Campus Radio appeal nets 3,000+ signatures against Ford’s fee policy

-April 3, 2019-  Campus radio stations across Ontario have issued urgent appeals for student and community support in response to the Ford government’s “Student Choice Initiative,” which will decimate student funding for campus activities and result in less choice for students. More than 3,000 Ontarians have already responded by signing petitions supporting campus radio as an essential community service and urging the government to reconsider its position.

The National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) is grateful for the support our member stations have received from the Ontario public, and we hope that the government will listen to the voice of Ontarians concerned about the possible loss of these vital local media outlets.

The National Campus and Community Radio Association is working alongside its members to get this ask in front of provincial parliament before the Ontario budget is approved.  The NCRA is also grateful for the cross-party support that the petition drive has received. Green Party leader Mike Schreiner (Guelph) and Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle (Thunder Bary - Superior North) have already presented petitions in support of campus radio to the legislature, and we have been in communication with other MPPs, including New Democrats Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre), Doly Begum (Scarborough Southwest), and Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West), who have indicated they will soon do the same.

NCRA has calculated that these cuts will lead to 50 full-time people being made unemployed across the province in the next 12 months, with an additional 50-100 part-time student positions which may be lost.. This will result in additional costs to the Ontario Government, with up to an estimated $730,000 a year in Employment Insurance costs, and up to 1.3 Million in retraining costs.

The impact that these cuts will have on students looking to get training and support will be severe, with staff support dropping to 1 staff member for over 260 volunteers, compared to 1 staff member for 46 volunteers before the Ford cuts.

The NCRA is encouraging people to leave comments that will be delivered to MPPs via https://www.ncra.ca/defend, or contact your local MPP directly

#DefendCampusRadio

For more information contact:

The National Campus and Community Radio Association
Barry Rooke - barry@ncra.ca - 613-321-1440