TORONTO – Bell Media has announced plans to cut nearly 50 unionized media positions, sparking deep concern from Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union. These layoffs are part of Bell Media’s “Willow” plan, which aims to relocate news stations CP24, BNN, and NewsTalk 1010 from downtown Toronto to Agincourt, Ontario, consolidating them with CTV Toronto and other news channels.
Unifor National President Lana Payne condemned the move, emphasizing that Bell Media continues to prioritize profits over people despite significant earnings last year. Payne warned that these cuts further threaten journalism and democracy, potentially leading to news deserts in various regions across Canada.
The impacted positions include production workers such as ENG editors, media services coordinators, graphics artists, and engineering technicians. This wave of layoffs follows substantial reductions in 2023, when Bell Media cut 1,300 media jobs, and in February 2024, when 4,800 positions were eliminated, including 100 in media. These earlier cuts also led to the cancellation of several noon and weekend news broadcasts across CTV stations.
Earlier this year, Unifor launched the “Shame on Bell” campaign, criticizing BCE for slashing media jobs while increasing shareholder payouts. The union represents over 10,000 media workers, advocating for workers’ rights and fighting for equality and social justice.
This announcement comes on the heels of layoffs by Corus Entertainment Inc., which cut 35 Unifor members at Global News earlier in June, impacting locations like Calgary, Toronto, and Edmonton. These reductions add to the 11 layoffs already made by Corus in 2024, highlighting ongoing challenges in the Canadian media landscape.