Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2026-38

PDF version

Gatineau, 27 February 2026

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Iqaluit, Nunavut

Public records: 2025-0042-0 and 2025-0043-8

CFFB Iqaluit – Conversion to the FM band and application to revoke the broadcasting licence

Summary

The Commission approves the application by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language FM radio station replacing its English-language AM radio station CFFB Iqaluit and to make technical amendments to its existing rebroadcasting transmitter CFFB-FM-3 in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

The Commission also approves the related application by the CBC to revoke the broadcasting licence for the English-language AM radio programming undertaking CFFB.

The CBC indicated that any potential failure of CFFB’s current infrastructure could cause the loss of CBC Radio One programming in the region. The purpose of its applications is to replace CFFB’s timeworn AM transmitter with the FM rebroadcasting transmitter.

The new FM station will serve as the originating station for the remaining rebroadcasting transmitters of CFFB going forward, and the existing CFFB AM transmitter, after a simulcast period, will be decommissioned. In effect, these two applications propose to convert the station from the AM to the FM band.

The Commission finds that the proposed programming would continue to support objectives set out in the Broadcasting Act, such as the reflection of artists and creators in the communities served by the station, the support of new Canadian creative talents, and the production and broadcast of Indigenous-language programming.

A dissenting opinion by Commissioner Bram Abramson is attached to this decision.

Applications

1. On 3 February 2025, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) filed an application 2025-0042-0 for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language FM radio station in Iqaluit, Nunavut, with rebroadcasting transmitters in Cape Dorset, Igloolik, Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Resolute Bay, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk (Coppermine), Rankin Inlet, Gjoa Haven, Arviat (Eskimo Point), Taloyoak (Spence Bay), and Baker Lake, Nunavut, to replace its English-language AM radio station, CFFB Iqaluit. 1 This application is to replace the timeworn AM transmitter with an FM rebroadcasting transmitter. The FM rebroadcasting transmitter, CFFB-FM-3 Iqaluit, will then become the originating transmitter, and following a simulcast period, the AM transmitter will be decommissioned and its licence revoked. 2
2. The CBC also filed an application 2025-0043-8 to revoke the licence for CFFB so that service can be transferred to the FM station. It additionally requested approval for a simulcast period of three months before the revocation.
3. The CBC indicated that CFFB’s current infrastructure is at the end of its useful life and any potential failures could pose the risk of losing CBC Radio One’s programming in the region. While the conversion may result in some of the areas in the primary and secondary contours of CFFB being excluded from the contours of the proposed CFFB-FM-3 station, the proposed station would serve more listeners in its primary contour than the existing AM station. The CBC also stated that CFFB’s antenna is of an advanced age and would require significant investment to stay operational.
4. The CBC requested to amend the technical parameters of its nested rebroadcasting transmitter 3 CFFB-FM-3 in order to convert it into an originating station. Specifically, the CBC proposed to continue operating at 91.1 MHz (channel 216A), to increase the maximum effective radiated power (ERP) from 179 to 640 watts, to change from power class A1 to A, and to change the effective height of the antenna above average terrain (EHAAT) from -37.4 metres to -41.9 metres.
5. The CBC submitted that the conversion to the FM band is necessary to keep a quality signal for its Radio One station in Iqaluit.
6. The applicant stated that the station would continue to broadcast the programming of its national English-language network CBC Radio One, consisting of a minimum of 38.5 hours of local programming, including spoken word and music programming, per broadcast week as well as 52.5 hours of local and regional programming per broadcast week in the English, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun, and Iñupiatun languages.

Interventions

1. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to these applications.

Legal framework

1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to subsections 9(1) and 9.1(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), to issue, renew, and amend licences and to make orders imposing conditions on the carrying on of a broadcasting undertaking that it considers appropriate for the implementation of the broadcasting policy set out in subsection 3(1) of the Act, and to make orders respecting expenditures. Under sections 9 and 24 of the Act, the Commission has the authority to revoke a licence on the application of the licensee.

Issues

1. After examining the record for these applications in light of applicable regulations and policies, the Commission considers that it must address the following issues:
   • whether approval of the application would have an undue economic impact on incumbent stations;
   • whether the use of the proposed frequency represents an appropriate use of spectrum;
   • whether the proposed programming provides adequate service to the Iqaluit community; and
   • whether the applicant’s request for a simulcast period and licence revocation is appropriate.

Economic impact on incumbent stations

1. Given that CFFB is already in operation, the conversion would not introduce a new station to the market.
2. The Commission finds that the proposed conversion would not have an economic impact on other stations as the station does not solicit advertising. Additionally, no interventions were received. Therefore, no arguments relating to undue economic impact on other stations have been raised.
3. In light of the above, the Commission finds that approval of the application would not result in an undue economic impact on incumbent stations.

Appropriate use of spectrum

1. The Department of Industry (also known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, hereafter referred to as the Department) has granted conditional acceptability of the proposed station. Consequently, the proposal adheres to the Department’s rules governing FM spectrum coordination.
2. Moreover, the applicant is not proposing the use of a new frequency. It currently operates CFFB-FM-3 as a rebroadcasting transmitter at 91.1 MHz (channel 216A1) and holds a valid broadcasting certificate from the Department. The CBC has proposed to make multiple technical amendments to that transmitter and convert it into an originating station without any change in frequency.
3. In light of the above, the Commission finds that the use of the frequency 91.1 ** MHz by the applicant represents an appropriate use of spectrum.

Programming

1. The proposed programming for CFFB-FM-3 would be identical to the programming that is currently broadcast on CFFB.
2. The CBC proposed to broadcast 126 hours of programming per broadcast week, of which it would devote 38.5 hours to local programming, including spoken word and music programming, and 52.5 hours to local and regional programming.
3. The programming broadcast by the station would be comprised of 68% of CBC Radio One’s network programming (English-language programming) and 32% of Indigenous languages programming (Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun, and Iñupiatun languages).
4. In light of the above, the Commission finds that the proposed programming for CFFB-FM-3 would continue serving the population of Iqaluit. Furthermore, the Commission finds that the proposed programming on CFFB-FM-3 would continue to achieve the objectives set out in the Act regarding the reflection of artists and creators in the communities served by the station, to support new Canadian creative talents as set out in subsection 3(1)(s)(iv) of the Act, and to support the production and broadcast of Indigenous language programming as set out in subsections 3(1)(d)(iii.1) and 3(1)(i)(ii.2).

Simulcast period and revocation of AM licence

1. The CBC sought authority to simulcast the programming of the new FM station on its existing AM station for a transition period of three months and requested that the Commission revoke the licence for the AM station at the end of the simulcast period.
2. The Commission’s general practice when an AM station converts to the FM band is to allow a 3-month simulcasting period of the new FM station on a former AM frequency. In this case, simulcasting the signal would also provide the CBC with the opportunity to inform the listeners of the station of the proposed changes before the AM station CFFB ceases its operations.
3. The Commission therefore finds that a 3-month simulcast period is appropriate. The Commission additionally expects the CBC to notify affected listeners of the upcoming changes to CFFB, including any changes to the populations that will be served by the FM station.
4. Furthermore, given the licensee’s request and pursuant to paragraph 9(1)(f) and subsection 24(1) of the Act, the Commission revokes the broadcasting licence issued to the CBC for CFFB. This revocation will be effective at the end of the simulcast period.

Conclusion

1. In light of all of the above, the Commission approves, by majority decision, the application by the CBC for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language FM radio station replacing its English language AM radio station CFFB Iqaluit, Nunavut, to make technical amendments to its rebroadcasting transmitter CFFB-FM-3 in Iqaluit, and to operate CFFB’s current rebroadcasting transmitters under the broadcasting licence for the new FM station.
2. The Commission also approves, by majority decision, the application by the CBC to revoke the licence of its English-language AM radio station, CFFB, by no later than 90 days after the commencement of operations.
3. The Commission will issue a new FM broadcasting licence to the CBC to continue the operation of CFFB and its remaining rebroadcasting transmitters. The licence will expire on 31 August 2027, which coincides with the expiry date of current CBC licences.
4. The terms of the broadcasting licence, as well as the conditions, expectations, and encouragement applicable to the carrying on of the new undertaking, are set out in the appendix of this decision.
5. The Commission notes that the formal broadcasting licence document issued to a licensee may set out additional requirements for the undertaking, relating to, for example, technical parameters or prohibitions on transfer. The licensee shall also adhere to any such requirements set out in the broadcasting licence for the undertaking.
6. This decision is to be appended to the licence.

Conditions of service

Conditions of service applicable to the CBC’s English-language radio programming undertakings

1. In Broadcasting Decision 2022-165, the Commission renewed the broadcasting licences for the CBC’s services and imposed various conditions on the carrying on of those undertakings. With respect to the new undertaking, the Commission considers it should be carried on subject to the same conditions as the CBC’s other English-language FM radio programming undertakings.
2. Accordingly, pursuant to subsection 9.1(1) of the Act, the Commission orders the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as a condition of carrying on this undertaking, to adhere to the relevant conditions of service set out in Broadcasting Decision 2022-165 alongside Broadcasting Orders 2022-166 and 2022-167. These conditions are set out in the appendix to this decision for ease of reference. The Commission also orders the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as a condition of carrying on this undertaking, to adhere to all applicable requirements set out in any regulations made under paragraph 10(1)(a) or under paragraph 10(1)(i) of the old ** Act.

Simulcast period and revocation of the AM licence

1. Consistent with the determination above regarding the simulcast period, pursuant to subsection 9.1(1) of the Act, the Commission imposes an order on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation authorizing it, as a condition of carrying on this undertaking, to simulcast the programming of the new FM station on CFFB for a transition period of three months following the commencement of operations of the FM station.

Broadcast of emergency alerts

1. The Commission has implemented obligations in respect of the broadcast of emergency alerts. For reference, see section 16 of the Radio Regulations, 1986 (the Regulations) and Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2014-444. Compliance involves implementing the public alerting system for each of the licensee’s transmitters, and ensuring that any alert broadcast decoders (e.g., ENDEC) used for the purposes of broadcasting emergency alert messages be installed and programmed to properly account for the applicable contour (as set out in paragraph 16(2)(b) of the Regulations) of the station as well as that of any rebroadcasting transmitter that may appear on the licence for that station.
2. Accordingly, and pursuant to subsection 9.1(1) of the Act, the Commission orders the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as a condition of carrying on this undertaking, to implement the National Public Alerting System (NPAS) by the date of the station’s launch.
3. Finally, the Commission notes that this application, including the matters set out in the above orders, was subject to a public proceeding that provided both the applicant and other interested parties notice of and an opportunity to make representations with respect to the proposed orders. The Commission is satisfied that, in this case, the public proceeding was sufficient to achieve the purposes of the publication and consultation requirement set out in subsection 9.1(4) of the Act. Secretary General

Related Documents

• Modernization of radio processes, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2025-265, 10 October 2025
• Notice of Hearing, Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-153, 19 June 2025
• Call for comments – Modernization of radio processes, Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-290, 15 November 2024
• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165 and Broadcasting Orders CRTC 2022-166 and 2022-167, 22 June 2022, as amended by Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165-1, 20 June 2023
• A targeted policy review of the commercial radio sector, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2014-554, 28 October 2014
• Amendments to various regulations, the standard conditions of licence for video-on-demand undertakings and certain exemption orders – Provisions requiring the mandatory distribution of emergency alert messages, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2014-444 and Broadcasting Orders CRTC 2014-445, 2014-446, 2014-447 and 2014-448, 29 August 2014
• Conversion of CKRC from AM to FM – Approved, Decision CRTC 96-18, 18 January 1996
• Long-range radio plan of the CBC, Public Notice CRTC 1983-22, 7 February 1983

Appendix to Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2026-38

Terms, conditions of service, expectations, and encouragement for the English-language FM radio programming undertaking in Iqaluit, Nunavut

Terms

The licence will expire 31 August 2027.

The station will operate at 91.1 MHz (channel 216A) with a maximum effective radiated power (ERP) of 640 watts with an effective height of the antenna above average terrain (EHAAT) of -41.9 metres.

The following rebroadcasting transmitters, which are currently associated with CFFB Iqaluit and all located in Nunavut, will be reassigned to the new station and will operate under their current technical parameters, as specified below:

• CBIH-FM Cape Dorset
• CBII-FM Igloolik
• CBIJ-FM Pangnirtung
• CBIK-FM Pond Inlet
• CBIL-FM Resolute Bay
• CFFB-1-FM Cambridge Bay
• CFFB-2-FM Kugluktuk (Coppermine)
• CBQR-FM Rankin Inlet
• CBIA Gjoa Haven
• CBIG-FM Arviat (Eskimo Point)
• CBIQ-FM Taloyoak (Spence Bay)
• CBQR-FM-1 Baker Lake Pursuant to subsection 22(1) of the Broadcasting Act, this authority will only be effective when the Department of Industry (also known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) notifies the Commission that its technical requirements have been met and that a broadcasting certificate will be issued.

Furthermore, this undertaking’s licence will not be issued until the applicant has informed the Commission in writing that it is ready to commence operations. The undertaking must be in operation no later than 27 February 2028, unless an extension application has been approved by the Commission before the expiration of this deadline. Applications for extensions must be submitted in writing to the Commission at least 60 days before that date, using Form 300 available on the Commission’s website.

For the purposes of the conditions of service, expectations, and encouragement set out below, “the Corporation” shall mean the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Conditions of service

Balanced programming offer

1. The Corporation shall, on its licensed television networks and stations, discretionary services, and radio networks and stations, present a reasonably balanced programming offering drawn from diverse categories of programming for a diversity of listeners and viewers. Programming shall include original Canadian programming, original first-run Canadian programming, programs of national interest, and Canadian selections from multiple music categories. In-house and independent programming shall originate from, reflect, and be relevant to all regions of Canada, as well as Indigenous peoples living in Canada, Canada’s official language minority communities, and Canadians in all their diversity. This balanced diverse audio and audiovisual programming shall be discoverable and promoted on all of the Corporation’s licensed audio and audiovisual services.

Quotas on musical selections

1. For the English- and French-language licensed radio stations listed in Appendix 1 to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165, 22 June 2022, as well as for the new FM station licenced as a result of this decision, the Corporation shall: (a) in each broadcast week, devote at least 50% of its musical selections from content category 2 (Popular Music) to Canadian selections;

(b) in each broadcast week, devote at least 20% of its musical selections from content category 3 (Special Interest Music) to Canadian selections;

(c) in each broadcast week, devote at least 25% of its musical selections from content subcategory 31 (Concert) to Canadian selections;

(d) in each broadcast week, devote at least 20% of its musical selections from content subcategory 34 (Jazz and blues) to Canadian selections;

(e) in each broadcast week, for its English-language stations, devote a minimum of 5% of its musical selections broadcast to Indigenous musical selections broadcast in their entirety;

(f) in each broadcast week, for the 2024-2025 broadcast year, for its French-language stations, devote a minimum of 2.5% of its musical selections broadcast to Indigenous musical selections broadcast in their entirety; and

(g) in each broadcast week, for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 broadcast years, for its French-language stations, devote a minimum of 3% of its musical selections broadcast to Indigenous musical selections broadcast in their entirety.

Adherence to the Equitable Portrayal Code

1. For the English- and French-language licensed radio stations listed in Appendix 1 to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165, 22 June 2022, as well as for the new FM station licenced as a result of this decision, the Corporation shall adhere to the Equitable Portrayal Code, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.

Commercial messages

1. For the English- and French-language licensed radio stations listed in Appendix 1 to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165, 22 June 2022, as well as for the new FM station licenced as a result of this decision, the Corporation shall not broadcast any commercial message of content category 5 (Advertising) except: (a) during programs available to the network only on a sponsored basis, or

(b) as required to fulfill the requirements of the legislation of the Parliament of Canada pertaining to elections.

Ombuds

1. The Corporation shall maintain two Offices of the Ombud, one for all of the Corporation’s French-language services and one for all of the Corporation’s English-language services, for complaints related to the Corporation’s Journalistic Standards and Practices (JSP). The Ombuds shall report directly to the President of the Corporation and, through the President, to the Corporation’s Board of Directors.
2. The Corporation shall ensure that the Ombuds report bi-annually and concurrently to the President and the Board of Directors, including at least once in the annual reports of the Offices of the Ombud.
3. The Corporation’s Board of Directors shall, in a timely manner, publicly respond to the recommendations presented in the annual reports of the Offices of the Ombud.
4. The Corporation shall file with the Commission a copy of the most recent public annual report submitted by each Ombud to the Corporation’s Board of Directors by 30 November of each year.
5. The Corporation shall file with the Commission management’s responses to the annual reports of the two Offices of the Ombud at the same time that the annual reports are filed with the Commission.
6. The Corporation shall follow these steps when selecting an Ombud: (a) openly seek candidates from outside as well as from inside the Corporation;

(b) after appropriate consultation, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Corporation shall establish a selection committee of four members;

(c) two members, including the selection committee chair, shall be from the public. People currently employed by the Corporation or employed by the Corporation within the previous three years will be excluded from nomination as public members;

(d) the other selection committee members shall consist of one representative of the Corporation’s management and one representative of the Corporation’s working journalists;

(e) at least one of the above selection committee members shall be Indigenous or from an equity-seeking community such as racialized Canadians, Canadians with disabilities, and Canadians who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+;

(f) selection committee members representing the Corporation and its working journalists shall jointly select the selection committee chair from among the two public members;

(g) the selection committee shall examine applications for the position of Ombud and select a candidate to be recommended for appointment by the President and CEO;

(h) when evaluating candidates for the position of Ombud, the selection committee shall consider candidates’ awareness of and sensitivity to the diversity, experiences and voices of Indigenous peoples in Canada and Canadians; and

(i) each Ombud is appointed for a term of five years. This term may be extended once for no more than five additional years. The Ombuds’ contracts cannot be terminated except for gross misconduct or in instances where the Ombuds’ actions have been determined to be inconsistent with the Corporation’s Code of Conduct.

Consultations – Indigenous peoples and official language minority communities

1. The Corporation shall hold formal consultations beginning in the 2022-2023 broadcast year and at least once every two (2) years with Indigenous peoples, groups and communities and with English- and French-language official language minority communities (OLMC). These consultations shall be gender balanced and shall be representative of each of the regions of Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada and the North. These consultations shall discuss: (a) broadcasting issues of importance to Indigenous peoples, groups and communities, and to OLMCs, including reflective and relevant audio and audiovisual Canadian programming, with a particular emphasis on the reflection and relevance of news and information, children’s and youth programming, and programs of national interest to Indigenous peoples and OLMCs, on all licensed services and digital media broadcasting undertakings;

(b) the results of the perception public opinion research as described in condition of service 23 to determine whether:

• measures must be taken to ensure that relevant and reflective programming is provided for these communities;
• the Corporation is adequately measuring whether its programming is meeting the needs of Indigenous peoples, groups and communities, and of OLMCs, through perception public opinion research or other appropriate mechanisms; and
• the manner in which the Corporation is consulting (or surveying depending on the group) is done in a culturally sensitive, meaningful and methodologically sound manner.
  1. In parallel with the consultations identified in condition of service 11, the Corporation shall hold consultations with Indigenous creators, independent Indigenous producers, and official language minority community (OLMC) producers and creators of audio and audiovisual content in each of the regions of Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada and the North. During these consultations with producers, the Corporation shall discuss the relevance of the audio and audiovisual programming being produced for Indigenous peoples and each OLMC and develop collaboration strategies for content creation.
  2. In choosing the programming it broadcasts to Canadians on all of its licensed services and stations, the Corporation shall take into consideration the results of the consultations required by conditions of service 11 and 12 and the results of perception public opinion research as outlined in condition of service 23.
  3. For each broadcast year of the new licence term, commencing with the 2022-2023 broadcast year, and by no later than 30 November following the end of each broadcast year, the Corporation shall file with the Commission a report on the efforts it has taken to ensure that the needs of Indigenous peoples, groups, and communities, and of official language minority communities are being addressed in its audio and audiovisual programming choices. The Corporation shall also demonstrate how it will address any concerns or issues raised during the consultations specified in conditions of service 11 and 12, or any adjustments that would be required to its programming strategies in order to be relevant to these communities.
  4. As a part of these reports, the Corporation shall report separately on the consultations undertaken in the French- and English-language markets and indicate how it will adjust its programming approaches in each language market as a result of the consultations.

Consultations – Racialized persons, persons with disabilities and persons who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+

1. The Corporation shall, by no later than the 2024-2025 broadcast year and at least once every two years, hold formal consultations with groups representing racialized persons, persons with disabilities and persons who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+. These consultations shall be gender balanced and shall be representative of each of the regions of Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada and the North. These consultations shall discuss: (a) broadcasting issues of importance to these communities, including reflective and relevant Canadian audio and audiovisual programming, with a particular emphasis on the reflection and relevance of news and information, children’s and youth programming, and programs of national interest to racialized persons, persons with disabilities and persons who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+, on all licensed services and digital media broadcasting undertakings;

(b) the results of the required perception public opinion research as described in condition of service 23 in order to determine whether:

• measures must be taken to ensure that relevant and reflective programming is provided for these communities;
• the Corporation is adequately measuring whether its programming is meeting the needs of these communities through perception public opinion research or other appropriate mechanisms; and
• the manner in which the Corporation is consulting (or surveying, depending on the community) is done in a culturally sensitive, meaningful and methodologically sound manner.
  1. In the period preceding the start of condition of service 15, the Corporation shall establish advisory committees, representative of a range of racialized persons, persons with disabilities and persons who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+, in order to facilitate outreach into these various communities and to discuss the approach the Corporation intends to take toward meeting the requirements set out in condition of service 15. The Corporation may dissolve these advisory committees once it has undertaken the consultations required by condition of service 15.
  2. The Corporation shall report, by no later than 30 November for each broadcast year, on the steps it has taken toward meeting the requirements set out in condition of service 15 and the results of the discussions it has undertaken further to condition of service 16. The Corporation may cease filing these reports once it has undertaken the consultations required by condition of service 15.
  3. In parallel with the consultations identified in condition of service 15, commencing by no later than the 2024-2025 broadcast year, the Corporation shall hold consultations with racialized producers and creators, producers and creators with disabilities and producers and creators who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+ in each of the regions of Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada and the North. During these consultations, the Corporation shall discuss the relevance of the audio and audiovisual programming being produced for these equity-seeking communities living in Canada and develop collaboration strategies for content creation.
  4. In choosing the programming it broadcasts to Canadians on all of its licensed services and stations, the Corporation shall take into consideration the results of the consultations required by conditions of service 15 and 18 and the results of its perception public opinion research as outlined in condition of service 15.
  5. For each broadcast year of the new licence term, commencing by no later than the 2024-2025 broadcast year, and by no later than 30 November following the end of each broadcast year, the Corporation shall file with the Commission a report on the efforts it has taken to ensure that the needs of racialized persons, persons with disabilities and persons who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+ are being addressed by the Corporation in its programming choices. The Corporation shall also demonstrate how it will address any concerns or issues raised during the consultations specified in conditions of service 15 and 18 or any adjustments that would be required to its programming strategies in order to be relevant to these communities.
  6. As a part of these reports, the Corporation shall report separately on the consultations undertaken in the French- and English-language markets and indicate how it will adjust its programming approaches in each language market as a result of these consultations.
  7. If the Corporation commences the consultations required by conditions of service 15 and 18 before the beginning of the 2024-2025 broadcast year, it shall provide the report required by condition of service 20 by no later than 30 November 2024 and, for each subsequent broadcast year, by no later than 30 November following the end of each broadcast year.

Public opinion research

1. The Corporation shall file with the Commission the final reports prepared twice a year following its perception survey conducted in the spring and fall of each year. The Corporation shall submit the report for the spring survey by 30 June each broadcast year and the report for the fall survey by 28 February each broadcast year.
2. For each broadcast year of the licence term, commencing with the 2022-2023 broadcast year, the Corporation shall undertake perception public opinion research among Canadians to determine how the Corporation’s audio and audiovisual programming reflects the needs and interests of Canada’s diverse population, including Indigenous peoples, as well as the relevance of this programming to these populations. The Corporation may conduct this perception public opinion research using mechanisms already in place (such as its existing perception survey) or it can conduct qualitative research (for instance, by way of focus groups and/or the established consultations that the Corporation will be required to hold every two years with underrepresented groups as described in conditions of service 11, 12, 15 and 18 or any other type of research or survey that is appropriate in order to have meaningful results).
3. For each broadcast year of the new licence term, commencing with the 2022-2023 broadcast year, and by no later than 30 November following the end of each broadcast year, the Corporation shall file with the Commission, in a form deemed acceptable by the Commission, a report that assesses the results of the perception public opinion research specified in condition of service 23. This report shall include the results of the following key data points: The CBC/Radio-Canada offers content that:

(a) informs me on what is happening in other regions of the country

(b) informs me on what is happening in my community

(c) reflects the multicultural diversity of Canada

(d) reflects a diversity of opinions on numerous issues

(e) supports and promotes new and emerging talents

The CBC/Radio-Canada:

(f) is a trusted source of information

(g) is a leader in Canadian content

(h) has programming that I can relate to

(i) is independent and impartial

(j) reflects persons with disabilities

(k) reflects Indigenous peoples

(l) reflects the 2SLGBTQI+ community

(m) reflects racialized persons

(n) offers relevant programming for children under 13 years of age

(o) offers relevant programming for youth (ages 13-17)

(p) makes Canadian programming easily discoverable on its services

(q) makes Indigenous programming easily discoverable on its services.

For the data points relating to the relevance of children’s and youth programming, the Corporation will be required to consult adults who identify as being parents of children and/or youth.
4. When filing its report, the Corporation shall ensure, for the 17 key data points outlined in condition of service 24, to include details relating to the survey methodology as well as the complete questions cross-referenced with demographics in a format of its choice. The Corporation must ensure, at a minimum, that it cross-references the 17 key data points with the following demographic details:
- official language (English/French);
- age group (18-34; 35-49; 50-64; 65+);
- service (licensed television services, licensed radio services, audiovisual digital media broadcasting undertakings (DMBUs), audio DMBUs); and
- location (metropolitan vs non-metropolitan areas, and region [Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, British Columbia, and the Territories if sample size permits]).
5. To ensure the achievement of measurable and meaningful results should the Corporation choose to measure the 17 key data points set out in condition of service 24 using a perception survey, it shall oversample the following communities: Indigenous peoples, official minority language communities, Northern and remote communities, racialized Canadians, Canadians with disabilities, and Canadians who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+. The Corporation shall present the results for the sample of total population and shall separate the results of these oversampled groups in a designated section for clear reference and comparison. The Corporation must report on the results of the 17 key data points for these equity-seeking communities set out in condition of service 24. Should it not be possible to oversample certain groups or communities for technical or population reasons, the Corporation may use qualitative methods such as focus groups or discussion groups (such as those required in conditions of service 15 and 18) in order to measure the same issues as the quantitative survey and report on whether the Corporation’s programming reflects the needs and interests of these populations as well as whether its programming is relevant to them.

Programming report

1. For each broadcast year of the licence term, commencing with the 2022-2023 broadcast year, and by no later than 30 November following the end of each broadcast year, the Corporation shall file with the Commission an audio programming report for the licensed radio stations listed in Appendix 1 to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165, 22 June 2022, as well as for the new FM station licenced as a result of this decision, which shall provide the following information: (a) the criteria the Corporation uses to define emerging artists;

(b) the total number of musical selections by Indigenous artists and by emerging Canadian artists broadcast on a monthly basis on each of the Corporation’s radio stations; and

(c) a description of the marketing initiatives and strategies, including those for cross-promotion and those that support the discoverability of Indigenous artists and of Canadian artists, including emerging artists, on all licensed radio stations.
2. In addition to the report required by condition of service 27, the Corporation shall file for the ICI Radio-Canada Première and Radio One stations listed in Appendix 1 to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165, 22 June 2022, as well as for the new FM station licenced as a result of this decision, the following information:
(a) the provision of programming aimed at children and youth (preschool 0-5 years old, children 6-12 years old or youth 13-17 years old); and

(b) for each month, the average number of hours of local and regional programming broadcast on a weekly basis per radio station.

Diversity of workforce

1. The Corporation shall publicly provide by no later than 22 December 2022 a list of positions within the Corporation that it considers to have a direct impact on the diversity of audio and audiovisual programming and on programming decision-making (including but not limited to commissioning, purchasing and scheduling programming).
2. For each broadcast year of the licence term, commencing with the 2023-2024 broadcast year, and by no later than 30 November following the end of each broadcast year, the Corporation shall file with the Commission a report on the number of employees who are hired during each broadcast year into the positions set out in the list required in condition of service 29 and who belong to the following communities: Indigenous peoples, racialized Canadians, Canadians with disabilities, Canadians who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+ and women who self-identify as belonging to these communities.
3. For each broadcast year of the licence term, commencing with the 2023-2024 broadcast year, and by no later than 30 November following the end of each broadcast year, the Corporation shall file with the Commission a report on the number of employees staffing the positions set out in the list required in condition of service 29, who were retained or promoted during each broadcast year and who belong to the following communities: Indigenous peoples, racialized Canadians, Canadians with disabilities, Canadians who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+ and women who self-identify as belonging to these communities.

Self-identification consultation and report

1. The Corporation shall conduct a consultation on the parameters of self-identification with industry stakeholders who produce and create audio and audiovisual content, including Indigenous creators and producers, racialized creators and producers, creators and producers with disabilities, and creators and producers who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+. Further, during this consultation, the Corporation must discuss with stakeholders the subject matter of anonymity and privacy measures and establish best practices for reporting purposes to protect the identities of people who voluntarily self-identify as a member of one of the designated groups or as 2SLGBTQI+. The Corporation must report on these self-identification parameters as well as best practices surrounding privacy issues to the Commission before 30 November 2023.
2. The Corporation must use the report on parameters for self-identification and best practices surrounding privacy issues specified in condition of service 32 to gather information and report on Indigenous musical selections quotas [conditions of service 2e) through 2g)], and to report on Indigenous peoples, members of official language minority communities (OLMCs), and in the diverse workforce reports (conditions of service 30 and 31).

Simulcasting

1. The licensee is authorized to simulcast the programming of the new FM station licenced as a result of this decision on CFFB Iqaluit, Nunavut, for a transition period of three months following the commencement of operations of the FM station.

National Public Alerting System

1. The licensee shall implement the National Public Alerting System (NPAS) by the launch of the new FM station licenced as a result of this decision in the manner set out in section 16 of the Radio Regulations, 1986, and in Amendments to various regulations, the standard conditions of licence for video-on-demand undertakings and certain exemption orders – Provisions requiring the mandatory distribution of emergency alert messages, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2014-444 and Broadcasting Orders CRTC 2014-445, 2014-446, 2014-447, and 2014-448, 29 August 2014.

Expectations

Notification of impact of conversion of the AM station to the FM band

The Commission expects the licensee to notify any listeners that will be affected by the loss of service due to the amended service area of the new FM station that they will, or may, lose service as of the end of the simulcast period.

News during times of crisis

The Commission expects the Corporation to maintain local, regional and national news broadcasts in a crisis or emergency on its audiovisual and audio digital media broadcasting undertakings.

For the purpose of this expectation, “crisis or emergency” is defined as an imminent threat to life or property affecting a community, a group of people or all of society. Events that qualify as a crisis or emergency may include, but are not limited to, natural disasters as well as social, economic, political, or health threats.

Local audio programming

The Commission expects the Corporation to maintain a minimum number of hours of local and regional programming each broadcast week on its Radio One and ICI Radio-Canada Première stations as set out in Appendix 5 to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165, 22 June 2022.

Listener advisories

The Commission expects the Corporation to ensure that, when choosing programming made available on the licensed radio stations that it operates, listeners have the information they need, such as listener advisories, to make responsible listening choices for themselves and their families.

Training programs for Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities and persons who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+

The Commission expects the Corporation to continue offering and developing internal training programs, media and production career-related outreach programs for youth, and internship programs for students and youth from Indigenous communities, racialized persons, persons with disabilities and persons who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+.

Ombuds

The Commission expects the Corporation to ensure that Canadians are aware of how and where they can send complaints to the Offices of the Ombud. Furthermore, the Commission expects the Corporation to ensure that Canadians understand that if they are unsatisfied with a decision of an Ombud, they can forward their complaint to the Commission for its consideration.

Journalistic Standards and Practices

The Commission expects the Corporation to create an internal mechanism for its journalists to provide relevant feedback to the Corporation regarding the interpretation and implementation of its JSP.

The Commission expects the Corporation, in any future review of its JSP, to consult with a variety of equity-deserving communities to capture a wide spectrum of lived experiences to ensure that the JSP is not a barrier to open and honest reporting.

Anonymity and privacy concerns

The Commission expects the Corporation to develop anonymity and privacy measures to protect the identities of its employees who voluntarily self-identify as being a part of an equity-deserving community, and to apply the same safeguards for those who voluntarily self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+ for reporting purposes.

Encouragement

Ombuds

The Commission encourages the Corporation to increase the Ombuds’ capacity to review journalistic complaints pertaining to Indigenous peoples and other equity-deserving communities (such as racialized Canadians, Canadians with disabilities, and Canadians who self-identify as 2SLGBTQI+). In order to improve that capacity throughout the licence term, the Commission encourages the Corporation to use available resources, such as diversity and inclusion committees and training that could enhance the Ombuds’ knowledge of and sensitivity to issues relating to the aforementioned communities.

Footnotes

As set out in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2014-554, when the Commission receives an application for a new radio station, it generally issues a call for applications, subject to certain exceptions. The present application falls under one of the exceptions noted in that policy, since the CBC’s proposal is, in substance, to convert a station from AM to FM in a market with two or fewer commercial operators.

1

The CBC submitted a separate, non-severable application on the same date to revoke CFFB’s licence.

2

A nested FM rebroadcasting transmitter is a transmitter located within the coverage contours of the originating station to supplement coverage to an area experiencing reduced signal quality.

3

Dissenting opinion of Commissioner Bram Abramson

1. This application is a routine technical one. I join our panel’s 1 disposition in every respect except the following: I would reject the proposed restriction capping, at three months, the AM simulcast of CFFB Iqaluit, Nunavut. In my view, that restriction is disproportionate. The station should be permitted to simulcast on both bands indefinitely.
2. The AM simulcast would then continue until the earliest of three events: the equipment fails conclusively; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) tires of maintaining it; or the Nunavut Inuit rights holder, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), determines otherwise.
3. This approach reflects a simple principle. The Commission should avoid regulating beyond what is necessary to achieve its statutory objectives. I dissent on that basis.

Life isn’t lived by the contour

1. The CBC’s flagship Iqaluit radio transmitter is nearing the end of its useful life. Rather than maintain an aging AM facility, the CBC is converting it to FM.
2. The applicant’s materials show that, although the incoming FM facility will reach additional permanent dwellings, it will no longer cover the Tasiujarjuaq (Frobisher Bay) waters or, beyond them, the Aulatsivik lands that are currently within CFFB Iqaluit’s AM contour (Bishop Island). During simulcasting, the combined contours will cover both areas; afterward the AM contour will fall away.
3. When it does, CFFB will go dark in Tasiujarjuaq and Aulatsivik. Boats navigating the passage, and hunters and others travelling those lands, will no longer receive the service. 2 That benefit is modest, even if a radio service can matter greatly to isolated travellers in a remote region. But the relevant question is not the absolute size of that benefit, but whether it is outweighed by any corresponding disadvantage. Were the AM band in Nunavut congested or the frequency needed for other local service, the balance might be different. But there is no scarcity problem to solve. No broadcaster is waiting to occupy the frequency to be relinquished. If one were, alternatives are already available.
4. Nor do I propose a long-mandated simulcast or quixotic investment in timeworn equipment. I suggest only that we decline to regulate a premature end-of-life where unregulated operation might persist for some time longer. The proposed artificial cap causes some harm and serves no demonstrated purpose.
5. Where regulation offers no advantage over doing nothing, the Commission ought not regulate. Simulcasting should be allowed for as long as the equipment holds out, the CBC chooses to maintain it, and the local authority authorizes it. There is nothing to be gained by halting it sooner.

Going off-precedent is hard, but it’s meant to be

1. The majority decision offers two reasons for imposing, nonetheless, a regulated halt to CFFB Iqaluit’s AM simulcast: that a three-month cap reflects the Commission’s “general practice” and that it accords with the application. Both reasons are procedural rather than evidentiary. Neither is, in my respectful view, persuasive.
2. Whether a three-month cap remains our general practice today is doubtful. Four decades ago, when FM was young and slots on both bands prized, the Commission advised that in converting CBC AM stations to FM, “extended periods of simulcasting should not be required and the FM frequencies should be released for other potential users at an early date.” 3 By the mid-1990s, that approach’s application within the commercial pillar of the system had settled into a standard three- to six-month simulcast period, 4 which later narrowed to three months. More recently, the Commission modernized its radio processes 5 and approved a 12-month simulcast period for commercial FM conversions. 6 That development sits uneasily beside a three-month cap for a public broadcaster and makes it difficult to describe the earlier limit as a continuing general practice.
3. In any case, the three-month cap did not emerge from a considered policy proceeding. It crystallized in a series of decisions that repeated their predecessors. To treat that history as binding is inconsistent with how the practice arose and our obligation to consider each matter on its merits. Unlike a court, and “[a]s a matter of law … while the CRTC may refer to and take guidance from its earlier decisions, those decisions cannot dictate its subsequent decisions. The CRTC is not bound by precedent and has a legal obligation not to fetter its discretion.” 7
4. “We’ve always done it this way” is, then, not a sufficient basis for decision-making. Consistency with past practice promotes predictability, but it cannot stand as the sole reason for a decision. Even if the three-month cap remained our general practice, applying it without substantive justification would be inappropriate. It is all the less defensible when an analog practice has recently been reconsidered and set aside.
5. Yes, the applicant specified a three-month cap in its application. But the Commission is under no obligation to grant it. It is understandable that the applicant, seeking an expeditious decision on a straightforward matter, modelled its request on earlier approvals. It is less appropriate for the Commission, which is aware of its current approach and faces no scarcity or policy constraints, to adopt that request in the absence of any substantive rationale.

Listeners don’t live by the rules

1. Even in Canada’s most densely populated regions, the AM band is emptying out. AM-to-FM conversions are routine. Some vehicles no longer support the band at all. I have elsewhere suggested that, rather than let AM simply decline, the Commission might treat it as a regulatory sandbox 8 by giving each FM broadcaster access, in the same market, to one lightly regulated AM frequency. That approach would test how regulatory restraint might foster experimentation and innovation. 9
2. This case does not require anything so ambitious. It only requires restraint. Leaving CFFB Iqaluit’s simulcast period open-ended would do no harm and could do some good, reflecting a basic principle: regulate no more than necessary to achieve statutory objectives; choose the least intrusive means to do so.
3. Sound regulation is measured and predictable. Overreach is endlessly inventive. Jurisdictional overreach pursues goals beyond the mandate. Lack of humility leads the regulator to mistake its rules for the market itself. Disproportionality couples sound goals to too-heavy instruments. Capping CFFB’s simulcast in the absence of scarcity or countervailing need falls into that third category. It solves no problem and serves no listener. Radio regulation exists for listeners who need neither know nor care about our rules. Regulation is not there to preserve rules as an end in itself.
4. Small, unnecessary restrictions are not harmless just because they are small. Over time, they accumulate. They normalize overreach. They erode the discipline on which legitimacy depends. Identifying and avoiding even minor overreaches is therefore part of the Commission’s task. I dissent because, when a restriction offers no benefit, we should not impose it.

Footnotes

On behalf of the Commission. Panels such as that struck on Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-153 are established by the Chairperson under subsection 20(1) of the Broadcasting Act to hear and determine a “matter,” provided the panel first consults with the Commission to ensure consistency: Broadcasting Act, subsections 20(1), 20(2), and 20(4). They are to be distinguished from special and standing committees whose remit exceed, presumably, that of a single matter: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Act (CRTC Act) , paragraph 12(3)(a):

a) Panels established to hear licensing matters require a public hearing, and therefore create a public record of establishment and, given the Commission’s practice of transcripting public hearings, of appointment: Broadcasting Act, sections 18 and 19. See, on the matter addressed by this decision, CRTC Transcript, 11 September 2025.

b) Panels established to hear non-licensing matters are not expressly provided for by the Broadcasting Act. They therefore need not, and in practice thus far do not, create a public record of establishment or of appointments. See, generally, Shoan v. Canada (Attorney General), 2016 FCA 261, paras. 6-9, confirming the Chairperson’s authority to establish panels to hear a “matter” and, generally, “to assign cases and members to cases”.

c) Special and standing committees create a public record of establishment, because they are to be established by law, but not of appointments: See, generally, CRTC Act, op. cit.in respect of broadcasting, and paragraph 11(1)(b) more broadly.

1

The applicant filed no evidence as to traffic or usage of these waters or lands. The Inuit Heritage Trust identifies Aulatsivik (the lands called Hill Island, Bishop Island, and Faris Island) as a place “[w]here animals pass, travel. Caribou: Traditional Place Names Program, online: https://www.ihti.ca/traditional-place-names. Historical documentation points the same way: an early account records that “[o]n Bishop’s Island are three well made stone slab houses, meat caches, kayak rests, and a few tupik rings”: American Anthropologist 31(2) (1929), p. 334.
The Broadcasting Act is structured to elicit local input on licence applications, including through notice in newspapers of general circulation within affected areas. As a high-volume administrative tribunal, however, structural pressures toward administrative efficiency discourage the Commission, in the absence of contrary incentives, from extensive solicitation of feedback. In my view, this misalignment could be mitigated through countervailing measures like publishing, in each release and in quarterly summary form, the steps taken to solicit local input and the number of individual and institutional interventions received. While imperfect, such transparency would create reputational incentives whose effect is to create institutional incentives for ensuring affected populations are aware of proceedings that may affect them. Broadcasting Act, section 19.

2

Public Notice 1983-22.

3

See, e.g., Decision 96-18 (“In previous applications involving similar AM to FM ‘flips’, the Commission authorized simulcast periods of three to six months where there was no opposition to such a request. When questioned on this issue at the hearing, the applicant agreed to a simulcast period of three to six months. The Commission considers that a simulcast period of three months would allow the applicant adequate time to advise its listeners…”).

4

Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2024-290.

5

Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2025-265, paragraph 165.

6

Bell Canada v. Canada (Attorney General), 2011 FC 1120 (CanLII), paragraphs 88-90.

7

A live environment for testing new approaches under supervised but relaxed regulatory conditions.

8

Dissenting opinion attached to Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2025-265, paragraphs 26-28.

9

Date modified:

2026-02-27