Submission by Ed Holder, MP to the
Canadian Radio and Television Commission
on the issue of local television programming

As the Member of Parliament for London West, I would like to provide a summary of the views that have been expressed to me on these issues.

Overwhelmingly, the residents of London West wish to see local news, generated locally, edited locally and shown locally.  Many times I was told, in no uncertain terms, that Toronto news is not local news.  Southwestern Ontario has its own history, its own industries and its own cultures that need a voice and a medium to share their information.  We too want to see our neighbours report the news involving our neighbours. 

While subscribers do not want to pay additional fees for cable and satellite services, most constituents tell me they want to see the current revenue collected in the name of local programming directed to local programming.  A small minority of constituents were of the view that they would rather see local television disappear entirely before paying anything more.

Again, a small minority expressed the following view, and it is worth noting:  they have a desire to see all programming available on a subscription basis.  These residents resent having to pay for any programming they do not want and feel that both local and worthy programming would survive in an open and competitive marketplace.

In closing, I do wish to state the overwhelming majority of my constituents want local programming to continue in markets as large as London, Ontario, but they do have strong reservations about paying more for this.  Many feel these services were provided in the past in an affordable manner and feel that this structure should be able to continue to exist going forward.

Kind regards,

Ed Holder
Member of Parliament
London West

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