Internet Regulation under the Canadian Constitution
An essay published by the Coalition for Diversity of Cultural Expressions in December 2021. The essay concludes that online content providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Crave would clearly be subject to federal jurisdiction in Canada.
Contribution to Canadian Content by Online Undertakings: The Factors the CRTC will Need to Consider
A research study by Peter S. Grant published by the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions on July 20, 2021
Can Small Be Beautiful?
A book review published in the Literary Review of Canada in October 2006. It examines the potential impact on sales of Canadian-authored books of the growth of the internet. Will the unlimited shelf space of Amazon and Chapters-Indigo increase the ability of Canadian book publishers to market lesser-known titles?
Stories Under Stress (2008)
A research study done for the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds in December 2008. The study examined the challenge for local television drama in five English-language broadcast markets outside the United States. Television drama in those markets – the United Kingdom, English Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand – is dominated by US shows acquired at a fraction of the cost of local TV drama. The study reviews the circumstances in each country and the strategies available to each of them to support local TV drama.
The UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity: Cultural Policy and International Trade in Cultural Products
An academic paper published in 2011 which discusses trade in cultural products and how the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity came to be. This paper was published in the Handbook of Global Media and Communications Policy (Blackwell, Publishing, 2011).
Supporting the Canadian Independent Production Sector Under the 2023 Online Streaming Act
This essay, written in April 2023, examines the provision in Bill C-11 that would help indie producers hold on to library rights in their Canadian programs.
Ten Memorable CRTC Moments, or Why Communications Lawyers Need Danger Pay
A humorous luncheon address delivered to the annual Law Society of Upper Canada National Conference on New Developments in Communications Law and Policy on May 2, 2014. The address focuses on ten memorable and amusing moments at CRTC hearings over the years.
Regulation of TV Group Owners in Canada: Addressing the Potential for “Gaming” of the Broadcasting System
A presentation to the 2009 Broadcasting Invitational Summit, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, on June 19, 2009. All the suggestions made in the presentation were later adopted by the CRTC.
Cultural Policy, Free Trade and the Internet
An essay written for Policy Magazine in September 2022. This looks at the history of the cultural exemption in Canada’s free trade agreements, and how proposed Canadian legislation on internet platforms would be consistent with our trade commitments.
Can Canadian Film or Television Have a Global Hit? Pursuing the Unlikely Dream
A light-hearted exploration, written in March 2022, as to the chances that a program that “looks” Canadian could be a huge ratings success outside Canada.
Are Forms of Popular Expression Collapsing?
What is the impact of the internet and the pandemic on forms of cultural expression? This essay, written in October 2022, provides a light-hearted look at the relative impact of the internet and the pandemic on books, music, television, newspapers, magazines, theatres, and audiovisual production.