Canada’s Leading News Organizations Join SPUR’s Global Coalition to Shape the Future of AI and Journalism.
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TORONTO – CBC/Radio-Canada, Globe and Mail, La Presse, Postmedia, Quebecor, Torstar and TVO Media Education Group today announced that they will join the Standard for Publisher Usage Rights (SPUR) Coalition, a growing international alliance of news publishers working to shape a technical and commercial environment in which intellectual property owners can produce and exercise their control systems.
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The announcement follows the major international expansion of the SPUR Coalition unveiled today at the World Press Conference, where the organization welcomed new publishers and affiliates from around the world. The SPUR Coalition was launched by the Guardian, the BBC, the Financial Times, Sky News and the Telegraph Media Group in February 2026.
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The SPUR Coalition’s ambition is to create a fair market for quality content that recognizes the important role of publishers’ property ownership and honest journalistic games in powering AI systems. Through the development of standards, frameworks and technologies that promote transparency, accountability and fair value, SPUR works to ensure that publishers are able to protect, license and sell their content in the AI ecosystem. The addition of Canadian organizations to the SPUR Coalition’s ongoing technical, strategic and policy discussions will help ensure that Canadian perspectives contribute to global standards and policies governing the future relationship between AI and news media.
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“Publishers cannot simply be sources of content for AI systems. We are the creators of the important intellectual property that supports the quality, accuracy and reliability of the content produced by AI. As this market develops, it is important that publishers play an important role in shaping the future of the market. Through the SPUR Coalition, we have the opportunity to help the world’s leading organization to help the leading news organization and the opportunity to help the world to help the transporter. outline that is accountable – that respects publishers’ rights, supports sustainable business models and ensures that honest journalism continues to thrive.”
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Joint statement from CBC/Radio-Canada, The Globe and Mail, La Presse, Postmedia, Quebecor, Torstar, and TVO Media Education Group
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By joining the SPUR Coalition, Canada’s leading media organizations are adding their voices to a growing international movement focused on ensuring that AI development is supported by transparency, accountability and fair value exchange between AI developers and content creators.
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PUBLISHER’S BOOKS:
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“By bringing together public and private media in Canada and around the world, the SPUR Coalition is laying the groundwork for a common approach to the intersection of AI and journalism across the media industry. This partnership will set the standards for the protection and compensation of certified and reliable journalism, for the benefit of all Canadians.”
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Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada
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“AI presents significant opportunities for both publishers and audiences, but realizing those opportunities requires collaboration across the industry. As AI increasingly relies on trusted content, publishers need greater clarity about how their work is being used. By joining the SPUR Coalition, we are working with publishers around the world to help shape the standards, technologies and policies needed to achieve greater trust and transparency for AI. Journalism must strengthen each other.”
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– Andrew Saunders, President and CEO, Globe and Mail
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“In today’s age of lack of information, independent, high-quality journalism is essential. When we, the media, publish verified information, obtained through a rigorous news-gathering process, we participate in a healthy democracy. This cooperation between major publishers worldwide, is fully in line with our mission to provide access to reliable and accurate information, while ensuring control over our use of content.”
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– Patrick Bourbeau, Vice President, Legal Affairs, La Presse
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“Publishers’ content forms the backbone of the quality and trust of the AI system, but there has been no compensation or proper explanation, and that must change. Postmedia is proud to join the SPUR Coalition, working with peers in Canada and around the world to protect copyright, ensure credit, and give publishers control over their content. We support this important work for a sustainable AI future and the future of AI.”
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– Andrew MacLeod, President and CEO, Postmedia
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“News organizations are actively involved in this field and in their communities, mobilizing the valuable expertise of their teams and using significant financial resources to expose, investigate, question, and tell the stories that shape and deepen our public understanding. Whatever the promise of artificial intelligence may be, this work will never be replaced. Technology companies and public policy makers must ensure that this news content must be authorized and ensure that it is appropriate media. By joining SPUR, Québecor wants to contribute to the necessary unity among media organizations in the face of the growing artificial intelligence market.
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– Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO, Québecor.
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“Journalists produce the core content of any credible AI program or strategy. We’re excited to join the world’s leading news organizations with SPUR to ensure that the emerging AI market values journalism for what it is: unique, high-quality content that publishers deserve to be compensated for. Without real and authentic stories, AI platforms cannot deliver accurate information to people.”
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– Draft of Angus, President, Torstar
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“We are at an important moment when the future of information, learning and social understanding will be influenced by AI. Public media plays an important role in supporting informed citizenship and reliable access to information and it is important that the use of high-quality journalism and educational content is based on transparency, accountability, and respect for intellectual property. By joining the SPUR Coalition we strengthen the opinion of people around the world, TVOplika for democracy, and increase access to the top
