The government of Ontario is investing approximately $310,000 in a new location for media briefings, which opposition parties claim replicates an existing room at the legislature and will result in reduced media accessibility.
The Progressive Conservative government used its new “communications centre” this week for the finance minister’s budget press conference and a technical briefing for journalists.
However, it now plans to use the space, located in the basement of a legislative precinct building connected to the main legislature via a tunnel, for all government press conferences held on-site, according to senior government officials who spoke with The Canadian Press.
This decision is made despite the presence of an existing room designed for that purpose.
For decades, the media studio inside the main legislative building has been the venue for press conferences by government ministers, opposition members, and advocacy groups.
However, that space is a neutral area managed by the Speaker of the legislature on behalf of the press gallery, and journalists are not restricted in the number of questions they can ask a minister.
In contrast, at the new government communications centre, journalists will only be permitted to ask one question and one follow-up, sources stated, similar to the format of off-site press conferences with the premier or government ministers.
A source explained that the government required a venue for press conferences equipped with the necessary technology and available at short notice, which motivated the decision to establish the new location. The existing media studio is not operational on weekends and is occasionally booked by other groups, the source pointed out.
The government seldom holds press conferences on weekends.
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie expressed the view that the new space seems to be a method for the government to evade accountability.
“We know he has always had an utter disrespect for journalists and for the important role they play in Ontario,” she wrote in a statement, referencing Premier Doug Ford.
“Their new $310,000 media studio is a complete waste of our hard-earned tax dollars.”
According to government sources, the cost for the new space includes approximately $240,000 for construction, $37,000 for technology such as audio-visual requirements, $25,000 for a black-panelled backdrop, and $8,000 in miscellaneous costs.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized it as an irresponsible use of public funds that will restrict media access, and consequently, public access.
“It’s extremely troubling to learn that Conservatives think it’s OK to spend over $300,000 for their own private press conferences,” she wrote in a statement.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner emphasized the importance of using a space operated independently from the government for press conferences.
“This certainly seems like an attempt to limit journalistic freedom and public accountability, which is totally undemocratic,” he wrote in a statement.
