From her article in The Globe and Mail, February 25
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has $5.3 billion burning a hole in his pocket. That was the sum raised at last week’s auction of an invisible but very valuable public commodity: the air above our heads. In 100 rounds of bidding, telecommunications companies manoeuvred frantically to acquire the rights to spectrum that can be used for their wireless signals. The government hopes that by expanding the number of telcos operating in each region, it will produce more competitive wireless rates for consumers.
There has been much discussion about whether this plan will actually work but little talk about what the government will do with those surprisingly large proceeds. The money goes into the government’s consolidated revenues and is “reinvested in priorities that matter to Canadians.”
Here’s a modest proposal for what some of the priorities should be: a couple of billion should be set aside to help Canada’s creative community produce more content for those public airwaves, whether that is for the Internet or for television broadcasting, two media that are becoming increasingly indistinguishable anyway. Some of it should be directed toward the Canadian Media Fund, which helps producers make TV shows, webisodes, online games and other interactive content; some of it should go to Telefilm Canada, which underwrites feature films. Some of it should go to the National Film Board of Canada, which produces docs and animation, and is increasingly experimenting with interactive. And at least a billion should be directed toward producing new content on all platforms at the CBC, the country’s best bet for reaching the largest audiences with Canadian programming.
Eric Koch’s new book, New Beginnings, was launched on September 20. The book is available from 
A VERY BRIGHT IDEA! Let’s all lobby our M.P.’s to push for it.
Best idea since Izaak Walton Killam gave us the Canada Counsil!
Absolutely wonderful idea … and, for the record, a similar principle was proposed to boffins at the Department of Canadian Heritage and elsewhere in government well in advance of this auction in late 2011 and early 2012. Response? “Interesting idea … but there is no precedent for such funds to be directed anywhere but into General Revenues.”
Translation: Don’t expect any support from us.
I don’t know - maybe some of those billions could go to habitat restoration, environmental protection, funding of half the shutdown research projects and libraries?? Maybe some of the frustrated Canadian scientists and researchers could be given the funding they deserve? And I think many Canadian cities need to upgrade their sewage systems and treatment plants… Just saying… Oh and how about a major look at the contamination of the Athabasca river system from oilsands tailings… Oh, and maybe we could look at the collapse of fisheries stocks and the rape of the oceans.
There’s an idea. Canadian writers, musicians and film makers can take of themselves. There are really bigger concerns out there…