CBC News looks to strengthen local coverage with 14 new journalism positions

CBC News is expanding its local coverage by hiring 14 journalists in different regions of the country with the goal of strengthening community connections. 

"At Canada's public broadcaster, local is the lens into all that we do," said Susan Marjetti, general manager of CBC News, Current Affairs & Local in a news release. "Prioritizing local connections will help us tell more of the stories that matter most to people."

The network will expand its CBC Indigenous unit, adding journalists in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. An Indigenous journalist position will also be made permanent in Quebec, and there will be two new positions created in Iqaluit to support Indigenous language programming.

The expansion will also see hires in several smaller communities across the country. 

Two videojournalists will be hired in British Columbia — one based in Cranbrook, the other in Nanaimo — while two more Alberta-based journalists will also be added, with one in Lethbridge and the other in Grande Prairie.

There will be two new permanent reporters hired in Ontario, in Brampton and Kingston, while a community producer will work out of the London bureau with the aim of building connections and strengthening coverage across southwestern Ontario.

The Quebec and Atlantic Canada regions will each get a new community reporter to focus specifically on stories from traditionally underserved communities. 

"These newly announced positions across the country are aimed at broadening and deepening our journalism while building relationships with regional and cultural communities," said Marjetti. 

Hiring for the new positions will begin in the coming weeks.