Bell Media (Canada) layoffs; Sportscaster Peter Young passes

Bell Media, a major Canadian media company (owner of CTV, CTV News, various radio stations, and other outlets, under parent company BCE Inc.), has undergone several rounds of layoffs in recent years as part of cost-cutting, restructuring, and a shift toward digital media priorities.

The most recent round occurred last week (announced around February 4th). Bell Media stated that approximately 60 positions were impacted as part of its “ongoing transformation to a digital media and content leader.” The company emphasized that no newsgathering or reporting roles were affected, describing the cuts as roughly 1% of its workforce and a continuation of changes from prior years.

However, the union Unifor (which represents many media workers) disputed parts of this characterization: The layoffs impacted 20 Unifor members.
This included 11 journalists across locations like Toronto, North Bay (Ontario), Halifax, Edmonton, and Calgary.
Specific mentions included five newly unionized members from CTV National News in Toronto (Unifor Local 79-M), plus roles like commercial editors/photographers (e.g., one in North Bay, reducing local staffing significantly).

Other affected roles reportedly included traffic coordinators, schedulers, and promotional coordinators in Toronto.

Unifor expressed strong concern, stating that these cuts weaken fact-based journalism, contribute to “news deserts” in Canada, and ultimately harm democracy by reducing quality local and national news coverage.

This February 2026 round follows earlier significant layoffs at Bell/Bell Media: In November 2025, BCE eliminated nearly 700 positions overall (about 650 non-unionized management roles at Bell Canada + around 40 corporate positions at Bell Media), as part of a three-year plan for “sustainable growth” and efficiency.
Bell Media has seen multiple prior rounds (e.g., mentions of cuts in 2024 and June of a previous year affecting dozens more Unifor media workers).
These changes reflect broader industry pressures in Canadian media, including declining traditional advertising revenue, competition from digital/streaming platforms, and efforts to pivot to digital-first strategies. The layoffs have drawn criticism for impacting local journalism in particular.

NEWS DESERTS?

News deserts in Canada refer to communities—often rural or smaller towns, but increasingly neighborhoods in larger cities—where residents have little to no access to reliable, locally produced, professional journalism covering civic issues, local government, schools, hospitals, crime, events, or community matters.

Experts distinguish between strict “news deserts” (areas with zero or effectively no local news outlets) and broader “news poverty” or “news deprivation” (limited access, such as only one outlet, reduced staffing, or mostly non-local/”ghost” coverage where a paper exists but produces minimal original local content).

Legendary sportscaster Peter Young has passed away after a lengthy battle with blood cancer.

Peter Young, often affectionately called “PY the Sports Guy,” was a highly respected Canadian sportscaster whose career spanned over five decades, primarily in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He passed away on February 2, 2026, at age 79, after a 13-year battle with blood cancer (leukemia or a related form), during which he endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy while remaining active in sports media circles until recent years.

Born in Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay, Ontario), Young began his broadcasting journey in his hometown during the 1960s. He worked at local stations such as CJLX and CKPR, initially in radio and later expanding to television. This decade-long stint at the Lakehead (Thunder Bay area) built his foundation in sports reporting, where he covered local events and developed his engaging on-air style.

In the early 1970s, he relocated to Winnipeg. He pursued master’s-level courses in sociology at the University of Manitoba while taking on part-time sports work at CKY-TV (a CTV affiliate, now branded as CTV Winnipeg). After just six weeks as a summer fill-in in 1974, he was offered—and accepted—the role of sports director, marking the start of his transformative impact on local TV sports coverage.

Young spent about two decades as sports director at CKY-TV Winnipeg, elevating the station’s sports segment from a standard short recap to a more dynamic, in-depth feature that championed local amateur athletes, teams, and community sports. His voice became “synonymous with Winnipeg Jets hockey

Young provided play-by-play for the Jets in the World Hockey Association (WHA) era and continued for a dozen years after their entry into the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1979, helping bring the team “to life” for viewers. He handled play-by-play and hosted Grey Cup broadcasts for CTV.

As part of the CTV network, he hosted a weekly highlight show that aired on ESPN and served as a primary host for CTV’s Wide World of Sports. In this capacity, he covered over 100 episodes of international events, often co-hosting with prominent athletes. His work took him to three Olympic Games in the 1980s: Sarajevo (1984 Winter), Los Angeles (1984 Summer), and Calgary (1988 Winter).
He broadcast a wide variety of sports at local, national, and global levels, earning recognition for his versatility and passion.

After leaving CTV in the early 1990s, Young remained active in broadcasting and sports. He became the first play-by-play voice for the Winnipeg Goldeyes (independent baseball team).
He founded his own video production and sports consulting company, working with organizations like the Toronto Blue Jays and other leagues.

Young continued occasional media work, including radio co-hosting (e.g., on 92.9FM) and producing shows like “Bombers Fast Break Football” on CTV. He hosted events such as the WHA 50th anniversary tributes.

Young was inducted into halls of fame, including the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (as a 2023 Builder inductee), and received honors from groups like the Writers and Sportscasters Association (Media Role of Honor).