Broadcasting - Secretary General Letter addressed to Kirwan Cox (Quebec English-Language Production Council)
Gatineau, 27 March 2026
BY EMAIL
Kirwan Cox
Executive Director
Quebec English-Language Production Council (QEPC)
1450 City Councillors
Montréal, Québec H3A 2E6
qepcouncil@gmail.com
Subject: Applications by the Quebec English-Language Production Council to have the “Vox Fund” certified as an independent production fund and eligible to receive contributions from online audiovisual undertakings
Dear Kirwan Cox,
The Commission approves QEPC’s applications for the Vox Fund to be certified as an independent production fund and to be eligible to receive contributions from online audiovisual undertakings.
The Commission notes that the fund is eligible to receive and administer contributions from broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) pursuant to sections 34(1) and 52(2) of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations, in addition to being eligible to receive contributions through tangible benefits packages in accordance with Simplified approach to tangible benefits and determining the value of the transaction, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2014-459, 5 September 2014.
In accordance with the criteria set out in The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous content through base contributions, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2024-121, 4 June 2024, the fund is also eligible to receive base contributions from online audiovisual undertakings to support producers from OLMCs and diverse communities. However, please note that, as indicated by the Commission in Applications filed by Certified Independent Production Funds seeking eligibility to receive contributions from audio-visual online undertakings, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2025-201, 8 August 2025, “there is no guarantee that eligible certified independent production funds (CIPFs) will receive contributions from online undertakings, which will have the flexibility to decide to which specific eligible CIPFs they wish to contribute for the purpose of meeting their base contribution funding obligations.”
The Commission considers that the research program proposed by the Vox Fund departs too significantly from the traditional mandate of CIPFs. Accordingly, the Commission requires that funding provided to the Vox Fund not be used to administer or operate a research program. The Commission has no concerns regarding the implementation of the other programs proposed by the Vox Fund in its application.
In this regard, the Commission approves the Vox Fund’s proposal to allocate up to a maximum of 10% of its funding to initiatives that do not directly relate to audiovisual programming, such as development, training and mentorship programs, and/or discoverability initiatives. In this regard, the Commission acknowledges that although these initiatives are not directly tied to audiovisual programming, they strengthen content creation, professional skills, promotion, and monetization within the audiovisual sector.
In light of the foregoing, the Commission is satisfied that the fund meets the criteria set out in Policy framework for Certified Independent Production Funds, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2016-343, 25 August 2015.
The Vox Fund will therefore be added to the list of eligible Certified Independent Production Funds (CIPFs) available on the Commission’s website.
This certification of the Vox Fund will remain valid as long as the fund continues to meet the conditions set out in this letter, as well as the criteria established in Broadcasting Regulatory Policies 2016-343, 2024-121, and 2024-121-1.
Sincerely,
Marc Morin
Secretary General and Executive Vice-President
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