CBC sends 158 layoff notices

CBC English Services has laid off 158 people this week, as the broadcaster sent out a round of “redundancy notices” to employees.

According to the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), about 100 contract employees have not had their contracts renewed, 19 job vacancies will not be filled and 158 permanent employees have been laid off. The CMG told the CBC the total jobs lost (including retirement, contract positions and layoffs) by location are:

  • Calgary,18
  • Charlottetown, 6
  • Corner Brook, NL, 3
  • Edmonton, 16
  • Fredericton, 3
  • Gander, NL, 2
  • Grand Falls, NL, 2
  • Halifax, 12
  • Ottawa, 9
  • Rankin Inlet, 1
  • Regina, 3
  • Saint John, NB, 2
  • Saskatoon, 2
  • St. John’s, 6
  • Sudbury, Ont., 8
  • Sydney, N.S., 3
  • Thunder Bay, Ont., 5
  • Toronto, 155
  • Vancouver, 45
  • Whitehorse, 3
  • Windsor, Ont., 13
  • Winnipeg, 9
  • Yellowknife, 8

The Winnipeg Free Press reports that CBC Manitoba was spared cuts this time around and no layoff notices were handed out in the region.

Some well-known names are among those leaving CBC. Brian Stewart, foreign correspondent for The National and host of Newsworld’s Our World, has taken a retirement package. Stewart told the Canadian Press:

“My reasons are simple – I’ve been working as a reporter without a break for 45 years this month which is a hell of a long haul. I started six months after Kennedy was shot in Dallas and four months after the Beatles hit North America, so it’s probably time for a change. I’ve also wanted more time to devote to writing and to some non-profit activities I’m interested in.”

Others leaving the public broadcaster include Steve Finkelman, a municipal affairs reporter in Edmonton, John McGrath, who covers Queen’s Park in Toronto, Jeff Collins, host of Calgary afternoon radio program, The Home Stretch, Don Newman, host of CBC News: Politics, Claire Nantes, from Compass in Charlottetown and Jim Nunn, host of CBC News: Nova Scotia at Six.

CBC News: Sunday, the morning television show hosted by Evan Solomon and Carole MacNeil is cancelled and the last airing will be May 31.

Layoff notices will be handed out to the CBC-Radio-Canada’s Quebec services in the first week of June and about 363 jobs are expected to be affected.