Rye could get $1.2M in new funding from Bell Media

By Akemi Liyanage

Ryerson may become part of a multi-million dollar partnership in association with the National Film Board (NFB) and Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), according to a report by the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) released Thursday.

Charles Falzon, the chair of radio and television arts (RTA), led the proposal for Ryerson, requesting that the CRTC allocate $3 million to the groups, with $1.2 million going to Ryerson.

Following the purchase of Astra Media by Bell Media for $3.4 billion, it was required that $130 million be put towards social development at the discretion of the CRTC.

Falzon said the goals of the proposed partnership include creating labs with an emphasis on new media where students from both Ryerson and the NFB can collaborate on a variety of projects.

“Primarily, it’s [about] relating to the use of new media technology and telling stories,” said Falzon. “Not in a traditional way, but in a new, innovative way we call transmedia.”

If the deal goes through, money would then be circulated to the organizations over the course of three years and could involve a partnership with other Ryerson departments such as the Digital Media Zone.

“It’s a chance for us to be leaders rather than followers,” Falzon said. “We have a lot of talent which, through digital media, is going to be able to flourish even more. And the way we’re going to do that is to create places where that talent can evolve and experiment.”

As a grant that doesn’t require a direct return, the money will go towards funding pilot projects, providing students with industry mentorship and creating teams to help bring their ideas to the global stage.

The proposal is currently being discussed with the CRTC. So far, there is no set date for the final decision.

With files from Sean Wetselaar