Appalling decision

Dear sir:
While watching Monday evening’s meeting of Fort Frances town council, broadcast live on Shaw Cable, I was appalled to hear Mayor Dan Onichuk read a portion of a letter from Shaw Cable announcing its mobile program production van is being moved to Thunder Bay.
The official notice confirmed weeks of rumours that have been circulating throughout the community and in his measured remarks, Mayor Onichuk encouraged residents to protest the degradation of this valuable community service.
Shaw Cable, its strong community-oriented predecessor, Videon, plus the local volunteer organization Fort Frances Community Television, are an important part of the fabric of small-town life which we cannot afford to lose.
The loss of the mobile production facility, for instance, has serious implications with respect to the democratic process involved in the live broadcast of town council and Rainy River District School Board meetings.
Further, we depend upon Shaw Cable to inform voters—through municipal, provincial, and federal election debates—of the candidates’ views and positions on important election issues in a timely forum.
It means that our seniors no longer will be able to enjoy watching the Canada Day and Santa Claus parades live it the comfort and security of their homes, shielded from often inclement weather.
It means the same for those in hospital, for those who have to work, for those who are ill or infirm. It means the lives of thousands are going to be hurt—one event at a time.
It means that community events such as “Quest for the Best,” always a complete sell-out and a major fundraiser for the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce, will have a much smaller audience. As well, the performers will lose the valuable experience of appearing live on television.
Furthermore, it means sporting events, such as high school football and hockey, Borderland Thunder league and playoff games, soccer, etc., will disappear from the television sets in Rainycrest Home for the Aged, our seniors’ apartment complexes , plus the homes of family and friends of the players.
But of far more concern to me will be the loss of educational opportunities for our high school students who desire to pursue careers in television broadcasting.
Assisting in all aspects of program delivery provides the experience our young people need when making higher education and career choices. There is no substitute for hands-on learning that only can be obtained in the pressure-packed atmosphere of live production.
There are additional compelling considerations, such as the capital investment of taxpayers’ money in the recently-renovated council chambers to significantly improve the quality of the video and audio signals while substantially reducing Shaw staff’s setup time.
I wonder if our town council would have spent the money had they known of Shaw’s plans to potentially abandon our community.
I believe the Videon mobile production truck came to Fort Frances with two major purposes. Firstly, to fulfill the obligations of community programming as set out by the CRTC, and secondly, to significantly upgrade the equality and increase the volume of programming.
Sending this valuable asset to Thunder Bay will negate those accomplishments to the detriment of not only our community but also to Shaw’s business.
Community programming should be a significant marketing advantage for cable companies in their battle for market share with other signal providers. The trend within the industry is to provide more, not less, services to customers.
High-speed cable Internet and movies on demand are two examples of excellent products Shaw recently has begun offering here.
I ask that Shaw Cable look upon community programming and the mobile production van in the same light as movies on demand and cable Internet. They give me reasons to continue subscribing despite the obvious attractions of the soon-to-be “1,000 channel universe” beamed at my home from satellites.
Surely Shaw realizes that its competitors soon will go head-to-head with it and match what currently are features and benefits unique to cable service. The only area they cannot touch Shaw’s customer base is community programming.
If you cut back on the quality and quantity of this programming, the most important reason for me to subscribe will evaporate—along with my business.
In conclusion, I hope that when Shaw weighs the negative effects upon our community and its business, that the decision to remove the mobile production van will be reversed.
Most sincerely yours,
Bud Edwards
Fort Frances, Ont.