maaxx.ca

As part of the exemption process, as described in the final regulation of the Online News Act, we plan to establish an agreement with a single collective responsible for representing all media companies responding to the call open. This agreement will include the granting of a sum of 100 million (Canadian) dollars per year, indexed to inflation, which will be distributed in accordance with regulations.

The single collective must:

1. Commit to providing Google and collective members with basic reporting and accounting of funds distributed to news organizations.
2. Commit to developing and publishing a plan and principles for managing publisher eligibility and distribution of funds.
3. Take full responsibility for resolving all disputes arising from members.

Key principles that inform our selection of the unique collective will include:

1. Representation: The single collective should represent the full diversity of the Canadian information ecosystem and its interests.
2. Governance : The single collective must have a strong and well-documented governance structure, including but not limited to board composition, decision-making and dispute resolution. This governance structure should reflect the interests and needs of all media companies identified during the open call.
3. Transparency: The single collective must operate with a high level of transparency regarding its members, including but not limited to membership composition, payment reporting and administrative fees.
4. Costs: The single collective should minimize administrative costs as much as possible to maximize the share of funds that reach media companies – and commit to ensuring that these costs are used only for fund distribution purposes.

Any groups or organizations interested in being part of this unique collective are asked to submit an expression of interest to c18singlecollective@google.com no later than Friday March 29, 2024. These groups or organizations will then receive a request for additional information and be invited to submit a more detailed proposal as the next step in the process.