Province of Manitoba news release, May 8, 2025
The Manitoba government is creating an all-party committee to explore the future of local journalism, including rural and cultural media, that will be chaired by Robert Loiselle, MLA for St. Boniface, government house leader Nahanni Fontaine announced today.
“When a community loses its newspaper, radio station or TV station, we miss out on those local stories and the sense of community they create,” said Loiselle. “Our government is creating this committee because we believe keeping local and cultural journalism alive is important to all Manitobans.”
The committee will focus on rural and northern media and cultural media such as French, Filipino, Punjabi and Chinese language publications with the mandate to consider matters of public support for journalism.
“Communications have seen a dramatic change over the past few decades. There used to be a handful of news sources and now there are hundreds,” said Elmer Hildebrand, CEO of Golden West Broadcasting. “In Manitoba, especially in rural areas, there are no local television stations and most newspapers have disappeared. The only source of local news in these areas comes from local radio stations. Local journalism is very much in danger of totally disappearing, as has already happened in some parts of Canada, so I welcome this consultation.”
Consultations with local media organizations, other affected stakeholders and members of the public will take place across the province in the coming months.
More information about consultations will be made available at https://engagemb.ca/supporting-local-journalism, with media outlets invited to participate. Members of the public who are interested in receiving updates can register through the EngageMB link.
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