On Monday, February 24, 2025 at 1:00 pm ET, join the Public Policy Forum (PPF) for a virtual discussion on recommendations to revitalize a key industry that plays an outsized role in Canadian democracy: local news. We’ll be joined by Tai Huynh, Editor-in-Chief of The Local, Paul MacNeill, Michener Awards Foundation executive member and Prince Edward Island community newspaper publisher, Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation, and Andrew Phillips, former editor-in-chief of the Montreal Gazette and the Victoria Times Colonist. The discussion will be moderated by Riaz Kara, PPF Vice-President, Policy.
A new report from PPF, The Lost Estate: How to put the local back in local news, produced in partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) and the Michener Awards, highlights several factors contributing to the crisis in local news, including the failure of non-local corporate ownership models, a collapse of traditional advertising revenues, as well as Meta’s decision to block Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram.
The report’s recommendations include:
- Creating a ‘Report for Canada’ non-profit organization, similar to a successful model in the United States, to fund reporters in local newsrooms for three-year terms. Local Journalism Initiative funds provided by the federal government would be matched by philanthropic donations and controlled by an independent board;
- Driving local advertising with a tax credit for local businesses that spend ad dollars with independent, locally owned media;
- Directing a portion of government advertising dollars to local publishers and broadcasters, as the Ontario government did recently by requiring that 25 percent of government ad budgets, including spending by four large provincial agencies, be directed to Ontario-based publishers;
- Mandating a sales notice period to give communities an opportunity to rally support for news outlets that are threatened with closure by corporate owners; and
- Stepping up community foundation involvement: There are more than 200 community foundations across Canada, as well as thousands of private foundations. They should be encouraged to support local news organizations as part of their wider missions to encourage social vitality, community health and local democracy.
Agenda
-
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Registration
details for the registration here.
-
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Breakfast
Free breakfast for all PPF Members
Speakers
-
Tai Huynh
Editor-in-Chief, The Local
Tai Huynh is the founding editor-in-chief and publisher of The Local, an online magazine covering social issues in Toronto. Under Tai’s leadership, The Local’s distinctive approach to community journalism—in-depth, non-profit, from corners of Toronto too often overlooked—has won over a dozen national awards since its founding in 2019, including several National Magazine Awards and Digital Publishing Awards. Tai writes, occasionally, about urban health and inequality.
-
Paul MacNeill
Michener Awards Foundation executive member and Prince Edward Island community newspaper publisher
Paul MacNeill is the second-generation co-owner and publisher of Island Press Limited in Montague, Prince Edward Island. Founded in 1963, Island Press publishes Eastern Graphic, West Prince Graphic, Island Farmer and Atlantic Post Calls.
MacNeill is an award-winning political commentator and reporter. In 2023 Eastern Graphic was a finalist for the Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism. That same year it won the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism.
MacNeill is past president of Newspapers Atlantic and Newspapers Canada. He was featured in A Good Day’s Work, written by John DeMont and published by Doubleday.
He is a current board member of the Michener Awards Foundation, Canadian Journalism Foundation and Community Foundation of PEI.
MacNeill acts as lead political analyst for CBC television in PEI.
His most impressive, and important, credential is dad to Erin and Katie.
-
Teresa Marques
President and CEO, Rideau Hall Foundation
Teresa Marques is the President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), a national non-partisan charitable organization established in 2012 and working to build a better Canada. The RHF does this by addressing key challenges in Canada related to learning equity; strengthening Canada’s culture of innovation; developing leadership capacity; and widening the circle of giving and volunteering. The foundation was created by the Right Honourable David Johnston, Canada’s 28th Governor General. Today it works closely with the Office of the Governor General of Canada to connect, honour and inspire Canadians.
Teresa has significant experience in people management, strategic partner engagement, grant making for social change, major-gift fundraising and organizational development. Prior to leading the RHF, she has led teams in the healthcare and post-secondary education sectors, in both Toronto and Ottawa. She is also an active instructor and course developer with Carleton University and the Toronto Metropolitan University’s G. Raymond Chang School for Continuing Education. She holds degrees in Canadian history from the University of Ottawa and York University, as well as a post-graduate certificate from Dalhousie University’s School of Continuing Education, with a focus on non-profit governance.
Since joining RHF in 2016, Teresa has been instrumental in the foundation’s growth through strategic relationship building, program development, and communications strategy. Her leadership is driven by a passion for philanthropy and a commitment to strengthening the non-profit sector in Canada. Teresa has been recognized as a DMZ “Woman of the Year” (2022) and by the Report on Business as a national “Changemaker” (2023).
-
Andrew Phillips
Columnist, Toronto Star
Andrew Phillips is a columnist for the Toronto Star and author of PPF’s The Canada-U.S. newsletter. He was previously editor of the Star’s editorial pages, as well as Editor-in-Chief of the Montreal Gazette and the Victoria Times Colonist. He has also been a writer, correspondent and editor at CBC News and Maclean’s, and business editor of the Star.
Moderator
-
Riaz Kara
Vice-President, Policy, Public Policy Forum
Riaz Kara’s career in federal and provincial government has spanned areas of strategic policy, regulatory management, business transformation, organizational effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, issues management, data analytics and change leadership.
Before joining PPF, Riaz was Director General, Housing Policy & Partnerships at Housing, Infrastructure & Communities Canada where he led housing policy integration across the federal government, including linkages with immigration, health and industrial strategy as well as the department’s work with provinces and territories. Prior, he was Vice-President of Social Policy and Equity at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, where he led major policy initiatives to support increased supply across the housing continuum – from non-market to market-based housing.
This is a virtual invitation-only member event. If you are interested in learning more about membership, please contact the Strategic Engagement Team at membership@ppforum.ca.
Click on the button to see if your organization is a member or contact membership@ppforum.ca to learn more.
Become an
event sponsor!
Come for the policy conversation, stay for the celebration. See how you can be a part of it.
Related Posts
Canada Growth Summit 2026
Register now for the biggest policy event of the year.
Testimonial Dinner 2026
A celebration of distinguished Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to public policy and good governance