Questions & Answers following the June 26 town hall

> Last updated on 03/07/2014

Below are answers to a number of questions that were submitted during the June 26 employee town hall meeting
announcing CBC/Radio-Canadas new strategy, A space for us all. Questions have been compiled by themes and
some contain answers provided during the meeting. The Q&As included here now are just the beginning, and more
will be posted over time as further details about the strategy become available.
You are invited to continue sending in your questions to questions@cbc.ca or questions@radio-canada.ca.
However, if you have specific questions about your region or department, please refer to your manager for more
information.


Q1. If you dont have any specific, concrete numbers about how this will impact us, why are you sharing
the strategy? We want to know what departments will be impacted and by how many people, as well as
how many of the reductions will be covered by attrition. If you cant tell us now, when will we know?
A1. The strategy is a plan, not a blueprint. Realizing the strategy will be an ongoing process that will unfold over
the next five years. It is important that all of us can understand the direction, as we will all be going through the
transformation together.
The reality is, were not financially sustainable. The plan aims to avoid having to keep resizing the public
broadcaster year after year. We know this will require us to be smaller, and we wanted to be as transparent as
possible about the scale of this transformation.
In terms of immediate numbers, we do know that about 1/3 of the money and positions will be cut in the next 12-
15 months. As plans are operationalized, business leaders will meet with employees to detail the impact on
each department.

Q2. Why arent you pressuring the government more publicly, such as in committee? Why arent we
making public service announcements? Why arent you lobbying harder? Couldnt you even try?
A2. This strategy will help ensure that we have the space to deliver on our mandate with the funds that we have.
The Government has repeatedly made it clear that, in their view, CBC/Radio-Canada has enough money to deliver
on our mandate. The Minister made a statement following the June 26 announcement, stating: "CBC/Radio
Canada receives significant taxpayer funds to assist the broadcaster in meeting its mandate under the
Broadcasting Act, to the tune of over a billion dollars per year. While CBC/Radio-Canada must adapt to changing
technology, demographics, audience preferences and competition for advertising dollars, our Government believes
CBC/Radio-Canada can and should do so within its existing budget." You can read the full statement here.
We take every opportunity we can to inform the Government how we are fulfilling our mandate and demonstrate
the value for money that we deliver. The President also uses public forums (e.g., his May 5 speech to the
Canadian Club of Montreal) to address Canadians directly about our financial situation and its implications for our
future.

Q3. Youre doing all this dismantling but you really dont have any guarantees that we wont face further
cuts. What are your plans to ensure stable funding?
A3. Our key message to government has always been to obtain stable funding that allows for long-term planning.
However, what is clear about this environment is that there are no guarantees. The implementation of this strategy
will mean that we are working within our means but also having - in effect - our own reserve for priority
investments and to which we can turn to as and when we need to.

Q4. Mobile service is fallible and in a major emergency, can go down. Likewise for the internet. Arent we
taking a serious risk by not staying diverse in our services?
A4. Youre right that there would be a danger in putting all our eggs in one basket. We wont be doing that. What
we will be doing is strengthening our ability to deliver more content digitally and via mobile, while maintaining our
broadcasting capacity in radio and television. This is an evolution, not a sudden jump, and we have the tools we
need to reach Canadians across all platforms.

Q5. How will the public broadcaster serve people in Canada who, by location, lack of infrastructure or
financial circumstances, dont have access to digital or mobile?
5A. Again, the shift will be more of an evolution than a jump. We must be rooted in the present to support
conventional services and the audiences and revenues they currently attract, while stepping into the future to
anticipate the migration of audiences and revenue. We expect that conventional services will still be an important
source of audiences and revenues in 2020, but that there will be a signicant shift to mobile and digital platforms in
terms of resources, audiences and revenues.

Q6. How are local stations supposed to deliver digital content? Where are they supposed to get the
resources for that?
6A. We will be changing to meet the needs and habits of our audience. As needs arise throughout the transition,
we will ensure that training and the necessary resources are available for our teams to meet their needs.

Q7. Will managers still be receiving bonuses in upcoming years?
A7. We are keeping incentive-based compensation for managers for two reasons: First, to provide an
accountability framework to drive the successful achievement of the Corporations annual objectives; and second,
to ensure that our compensation packages remain competitive enough to continue to attract, recruit and retain our
people.

Q8. Exactly what real estate will we be selling, approximately how much do you anticipate it will bring in,
and where will the proceeds go?
A8. The plan aims to make us sustainable, long term. This involves aligning resources to support the vision. We
are in the content business, not the infrastructure or real estate business.
The current infrastructure was established at a different time, with different market factors and with a different view
of service offerings. Downsizing of real estate is a continuation of our 2015 strategy. Our goal now is that by 2020
CBC/Radio-Canada will have reduced its real estate presence by half, representing approximately two million
square feet.
In addition to exiting our role as landlord, which comes with expenses in utilities and maintenance, we will be
continuing to look at ways to be economical with our space, and downsize so that we are working in the space that
we need, not holding onto spaces that we may have used in the past and which now sit empty. This will be a long-
term transition, and we do not have specific numbers at this time.
A good example is Halifax, where we had two buildings, each with a significant amount of unused space. We will
soon be moving into one building, a rented property, and have reduced our space by more than half while
maintaining our presence. This will help us reduce our operating costs - and generate savings that we will be able
to re-invest in content. This is the kind of model we will follow.

Q9. What is the commitment and plan to ensure employees and managers can work in a positive
environment following such an announcement; and how are we going to ensure respect and dignity is
given to those leaving and staying in stations and departments across the country?
A9. We fully understand that the announcement was difficult to hear for many, as changes of this magnitude are
hard to digest. It will take time and reflection to absorb what the changes will mean. In the meantime, we
encourage staff to talk to their managers, keep engaged and asking questions via questions@cbc.ca, and make
use of the many resources available for coping with change, such as those delivered through the Employee
Assistance Program.
In the meantime, we will do our utmost to keep staff informed about what is happening during this process through
iO! and wider staff communications.

Q10. What is the specific timeline and structure of your digital-news training for employees, and where can
we find this plan? If no plan has been developed, when will it be available?
A10. In the strategy we announced that we will be transitioning - over time - to meet the needs and habits of our
audience. As exact needs arise, training will be planned and provided.
Through our learning and development team, we have already been offering organizational development support
by aligning strategy, roles and processes to a focus on digital. But focusing on skills development isn't enough. We
are also looking at the environment people work in and the degree to which staff and editorial leaders are aligned
around shared programming goals, understand CBC/Radio-Canada's contribution, and their own roles - and the
ways these are expressed on a daily basis to support the organization's digital strategy. We are offering support
from a holistic perspective to enable change, so it connects to how employees see their daily job.

Q11. Some staff stated that they felt unappreciated by the apex of the organization in the manner in which
this strategy was communicated both in the timing and in the lack of detail. What will be done to ensure
that staff are better informed as we go through the process of implementing the strategy over the next five
years?
A11. If some staff feel as though they have been let down, that was certainly not the intention. CBC/Radio-
Canadas people are our most precious resource. During the town hall, it was heard loud and clear that you want
more communications, more information, more time to soak it all in. We know we didnt get to all your questions.
Message received. We will act on that.
The plan was released to employees via an email from Corporate Communications at approximately 11 a.m., one
hour before the town hall. All of the information was made available on io! at that time, for viewing by employees.
Prior to that, briefings were organized for managers and Union leaders to give them the tools to communicate with
employees. In the days, weeks and months ahead we will make every effort to ensure the plan is well
communicated, and that employees have a chance to have their questions heard and answered.

New answer added 02/07/2014
Q12. Does the strategy affect our conditions of licence?
A12. The Strategy has been designed to ensure that there is no impact on our conditions of license.

New answer added 02/07/2014
Q13. Can Canadians still look forward to enjoying Radio 2 and ICI Musique?
A13. The focus on music will be to continue to connect Canadian artists with Canadians and, for the duration of the
plan, Radio 2 and ICI Musique will remain national services with distinct market strategies to maximize audience
and revenue opportunities until digital consumption reaches a tipping point.

New answer added 03/07/2014
Q14. When will we find out which supper-time broadcast will be 30 and which will be 60?
A14. This strategy is going to be achieved over time, in many stages and with further consideration. Given that is
the case, specific decisions about the length of newscasts in each market have yet to be made by the networks. As
soon as those details are available, theyll be shared with staff and the communities impacted by the decisions.

New answer added 03/07/2014
Q15. How will CBC work to attract and keep younger / new workers with skills in these fields amongst
layoffs that will again ensure that employees with the longest seniority are kept employed, regardless of
their abilities to work in digital spaces?
A15. Structure follows strategy. As the strategy takes shape, there is the need to challenge and rethink the
organization design to ensure that the structure, roles, people, processes and reward systems support and enable
the overall plan.
The needs assessment phase will start in July 2014 and will be completed in the first year of the strategy. Getting
there will require careful steps, balancing the needs of a new CBC/Radio-Canada with the impact these changes
will have on people. We have and will continue to have the greatest respect for the ongoing contribution of our
established employees. The balancing act will be to respect and continue to draw on the experience, expertise of
these employees, while finding and attracting the skills we will need to face the future.
As part of A space for us all, we will also be opening ourselves up to increased collaboration and partnerships to
enhance our knowledge and skill base.
New answer added 03/07/2014
Q16. If were going to be be financially sustainable with this new focus on digital and mobile, why does it
require such a significant reduction in staff over the next five years?
A16. The reality is that we are not financially sustainable. A space for us all lays out the direction we need to take
(modernize; increase focus on content; boost connection with Canadians), while also make the decisions
necessary to be financially sustainable in the long term. The changes in direction we are proposing go hand in
hand with the reductions in spending and people resources well need in 2020.

New answer added 03/07/2014
Q17. If 300 people are retiring a year, then in five years, that equals 1,500 people. Does that mean there will
be no layoffs?
A17. Business plans across the Corporation will need to be finalized to fully understand how these changes will
impact our workforce overall. However it is clear that there will be layoffs in addition to employees who leave
through attrition.