Budget fails to mention journalism spending, tax credit

The Manitoba budget ignored measures to boost local journalism that were recommended by an all-party committee of the legislature.

A committee of six MLAs held public consultations last year on ways to support locally owned media outlets, focusing on rural, northern and multicultural media.

In December, it recommended tax credits, similar to the current federal tax credit, to help with the cost of hiring staff. It also said the provincial government should ensure at least 25 per cent of its advertising spending — including that of Crown corporations — is earmarked for local journalism outlets.

The budget announced Tuesday failed to mention either measure. However, the government is already following through on one of the recommendations, said a cabinet communications statement sent late Wednesday.

“After hearing directly from local media outlets and the public, the province moved forward with recommendations to strengthen this essential source of information,” it said. “These include a 25 per cent local advertising spend benchmark, aligning Manitoba with other provinces such as Ontario and reinforcing support for local journalism, a target the province continues to meet.”

A Tory MLA on the committee said he doubts that struggling Manitoba media outlets are receiving anywhere near 25 per cent of the dollars spent by the government on advertising, and has asked for proof several times.

“I don’t believe journalism in Manitoba is getting 25 per cent of the advertising spend,” said Greg Nesbitt, who used to own a community newspaper.

He said he asked committee chairman Robert Loiselle to provide details about how much and where the government spends its advertising budget.

He said Loiselle, who is NDP caucus chairman, did not provide the information.

Loiselle wasn’t made available for an interview Wednesday.

Nesbitt said the Progressive Conservative caucus filed a freedom of information request about government ad spending last month.

He said he’s heard from many Manitobans who took part in public hearings around the province.

“They’re asking what the heck happened? Why did we go through all that exercise?” Nesbitt said. “People came to these meetings and really suggested good things and ways this government could help and we didn’t get to discuss it as a committee.”

Nesbitt said the PCs were asked to join the all-party committee after it was announced in the 2024 throne speech, but they shut out when it came time to write its final report. The NDP caucus chair has said the Tories didn’t provide constructive suggestions.

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Nesbitt said he thinks now that the exercise was a “sham” and “public relations for the premier and the NDP government.”

“They love to make announcements of what they’re going to do but don’t actually follow through on them, and I think this is one of them.”

The statement from provincial cabinet communications said local, rural, and cultural media play a critical role in Manitoba.

“As work continues on other recommendations, the province will keep listening to and collaborating with Manitoba’s local media sector, and the commitment to supporting local journalism remains ongoing.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter

Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.

Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.