Toronto mayor, Media Guild blast CBC

Miller said in the letter that the city "is extremely concerned" and that "this represents a loss of an important cultural facility in downtown Toronto." He added that not only has the Toronto Broadcast Centre "anchored the development of Toronto's vibrant entertainment district, but it has provided a hub for TV, film and theatre production."

“The CBC is also pre-empting the government mandate review and public input by taking this action now,” says Lise Lareau, national president of the Canadian Media Guild. A newspaper report published today indicates that Heritage Minister Bev Oda wants to move quickly to launch the review.

“CBC says it will save $1 million per year by killing the design department and keeps referring to layoffs as another business decision,” says Arnold Amber, president of the Guild’s CBC Branch. “This is really about people and their lives. In this particular case, people have contributed many years of first-rate service to make CBC look wonderful on the air. When these people walk out the door for the last time, they will be taking with them the long and celebrated tradition of high-quality television design in Canada.

“And where’s the good business sense in this? This is a hell of a price to pay to save $1 million out of a $1.6 billion budget.”