It is often the case that in adversity we shine. And over the past several days, this has been the case.

This week, colleagues across the country have received the news that no one ever wants to hear–that their job will no longer be part of the organization. This is not a reflection on those who have come to work day in, day out, contributing to the country’s largest cultural institution. It is a sign of the turbulent, unanticipated times in which we live.

But despite all of this, staff have reacted to the news of redundancies with professionalism and grace. And for those who have not been directly affected by this process, you have responded to your colleagues with sensitivity and compassion. These are highly prized values, values that are core to the CBC.

Unfortunately, the changes don’t end this week. We’ll continue to be unsettled for several months. But we’re all in this together.

Take care.

Richard

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from: jennifer.mcguire@cbc.ca

Yesterday was a tough day for everyone at the CBC. Even though we minimized the number of people affected, many of our co-workers were told that their positions would no longer exist. They will be going through a joint management and union process where every effort will be made to place them in other positions. That may not be possible in every case but I know both sides at the table are committed to a process that respects the rights of the individuals affected.

I want to give everyone a sense of where we are at with the CBC News Renewal process. In our department, we undertook to reorganize our structure and reassign many employees so we could position ourselves better for the future. It is a massive change and coupled with yesterday’s news, it is understandable that there is a high level of anxiety in many newsrooms.

On Monday afternoon, we will be revealing the new organizational structures for CBC News. At our last meeting we discussed how the new assignment HUB would work and how we would organize the programs in the future. Now we are ready to announce the key leadership and on air positions.

Following that announcement, starting on Tuesday, we will be meeting with every news employee one on one through the week to discuss new assignments. The reassignments are the next step in forming new teams to launch our renewed programming in the fall.

It is a stressful period but it is also an exciting time to be working at CBC News. Great new ideas are being traded. Wonderful opportunities are opening up and, in the end, we will be serving Canadians in new and better ways. And that’s what it is all about.

Details about the Monday meetings will follow soon.

Jennifer

Many of you are undoubtedly asking – why do we have to wait 24 hours to hear the details of the English Services Business Plan.

We explored a number of alternatives before deciding to proceed on Thursday.

The first principle was that we wanted our employees to know the details first. Delivering on that principle began to get complicated. We work in 5 ½ time zones – inevitably, a time that might have worked on Wednesday for part of the country wouldn’t have worked for other
parts.

There were logistical challenges – Richard is in Montreal for most of Wednesday to participate in the President’s Town Hall. The earliest he could have started the presentation in Toronto would have been 3:30p.m ET – this time would not have worked as we moved east. We explored a satellite feed from Montreal – that didn’t work either. We’re on air 24 hours a day – which means that there were some times of the day when large numbers of staff would not have been able to participate as they either were preparing broadcasts, or were broadcasting.

In a perfect world, we would have done everything on one day. We regret that we couldn’t. In the meantime, we’d like to ask for your patience. The approach we chose ensures that everyone receives the complete context and details at the same time. You can expect to receive the most comprehensive look at our Business Plan that is possible on Thursday.

There are several ways you can attend:

1. If you’re located in a centre, you’ll be able to dial in or tune in to your local in-house TV channel to watch the presentation. Your communications account manager will advise you of the details.

2. Toronto employees can attend in person at the Glenn Gould Studio (a monitor will be set up in the lobby to accommodate overflow or for those who do not have access to a television in their area), tune in to in-house TV channel 59, or log on to io! to take part in the event.
3. If you’re not near a television, you can dial in. Lines will open 15 minutes early to ensure that the update begins at 2 p.m. You’ll also have an opportunity to call in with questions.
   Local to Toronto: 416-340-2217
   Across Canada and North America: 1-866-696-5910
   International: 00-800-8989-6336
   (a reminder to international callers – you’ll have to enter your international access code before you begin to dial)
   Participant pass code: 2538275#
4. The event will also be streamed live on iO!* Check the portal on Thursday, for the link.

For those who can’t watch the update live, we’ll post a video and summary of the event on io! shortly after. You’ll also be able to hear an “instant replay” (available until March 31 at 12 midnight ET) if you dial 416-695-5800 or 1-800-408-3053 – pass code 2363730#.

*Just a little reminder, you must be logged onto the network, if you are watching the feed on iO! from home.