Search

Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2025-316

PDF version

Reference: Part 1 application posted on 9 September 2025

Gatineau, 27 November 2025

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Public record: 2025-0318-5

CBAF-FM-5 Halifax – Technical amendments

  1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to subsection 9(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), to issue licences for the carrying on of broadcasting undertakings and to amend those licences.
  2. Consistent with this authority, the Commission approves the application by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to amend the technical parameters of the French-language FM radio programming undertaking CBAF-FM-5 Halifax, Nova Scotia, which broadcasts the programming of its national, French-language network service ICI Première. Specifically, the CBC proposed to increase the maximum effective radiated power (ERP) from 91,000 to 100,000 watts, to decrease the average ERP from 91,000 to 47,643 watts, to replace the existing non-directional antenna with a new directional antenna, to decrease the effective height of the antenna above average terrain (EHAAT) from 230.5 to 225.1 metres, and to amend the coordinates of the transmitter. All other technical parameters will remain unchanged.
  3. Pursuant to sections 5.1 and 5.2 of the Act, the Commission must enhance the vitality of official language minority communities (OLMCs) and support and assist their development. It must also consult with OLMCs when making decisions that could adversely affect them.
  4. The Commission determined that the proposed technical amendments could adversely affect Halifax’s French-language OLMC, in part due to the changes to the authorized contour, which would result in a slight decrease in the number of listeners served. Therefore, this application was subject to a dedicated consultation period with groups representing the interests of this community.
  5. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to this application. However, it notes that the lack of interventions does not necessarily mean that the community involved won’t be adversely affected. The Commission reviewed the elements of the application in light of the needs and interests of Halifax’s French-language OLMC.
  6. When a licensee files an application for technical amendments, the Commission requires the licensee to present compelling technical or economic evidence justifying the requested amendments. In this case, the CBC indicated that the proposed amendments are necessary since CBAF-FM-5’s antenna is timeworn and that the population served is at high risk of signal loss.
  7. In this case, the Commission is satisfied that the licensee has demonstrated a technical need for the requested amendments. The Commission considers that the slight decrease in the station’s coverage would allow the licensee to avoid a complete loss of service. The Commission considers that while the proposed solution could adversely affect Halifax’s French-language OLMC, mainly due to the slight decrease in the number of listeners served, a loss of service would have a more significant adverse effect on the vitality and development of this community. Therefore, the Commission considers that the proposed solution is appropriate and that in approving the licensee’s application, the Commission satisfies its obligations to OLMCs.
  8. Pursuant to subsection 22(1) of the Act, this authority will only be effective when the Department of Industry (also known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) notifies the Commission that its technical requirements have been met and that a broadcasting certificate will be issued.
  9. The licensee must implement the technical amendments by no later than 27 November 2027. To request an extension, the licensee must submit a written request to the Commission at least 60 days before that date, using Form 300 available on the Commission’s website.
  10. As set out in section 16 of the Radio Regulations, 1986 (the Regulations), licensees have obligations relating to the broadcast of emergency alert messages received from the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System. The implementation of the technical amendments approved in this decision could result in changes to CBAF-FM-5’s authorized contours. The Commission reminds the licensee that continued compliance with section 16 of the Regulations may require that any alert broadcast decoders (e.g., ENDEC) used for the purposes of broadcasting emergency alert messages on CBAF-FM-5, or on any rebroadcasting transmitters that may appear on the broadcasting licence for that station, be reprogrammed to properly account for the new authorized contours.
  11. This decision is to be appended to the licence.

Secretary General

Date modified: