News Media Canada, an association that represents news companies including Postmedia, Torstar and Village Media, reported a communication with Daniel Pye, the director of news remuneration for the CRTC, to discuss the distribution of money under the Online News Act.

The act, which received royal assent in June 2023, was intended to force Google and Meta, the two biggest digital advertisers in the market, to compensate news outlets for journalistic content on their sites. The bill faced fierce opposition during the legislative process from the tech companies and their backers, who dubbed the bill a “link tax.”