The New Publication Assistance Regime

The Canada Magazine Fund and Publishing Assistance Program have finally been merged to create the Canada Periodical Fund. On the up-side, Macleans and a few other large large circulation magazines will have their subsidies cut by $1,000,000 plus, though they will still get a cheque of some sort. On the downside, and as expected, small circ literary mags will no longer get funding. An analysis of the winners and losers here. A particularly interesting fact:

Agricultural publications are exempt from the $1.5 million cap on grants based on the special contribution they make to Canadian society, according to the government. As far as Masthead can determine, this only affects one publication to date, The Western Producer, which received $1.8 million in PAP subsidy in 2008-2009. The weekly has a paid circulation of 61,000 with offices across western Canada, but is headquartered in Saskatoon, which is represented by Tory MP Maurice Vellakott.

Pigs are in, poetry's out.