CALGARY — The CBC has refused to disclose how much it paid on-air commentators and analysts who appeared on its programs, citing exemptions under the Access to Information (ATI) Act.In a July 10 response to the Western Standard’s ATI request, the taxpayer-funded broadcaster provided a list of administrative contacts and analysts who appeared on its television and radio platforms between January 1, 2025, and February 10, 2026, but redacted all payment amounts associated with those contracts..The original request, which was submitted on February 12, 2026, sought to obtain access “to all records and documents showing fees paid to on-air guest analysts/guest commentators (non-employees) for appearances on any CBC platform (TV, radio, digital, CBC News Network), including: A list of each guest analyst/commentator paid a fee, with per-appearance rate (or other fee structure), and the program/platform and totals paid to each such guest analyst/commentator during the period. Also, the total aggregate amount paid by CBC/Radio-Canada to guest analysts/commentators during the time period.”Clarification received by the ATIP office confirmed the Western Standard wished to receive a list containing the names of the on-air guest analysts and guest commentators (non-employees) specified in their request and that the list should also contain the individual totals paid to each person and the aggregate total paid to the group during the specified time period.In the CBC’s response, the broadcaster confirmed records existed along with contract numbers, departments, and job titles.However, the broadcaster blacked out the entire "Total" and "Transactions" columns that would have revealed compensation figures in the released 206-page document..CBC said the information was withheld under sections 18(b) and 20(1)(c) of the Access to Information Act.The broadcaster also argued some of the records were excluded from disclosure under section 68.1, which exempts information relating to CBC's journalistic, creative, and programming activities.“This Act does not apply to any information that is under the control of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that relates to its journalistic, creative or programming activities, other than information that relates to its general administration,” the broadcaster’s response read..The response also mentioned that CBC and Radio-Canada employ different data compilation methods.“CBC lists do not explicitly mention the commentator’s name; the commentator is instead identified by a contract number,” the response read.“Consequently, the name field is populated with administrative contacts, such as the staff member handling the invoice or the individual responsible for the booking.”
