Cabinet upholds radio licence for Toronto company with alleged terrorist link
OTTAWA (CP) - The federal cabinet has upheld a radio licence granted by the CRTC to a Toronto company with alleged links to a South Asian terrorist organization.
The new station, to be launched this fall in Toronto at 101.3 FM, has denied ties to extremists and insists it is the target of a smear campaign by opponents of its plan to broadcast to the city's ethnic communities.
Allegations of terrorist ties were brought to the attention of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last summer by Sri Lankan Canadians, who wrote letters opposing a radio licence application by Canadian Multicultural Radio.
The letters claimed the numbered company behind the radio bid was tied to the World Tamil Movement.
The letters also claimed movement volunteers had gone door-to-door in Tamil neighbourhoods in Toronto to intimidate Sri Lankans into supporting the radio licence bid. The CRTC approved the licence on April 17.
The CRTC said only a few of thousands of responses to the proposed station raised concerns about terrorism and the station responded to all allegations in full.
The Privy Council Office subsequently received 47 petitions seeking an appeal of the decision. They were referred to the Department of Canadian Heritage, which made a recommendation to cabinet.
Several of the petitions alleged a link to the Tamil Tigers, also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Though the organization has not been banned, the federal government has frozen its assets since the fall of 2001 on suspicion of terrorist links.
The radio station's chief operating officer has said some of those who complained were supporters of competing bids.
© The Canadian Press, 2003
OTTAWA (CP) - The federal cabinet has upheld a radio licence granted by the CRTC to a Toronto company with alleged links to a South Asian terrorist organization.
The new station, to be launched this fall in Toronto at 101.3 FM, has denied ties to extremists and insists it is the target of a smear campaign by opponents of its plan to broadcast to the city's ethnic communities.
Allegations of terrorist ties were brought to the attention of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last summer by Sri Lankan Canadians, who wrote letters opposing a radio licence application by Canadian Multicultural Radio.
The letters claimed the numbered company behind the radio bid was tied to the World Tamil Movement.
The letters also claimed movement volunteers had gone door-to-door in Tamil neighbourhoods in Toronto to intimidate Sri Lankans into supporting the radio licence bid. The CRTC approved the licence on April 17.
The CRTC said only a few of thousands of responses to the proposed station raised concerns about terrorism and the station responded to all allegations in full.
The Privy Council Office subsequently received 47 petitions seeking an appeal of the decision. They were referred to the Department of Canadian Heritage, which made a recommendation to cabinet.
Several of the petitions alleged a link to the Tamil Tigers, also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Though the organization has not been banned, the federal government has frozen its assets since the fall of 2001 on suspicion of terrorist links.
The radio station's chief operating officer has said some of those who complained were supporters of competing bids.
© The Canadian Press, 2003
