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Ottawa puts price on what it wants Meta and Google to share with Canadian news publishers

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OTTAWA – The Liberal government has unveiled the draft regulations that will implement its Online News Act, legislation that Google and Meta have said could lead them to permanently block news content on their platforms in Canada.

The new regulations include a formula for calculating how much revenue the social media giants would be expected to share with Canadian news publishers under the law, while providing more details about how the tech companies can receive exemptions from the legislation by making their own deals with news-publishers.

Government officials said that under the legislation Google could contribute $172 million a year and Facebook $62 million to Canadian news publishers, based on Google’s global search revenues and Meta’s Facebook global revenues. That’s about in line with previous department estimates but lower than the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s $329 million estimate last year.

But officials said those numbers could be revised up or down because the government is open to consulting with affected parties and adjusting the formula.

Since a stand-off with the tech giants began after the Online News Act became law, the government has been hoping Google and Meta’s issues with the bill — such as the lack of a cap on how much they would have to pay news publishers — could be addressed through the regulatory process.

Meta, which is already blocking news in Canada on Facebook and Instagram, has maintained it could not, and has said it will permanently block news content in Canada. Google has suggested it is more open to compromise, though it has also said it plans to pull news from Google search and other products if its concerns aren’t addressed.

The legislation, original presented as Bill C-18, forces the two tech giants to share revenues with news publishers (Postmedia, publisher of the National Post, has publicly supported the legislation). But it’s structured in a way that means if the companies pull news from their platforms, the Online News Act no longer applies to them.

Google and Meta can reach voluntary deals with publishers that exempt them from the mandatory bargaining and arbitration process administered by the CRTC, and those deals could include both monetary and non-monetary contributions.

That also means the total payments to news publishers could be lower than the government estimates.

The government is using a formula that multiplies the platforms’ global revenue with the Canadian share of global GDP, multiplied by a contribution rate of four per cent. Exactly what the government will ultimately consider as “global revenues” was not made clear Friday — for instance, whether Meta’s revenues from its Instagram platform would be included.

Officials said in a technical briefing the regulations are a way for the government to show it’s addressing the major concerns from the platforms, including an unclear path to exemption. An official said the government is “looking forward to engaging with (Meta and Google) in a constructive manner in the weeks ahead on the proposed approach.”

The draft regulations are now open for a 30-day consultation period before being finalized.

 

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End of Manitoba legislature session includes replacement-worker ban, machete rules

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WINNIPEG – Manitoba politicians are expected to pass several bills into law before the likely end of legislature session this evening.

The NDP government, with a solid majority of seats, is getting its omnibus budget bill through.

It enacts tax changes outlined in the spring budget, but also includes unrelated items, such as a ban on replacement workers during labour disputes.

The bill would also make it easier for workers to unionize, and would boost rebates for political campaign expenses.

Another bill expected to pass this evening would place new restrictions on the sale of machetes, in an attempt to crack down on crime.

Among the bills that are not expected to pass this session is one making it harder for landlords to raise rents above the inflation rate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Father charged with second-degree murder in infant’s death: police

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A Richmond Hill, Ont., man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his seven-week-old infant earlier this year.

York Regional Police say they were contacted by the York Children’s Aid Society about a child who had been taken to a hospital in Toronto on Jan. 15.

They say the baby had “significant injuries” that could not be explained by the parents.

The infant died three days later.

Police say the baby’s father, 30, was charged with second-degree murder on Oct. 23.

Anyone with more information on the case is urged to contact investigators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Ontario fast-tracking several bills with little or no debate

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TORONTO – Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, which the government house leader says is due to a short legislative sitting.

The government has significantly reduced debate and committee time on the proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.

It also passed the fall economic statement that contains legislation to send out $200 cheques to taxpayers with reduced debating time.

The province tabled a bill Wednesday afternoon that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.

That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.

Government House Leader Steve Clark did not answer a question about whether the province is speeding up passage of the bills in order to have an election in the spring, which Premier Doug Ford has not ruled out.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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