Subhead:To even be considered for one of the awards, outlets must pay a fee of $95 to $190 depending on category. Not surprisingly, the CBC dominates the nominee list. This year, 65% of national nominees and 72% of Prairie nominees were CBC entries.#
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has spent $93,058 of taxpayers’ money since 2019 just to enter and attend the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada (RTDNA) awards, according to new records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“Taxpayers should not be paying for CBC bureaucrats to travel to awards galas,” said Kris Sims, CTF Alberta director. “Many private newsrooms don’t bother with these awards because the odds of winning are slim, and the costs are high. But the CBC has a firehose of taxpayer cash to waste.”
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The records show the CBC spent $54,390 on entry fees and another $38,668 on travel and attendance at RTDNA events between 2019 and 2024. The broadcaster recorded no travel costs during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022, but spending surged again once restrictions lifted.
