Greetings. Madame Chair, Members of the Commission, Commission Staff, members of the Public. We are pleased to appear before you today to speak on behalf of Aboriginal Voices Radio, a non-profit organization owned and operated by Aboriginal people from all regions of Canada. Before we begin our opening remarks, we wish to honour and recognize the Coast Salish people, upon whose traditional territory we are meeting today. (Acknowledge Squamish Nation Chief Bill Williams.) We will now introduce ourselves.

• My name is Tehaliwaskenhas - Bob Kennedy. I am a member of the Oneida Nation and a member of the founding Board of Directors of AVR. I have worked as a broadcast journalist much of my life. As well, I am the publisher of Turtle Island Native Network turtleisland.org

• Greetings, my name is Billie Pierre. I am a radio program producer at CFRO-FM, and a graphic artist with the Aboriginal Youth magazine Redwire.

• Good afternoon members of the Commission, I am Marilyn Buffalo, a member of the Samson Cree Nation. I have just completed a three-year term as President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. I have acted as a native affairs advisor at the University of Alberta and as a Policy Advisor to the Assembly of First Nations. I have thirty years of community development experience in urban, rural and northern isolated communities. And I believe strongly in the power of radio to make an everyday difference in Vancouver area Aboriginal communities.

• My name is Gary Farmer. I am Speaker of the AVR Board of Directors, an actor, radio and television producer, and long-time worker in the development of Native broadcasting.

• I am Cleo Reece …

• My name is Lou Desmarais. I am the executive director of Vancouver Native Health and co-chair of the Vancouver Aboriginal Council.

• My name is Joy Ward. I am a member of the Métis community and a policy consultant with the Health Association of BC. I am a director of the Métis Commision for Children and Families.

• My name is Kelly White. I produce Kla-how-ya FM on Vancouver Co-op Radio.

Also with us today are:

• Mark MacLeod is AVR’s Director of Licensing & Development, and has previously had the privilege of serving as head of national community radio associations in both Canada and the US.

• John Matthews is our Director of Engineering, and

• Bob Templeton is President of NewCap Broadcasting, AVR’s corporate associate.

Gary Farmer will begin our opening remarks.

• First, there are urgent needs in the Vancouver urban community, and there is tremendous community demand for an Aboriginal radio service,

• Second, we will highlight our carefully designed programming plans for a radio service to fulfill this community need, and

• Third, we will describe our financial and human resources we will use to launch and successfully operate in Vancouver, including how we will develop local programming.

With the Commission’s approval, Vancouver will finally get a new Aboriginal radio service with music, news, and discussion, and where Aboriginal voices can be heard 24 hours each day.

Vancouver is a gathering place for Aboriginal people from many regions and backgrounds. Aboriginal people are a vital part of the city’s cultural and civic life. The population of Vancouver is growing quickly, and its Aboriginal community is growing even faster.

The Aboriginal population in Vancouver is young, and like any urban youth culture, has tremendous energy. The Commission will see this in the Vancouver members of AVR’s presentation team and in next week’s supporting interventions. Vancouver has a broad urban international mix, including a large Latin American Aboriginal population.

Vancouver has many diverse cultural aspects, but Vancouver does not have an Aboriginal radio station.

The limited Native radio hours available in Vancouver are almost entirely on the non-profit community radio station Vancouver Co-op Radio. I am a Board member at Co-op, and producer of Kla-how-ya FM, which airs there.

Unfortunately, a shortage of Aboriginal programming is common in major cities across Canada. This situation exists despite the expressed interest of both Native and non-Native urban listeners. There are dozens of radio services received in the Vancouver market, yet not one is dedicated to reflection of Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal talent, musicians and artists are effectively shut out of the Canadian airwaves.

AVR has used market research, focus groups, and broad community consultation to identify the expressed needs of urban Aboriginal communities. That research forms the foundation for our programming and business plans.

AVR’s market research in major cities across Canada has shown that 9 in 10 Canadians believe there is a need for a national Aboriginal radio service. In Vancouver 95% of those surveyed agreed that there is a need for an Aboriginal station here, and support the goals AVR has set out for its service.

In keeping with our traditions, the proposed AVR service was presented to the Vancouver community, to ensure it was wanted, and to shape it to best fit the community needs in Vancouver. The positive response was overwhelming.

Support has come from many individuals and organizations. Energetic support for a new Aboriginal radio service has swept through Vancouver area Native communities. AVR’s support in Vancouver is comprehensive and spirited, which bodes very well for the station’s future.

We have seen a wide variety of reports from various levels of government, over the last three decades, including the comprehensive Royal Commission report. The reports have detailed the loss in Canadian culture due to the absence of Aboriginal media. The Royal Commission report also set out the expected benefits for both Aboriginal Canadians and the general public from the development of Aboriginal media.

The Assembly of First Nations, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, and all of the major Aboriginal organizations support our effort to establish Aboriginal radio services in Canadian urban centers. The Government of Canada has prioritized improved communications as the key to the successful resolution of outstanding issues between Native and non-Native peoples.

The Federal government, in partnership with Aboriginal leadership, has recognized the magnitude of the urban crisis. A number of major joint initiatives are underway with a focus on developing and supporting healthier urban Aboriginal communities.

Communication is a vital component of these new initiatives, and free and accessible radio is a key to restoring culture. Radio can support the good work of Aboriginal organizations in community health, education, language and culture.

While Aboriginal people in Vancouver have expressed a strong interest in the new station, our market survey shows an overwhelmingly favourable response beyond the Native community. Our programming includes and welcomes all people. It will be an offering to all the people of Vancouver.

Think of AVR as the radio service of Aboriginal people, for all people.

Members of the Commission, Urban Aboriginal people are in the process of restoring and reclaiming our communities through personal and collective healing journeys. Radio respects oral culture, and brings Aboriginal people into the discourse that will shape the future of all our lives. Radio also taps into an Aboriginal tradition of sharing the wealth of indigenous knowledge, culture and values.

Approve our new radio service in Vancouver, and we can reach out to promote efforts in the struggle for healthier communities.

Approve our new radio service in Vancouver, and we can build a better understanding between Aboriginal people and all Canadians, and

Commissioners, approve our new radio service in Vancouver, and we can promote positive Aboriginal role models, especially to our young people.

Commissioners, understand our national vision, and you will understand the critical role our Vancouver radio service will play in it.

We envision a full 24-hour national network. It will deliver national and local programming with an Aboriginal perspective. The national programming schedule will include contributions and perspectives from Aboriginal people in Vancouver and across Canada.

Vancouver-based programming will include locally produced segments such as special event programming on National Aboriginal Day or Louis Riel Day being carried over the national network. This experience will cultivate the local talent and organization needed to develop consistent high quality, weekly and daily local Vancouver programming.

We will aggressively introduce more local programming originating in Vancouver. However, this depends on how quickly resources become available. This cautious approach will ensure a financially stable vehicle for the future local programming, while at the same time, ensuring that local programming is under local direction and responsive to the needs of its audience.

We have promised only the level of local programming that we are sure we can deliver from day one. Local programming will be geared up over the course of the license period as resources become available, with a goal of 15 to 30 hours of local content by the end of the first license period.

Our Vancouver Media Advisory Circle will provide local editorial and programming guidance. This will ensure our national programming is responsive to Vancouver needs.

The resources that the community brings to bear will inform our plan. We do not underestimate the challenge of launching the national schedule. We want to take on that task first and launch an ambitious schedule of local programming next. We will deliver high quality programming by taking on the local and national programming efforts, each in turn.

How quickly will we introduce a greater local schedule? That will be a function of how much funding support AVR will gain from Newcap application decisions in Calgary and Vancouver. Without the benefits that Newcap has offered, AVR will still work toward our plans for local programming roll-out and network expansion, but our growth in these areas may take longer.

AVR programming will reflect the Aboriginal experience across Canada. Newscasts, public affairs, and talk shows will address our needs, interests and concerns.

Vancouver’s Aboriginal community includes many languages and cultures. AVR programming will include many of Canada’s 53 Native languages, as well as in French, Spanish and other languages.

Many Aboriginal languages and cultures remain in great danger of extinction. AVR programming will support the preservation of Aboriginal languages in this emergency situation. Every program will support and promote Aboriginal cultures and traditions.

The network programming schedule will include full Aboriginal news reports, national phone-in programs, a women’s round table discussion, focus programs on language, youth, elders and health. News assignments will focus on events which impact Canada’s Aboriginal communities and that have been overlooked and under-reported by other news sources. AVR will also air spoken word programming which features in-depth exploration of public or community current affairs.

As resources become available, 1 - 2 Vancouver journalists or producers will be hired to staff a local news bureau, which will provide enhanced local coverage.

Members of the Commission, AVR music programming will feature a mix of primarily Canadian and world Aboriginal artists in a broad range of musical styles. Program hosts will provide informed commentary, information on the artists presented, and a variety of educational and entertaining Canadian Aboriginal perspectives on issues of the day.

While the new radio service will bring an Aboriginal world of programming to Vancouver, the vibrant local community in Vancouver will make vital contributions to the programming service they hear.

• Open line programs will include the participation of Vancouver listeners.

• Music requests will allow listeners inter-activity by telephone or Internet.

• News reports, interviews, and other segments from or about Vancouver will allow elders and youth, and women and men of Vancouver’s various Nations and cultures to share their voices.

This new national programming perspective will allow current events and cultural affairs taking place in other regions of the country to be better understood in Vancouver, without the filter of mainstream media. Of course, the new service will also provide the opportunity for Vancouver issues to be aired across the country.

Members of the Commission, our market research has demonstrated demand in Vancouver for our proposed service. We took a very conservative approach in using this demand to forecast how much national advertising revenue adding Vancouver to the existing network could generate. Our revenue projections far exceed the modest operating costs.

A network consisting of at least Toronto and Vancouver stations will be on a sound financial footing, with great potential advertising revenue growth, and less reliance on program underwriting and fundraising.

We have strong support in Vancouver for a pre-launch campaign to offset all of the station’s capital and start up costs. These costs total less than a quarter of our current one million dollar Reserve Fund, which was created to cover unforeseen shortfalls in funding AVR’s development.

The Vancouver service is not expensive to establish and operate because we plan to introduce local programming only later after network revenues have expanded and stabilized.

Members of the Commission, AVR has a solid business plan, and the financial and people resources to back it up. AVR is continuing to expand its Board and recruit additional advisors to have the widest possible depth and breadth of expertise.

Our legal counsel, Aird & Berlis and our accounting firm KPMG have specialized experience in broadcasting and Aboriginal business issues. Our Directors and Advisory Circle come from all across Canada, and represent years of expertise in all areas of broadcasting. In addition to these resources, AVR seeks the spiritual guidance of our elders, and the approval of all our communities.

The AVR radio team has produced and distributed radio shows to native stations and networks across North America. We have produced concerts, an arts festival, webcasts, and 24-hour a day special event broadcasting in Toronto. 3 years of outreach to the community have shaped our vision for an Aboriginal Radio service.

The Commission awarded AVR an FM radio license in Toronto earlier this year. The Toronto service is proposed to be the flagship station for the Aboriginal Voices Radio Network (AVRN). AVR’s application for the network license was a non-appearing item at the Calgary Hearing earlier this month. AVR is awaiting a decision on an application in Calgary for a local service of the network, exactly as we propose for Vancouver.

This Vancouver application represents the next step in AVR’s plan to spearhead the rapid development of Aboriginal broadcasting in Canada, especially in urban centers in Southern Canada, where Aboriginal voices are seldom heard on the airwaves. Despite years of supportive CRTC policies, this deplorable situation exists in contrast to the clearly stated objectives of the Broadcast Act.

Just as the arrival of the AVRN service in Vancouver will greatly benefit Vancouver listeners, the launch of the Vancouver service will play a key role in the accelerated development of the national Aboriginal radio service right across Canada.

AVRN will not duplicate existing Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal services but, rather, provide a supplementary and supporting service; complementing and building on radio services which presently exist in the Canadian broadcasting system. This will provide support for emerging Native broadcasters, particularly those who are ambitious to provide a full schedule of Native programming, but are simply unable to secure the necessary resources.

AVRN will work closely, and share programming with, these existing Native broadcasters including the various Native radio networks and societies which operate in Northern and rural Canada, as well as other urban Aboriginal broadcasters who produce programming for university based and community radio stations.

Commissioners, Vancouver needs a new Aboriginal radio voice.

We need this voice to overcome the ignorance of our history.

We need this voice to offer positive role models and to balance negative media stereotypes.

We need this voice to build greater understanding between Aboriginal people and other Canadians.

And most importantly, we need this voice in the struggle for healthy urban communities.

Members of the Commission, you finally have the opportunity to license a new and unique Aboriginal radio service in Vancouver.

We have highlighted seven key components of our plan for this programming service:

1• to be the first Vancouver outlet for the broad everyday expression of Aboriginal voices

2• to offer a media venue where Native & non-Native Canadians in Vancouver can speak as neighbours

3• to be an inclusive radio service for all community voices: women & men, elders & youth

4• to be a means of support for the promotion of Aboriginal language & culture

5• to provide exposure and promotion for Aboriginal artists and entrepreneurs in Vancouver

6• to operate with respect for the principles of environmental sustainability, and

7• to remain a Native controlled and operated media, not dependent on government

Members of the Commission, we have provided all the necessary assurance you need to make a decision in this application process, to license Vancouver’s first Aboriginal radio station. While it is a great loss to the community that no Native radio service has existed in Vancouver before, it is necessary to finally license this new service now. There may not be another opportunity.

We have clearly identified demand in Vancouver for a new urban Aboriginal service, and we have carefully shaped our programming service to meet this demand.

We have found a passion amongst Aboriginal people in Vancouver to share their wealth of indigenous knowledge, culture and positive values, and yet there is no current Vancouver radio service upon which we might hear their voices.

We have proposed a sustainable business plan that includes sufficient capital funding, and we have put together an experienced, confident, and knowledgeable team.

We have reached the moment where we can include a Vancouver Aboriginal radio voice in the Canadian Broadcast system. All of the elements are together.

Commission members, the time has come for you to approve an Aboriginal radio voice for Vancouver.