CBC TV’s advertising revenue has shrunk 53% over the past five years as the state broadcaster’s audience continues to shrink.

Blacklock’s Reporter found that in the first six months of 2019, TV ad revenues totalled $90.9 million, a decrease from $92.8 million in the previous year. CBC TV’s revenues today are a far cry from the $192.2 CBC TV earned in the same period of 2014.

“Our objective is not to make money but to provide a service and fulfil our mandate,” Radio Canada Executive VP Michel Bissonnette said earlier this year.

“We reinvent ourselves every year to try and find new ways to do things because we have to offer more, but with a smaller budget. So that requires visionary talent.”

The CBC receives $1.2 billion from the Canadian taxpayer every year.

Last year, the total audience fell to an average of just 269,000 people, a 14% decline from the previous year. In November CBC had to cut 35 jobs, a majority of which were based in its Toronto headquarters. 

CBC Radio stopped selling advertising in 2016 after years of abysmal earnings. In 1975, CBC radio predicted it could earn $24.3 million per year with advertisements. The most it ever earned in one year was $1.4 million.

“CBC operates in a manner that is unconstrained by the realities every other media organization in the country has to deal with. If it is to remain relevant, there should be buy-in from advertisers,” said True North fellow Andrew Lawton. 

“Instead, Canadian taxpayers are forced to subsidize a service they don’t want. This is just wrong.”

An Ontario man was arrested today on terrorism-related charges stemming from a trip to Turkey earlier this year. 

Ikar Mao, 22, of Guelph, Ont. was charged by the RCMP with participation in the activity of a terrorist group and leaving Canada to participate in a terrorist group.

“I want to reassure the citizens of the Greater Toronto Area and all Canadians, that our primary focus is the safety and protection of the public at all times,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Michael LeSage said in a statement.

Mao is set to make his first appearance in court on Friday in Brampton.

Mao and his wife were arrested in Turkey in July under suspicion the two were going to cross into Syria and join ISIS. Turkish authorities released the couple after three months without charges.

In November, Mao was arrested on a terrorism peace bond after returning to Guelph. Court documents referred to a “fear of terrorism offence” in relation to the bond.

According to government estimates, approximately 180 people are believed to have travelled from Canada to fight for the Islamist extremist group ISIS. Of the total, 60 terrorists have been allowed to freely enter back into the country, while the remaining are detained or still abroad fighting with terrorist groups. 

A federal court has ruled in favour of Canada Revenue Agency’s denial of charitable status to an organization that promotes atheism.

Last week, a three-judge panel at the Federal Court of Appeal upheld the Minister of National Revenue’s decision to deny the “Church of Atheism of Central Canada” charitable status, saying the group failed to meet the legal definition of a religion.

“It did not demonstrate that its belief system is based on a particular and comprehensive system of doctrine and observances,” Justice Marianne Rivoalen said in the decision.

While the group cites its “Ten Commandments of Energy” as a sacred text and claims to worship “mainstream science,” the court ruled that nothing the organization has produced constitutes a “comprehensive system of faith and worship.”

The court made it clear that a belief system does not have to worship a supreme entity in order to be considered a real religion, citing Buddhism as an example. However, the judges found that the Church of Atheism failed to hold any practices common to all religions.

“Given the scope and vagueness of what was asserted here, it was reasonable for the minister to deny the appellant under the heading of ‘advancement of religion.’” Rivoalen said.

Rivoalen also found that denying the Church of Atheism charitable status does not discriminate on the personal beliefs of the group and that the group may continue to operate freely.

While the Church of Atheism is free to continue its practices without charitable status, it is still not entirely certain if the group actually has any members.

The Church of Atheism in Central Canada does not have a website, and the group’s Twitter account has no followers and has not posted since 2016.

The group’s address is a single-family home in rural eastern Ontario.

The group was represented in court by Christopher Bernier, who lives at the organization’s address. Attempts by the media to reach him have been unsuccessful.

Jessica Yaniv appeared at the Surrey Provincial Court today to face two weapons charges after police searched Yaniv’s home on August 5th. 

Yaniv, who was born male but recently began identifying as female, made national news this year after taking several women to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal for refusing to wax male genitalia. One woman and business owner was forced to shut her business down due to Yaniv’s complaint. 

Yaniv is currently facing two counts of possessing unauthorized non-firearms and appeared in court at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.

“I just want to say something if I may, I shouldn’t have to have so many security guards and police officers here and get somebody arrested, this is why I had those stun guns, because my safety is in jeopardy,” Yaniv told the judge.

Yaniv claims to have been arrested by the RCMP after brandishing a stun gun during a livestream with transgender YouTuber Blaire White. The RCMP confirmed to National Post that a Langley-area home was indeed searched after they received a complaint about the video. 

In October 2019, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the female estheticians who refused Yaniv’s waxing requests had the right to do so. According to the ruling, “Yaniv filed complaints for improper purposes” and gave a “disingenuous and self-serving testimony.”

The women involved in the case, many of whom were immigrants who worked out of their own home, were awarded $2,000 each by the tribunal. 

“In many of these complaints, [Yaniv] is also motivated to punish racialized and immigrant women based on her perception that certain ethnic groups, namely South Asian and Asian communities, are ‘taking over’ and advancing an agenda hostile to the interests of  LGBTQ+ people,” wrote tribunal member Devyn Cousineau.

When Yaniv tried to appeal the decision, the tribunal turned down the request. 

Yaniv is expected to appear in court again on January 13, 2020 to face weapons charges.

Democratic front-runner Joe Biden released an attack ad against U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday that featured a clip of Trudeau gossiping about him at the NATO summit.

 “World leaders caught on camera laughing about President Trump,” says the political advertisement as the clip of Trudeau is played on screen.

The ad was released on Biden’s Twitter account yesterday evening and has been shared 55,000 times and received nearly 200,000 likes by Thursday afternoon.

Biden is currently leading the Democratic primary polls, just ahead of competitor Elizabeth Warren. During his campaign, Biden has been prone to political gaffes and off the cuff comments. In one instance, he stated that “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.”

Here in Canada, Trudeau’s jeers were largely negatively-received. 

After the incident, Trump referred to Trudeau as “two-faced” in response to the clip. The hashtag #Twofaced was trending for the day on Twitter.

“What I’ve said often about Mr. Trudeau is that he certainly says some things in public and then says things very differently in private,” said NDP leader Jagmeet Singh in response to Trump’s label. 

Opposition leader Andrew Scheer also blamed Trudeau’s comments on his “love of drama” and his “poor judgement.”

“At a time when Canada needs strong relationships more than ever, Justin Trudeau’s poor judgment, lack of professionalism, and love of drama continues to weaken Canada’s position on the world stage. We saw this just yesterday at the NATO Summit,” said Scheer.

When asked by reporters to address the comments, Trudeau called the video an “unscheduled surprise.” 

During the election, Trudeau was endorsed by former President Barack Obama. Biden was Obama’s Vice President during both his two terms as President.