Government support for mining magazines and naked ladies

The Canadian government provides $68,298 a year to the Northern Miner to help pay the costs of posting the magazine out to subscribers.  This is a pretty trivial sum by comparison with the $2.6 million the general interest magazine Canadian Living received to help post copies of the magazine to subscribers.  These sums are disbursed in accordance with the Publications Assisstance Program (PAP).  The program describes itself thus:

PAP helps to connect Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast, by helping all Canadians have access to the rich literature, fine reporting and fierce opinions contained in Canadian magazines and community newspapers.

I better dig out my copy of the Northern Miner to check out that rich literature, fine reporting, and their fierce opinions.  Last time I looked they were talking about First Nations not supporting mining with appropriate enthusiasm.

I can see the idea behind all this.  PAP justifies this cost by saying: “The mail is an essential delivery mechanism for Canadian publishers to reach readers and, therefore, be able to attract the advertisers that are the primary source of revenue.”

In addition, the Canadian government sloshes out vast sums to magazines in term of programs with amazing acronyms like SEC, SALM, SBDMP, and SID.   This latter fellow, SID, is “project-based Support for Industry Development.”  This money flows in terms of the Canada Magazine Fund (CMF). 

I am delighted to see that CMF gave my favorite activity, opera, a nice little bit.  Opera Canada got $23,157 last year to help defray editorial costs.  After all that is pretty trivial by comparison with the $156,739 paid to Toronto Life to write on city living.  Or the $36,290 paid to the Urban Male Magazine.  Or the $421,420 paid to McCleans to report on dishonest lawyers.  Or the $219,78 to Canadian Living to produce Canadian content–this is in addition to the $2.6 million they got to post out the magazine. 

Canadian Living even has Blogs.  Not that there is anything profound there.  One small sample of the issues they wrestle with:

How does the Tooth Fairy know that Luka lost his tooth yesterday when it wasn’t under his pillow?  How many kids’ teeth fall out at lunch and get swallowed or brushed away by the janitor and dumped in the school garbage? How has the Tooth Fairy escaped renaming to the Tooth Person? Tooth Rebate Representative? Dental Recycling Associate?

Ah well, that is Canadian living! All two million of it! See also the $150 K plus blogs on Toronto Life. 

No blogs on Urban Male Magazine, but who cares when they have a section devoted to Babes instead.  Sarafina Pilato from Vancouver is wearing less than a Playboy model.  Now that $36 K is well spent. And I am not being sexist; I am simply doing what the Canadian taxpayer wants me to do: enjoy the benefits of a government-subsidized Canadian press. 

These ideas were put in my head when I noticed on the blurb of the Canadian Mining Magazine these two thank you’s: 

• We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Magazine Fund toward our editorial costs.
• We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publication Assistance Program toward our mailing costs. 

Funny thing though, I could find no reference to the amounts they receive from the government on any of the official websites I consulted.  They charge $5,560 for a full page ad, of which there were about 15 in the issue I looked at.  Maybe they don’t need much government help, so they don’t appear on the lists?

All this money sloshing around merely to post pictures of bare-breasted ladies and dump trucks.  It’s enough to inspire you to give up blogging and go out and found your own paper magazine paid for by the Canadian government.  On second thoughts though, many have blogs, so maybe I can do both.  What a bargain.

I do have a nagging doubt though: would it be entirely ethical to celebrate free enterprise and criticise minorities while being supported by the government?  Maybe I will stick to the free market sector approach.  And buy only those magazines that do it on their own steam and my subscription.  Continue support for the best Canadian magazine I know coming from Duncan BC.  End of story.