces of legislation to make life affordable, stop crime, and unleash our economy to bring back powerful paycheques. Because change can’t wait.

A new Conservative government will kickstart the plan to undo the damage of the Lost Liberal Decade and restore the promise of Canada with a comprehensive legislative agenda to reverse the worst Trudeau laws and cut the cost of living, crack down on crime, and unleash the Canadian economy with ‘100 Days of Change.’ Parliament will not rise until all three bills are law and Canadians get the change they voted for.

“After three Liberal terms, Canadians want change now,” said Poilievre. “My plan for ‘100 Days of Change’ will deliver that change. A new Conservative government will immediately get to work, and we will not stop until we have delivered lower costs, safer streets, and bigger paycheques.”

The ’100 Days of Change’ will include three pieces of legislation:

The Affordability–For a Change Act 

Will lower food prices, build more homes, and bring back affordability for Canadians by:

We will also:

  • Identify 15% of federal buildings and lands to sell for housing in Canadian cities.

The Safe Streets–For a Change Act 

Will end the Liberal violent crime wave by:

The Bring Home Jobs–For a Change Act 

This Act will be rocket fuel for our economy. We will unleash Canada’s vast resource wealth, bring back investment, and create powerful paycheques for workers so we can stand on our own feet and stand up to Trump from a position of strength, by:

Poilievre will also:

  • Call President Trump to end the damaging and unjustified tariffs and accelerate negotiations to replace CUSMA with a new deal on trade and security. We need certainty—not chaos, but Conservatives will never compromise on our sovereignty and security. 
  • Get Phase 2 of LNG Canada built to double the project’s natural gas production.
  • Accelerate at least nine other projects currently snarled in Liberal red tape to get workers working and Canada building again.

“After the Lost Liberal Decade of rising costs and crime and a falling economy under America’s thumb, we cannot afford a fourth Liberal term,” said Poilievre. “We need real change, and that is what Conservatives will bring in the first 100 days of a new government. A new Conservative government will get to work on Day 1 and we won’t stop until we have delivered the change we promised, the change Canadians deserve, the change Canadians voted for.”

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Automotive

Canadians’ Interest in Buying an EV Falls for Third Year in a Row

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From Energy Now

Electric vehicle prices fell 7.8 per cent in the last quarter of 2024 year-over-year, according to the AutoTader price index

Fewer Canadians are considering buying an electric vehicle, marking the third year in a row interest has dropped despite lower EV prices, a survey from AutoTrader shows.

Forty-two per cent of survey respondents say they’re considering an EV as their next vehicle, down from 46 per cent last year. In 2022, 68 per cent said they would consider buying an EV.

Meanwhile, 29 per cent of respondents say they would exclusively consider buying an EV — a significant drop from 40 per cent last year.

The report, which surveyed 1,801 people on the AutoTrader website, shows drivers are concerned about reduced government incentives, a lack of infrastructure and long-term costs despite falling prices.

Electric vehicle prices fell 7.8 per cent in the last quarter of 2024 year-over-year, according to the AutoTader price index.

The survey, conducted between Feb. 13 and March 12, shows 68 per cent of non-EV owners say government incentives could influence their decision, while a little over half say incentives increase their confidence in buying an EV.

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