The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) is a non-profit association that was created to help Canadians participate in media production, and to improve media skills and training opportunities in their communities.

We receive no funding from any government or private agency, and rely exclusively on memberships, donations, and consulting to communities and individuals.

If you've read the three sections on our web site regarding Community Options presented by the Digital Transition:

• Community Options
• Costs
• How to

and you'd like more information to determine whether your community could consider rebroadcasting or cablecasting, please call us at (819) 772-2862. Our volunteers can provide you with a quick assessment of whether your community's goals could be met by rebroadcasting or cablecasting.

For a more in-depth conversation to help you develop a plan, estimate costs, fill out applications with Industry Canada or the CRTC, and find engineers to help you design and build the technical infrastructure, we will suggest you assemble one or more representatives of your municipality or community groups that will lead the project, and schedule a conference call. A consulting fee will apply, which will enable us to continue to answer this hotline and help others like you!

We look forward to hearing from you and encourage you to find out more about the digital transition... the door to more inclusive, affordable media for all Canadians.

If your community is considering rebroadcasting or cablecasting remote TV, radio, or Internet into your community (with the option of offering local content in the mix), there are seven steps (click to expand):

1. Define Goals
2. Consult an Engineer
3. Decide whether you need a distribution licence
4. Decide whether you need a programming licence
5. Build the distribution infrastructure
6. Negotiate for the channels you want
7. Set up a local production facility (optional)

Easy, right!?

More than 100 communities in Canada already act as their own rebroadcasters and approximately 70 are part of cable co-operatives (non-profit, and owned by the community). Many of these communities have only a few hundred residents. Once the infrastructure is set up, it's relatively easy to train a local person to maintain them. In very small communities, volunteers may do it. In larger communities, the venture may employ 1, 2 or up to a dozen individuals.

If you're curious where some of these communities are located, the link below is to a list of communities that had their rebroadcasting licences renewed by the CRTC in 2000.

The majority of cable co-operatives still in existence (there used to be more, but some have been sold to private cable providers in recent years) are located in Saskatchewan (Access Communications) and Manitoba (Westman Communications).

Click here for help Estimating Costs.

Typical costs for community rebroadcasting and cablecasting can be divided into four categories (click for more information):

• setup
• maintenance
• channel subscriptions
• satellite downlink

While the setup costs have to be paid once only--at the beginning--the other three cost categories are on-going. For this reason, both rebroadcasting and cablecasting involve on-going costs to residents that have to be paid either through taxation or via subscription fees. The good news is that these costs can be minimized if you offer a modest number of services; these choices are the community's to make.

In addition to costs associated with maintaining the distribution infrastructure, communities may elect to offer local programming services. Click Offering Local Services for more information.

Click here if you're thinking, BUT HOW DO WE PAY FOR IT?

If you've finished our "How To" and "Costs" sections and are serious about exploring the potential for community distribution in your community, see Support/Next Steps.

To become an organizational voting member, you should contact CACTUS' national co-ordinator, Cathy Edwards, at cedwards at timescape dot ca or at (819) 456-2237, and discuss the amount, since it is calculated as 0.5% of your non-profit corporation's revenue. When you know the amount, you can remit it using one of the following methods:

1) Make out a cheque to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations and send it to:

177 Route Principale Est
La Pêche
Quebec
J0X 2W0

On the back of the cheque, write the e-mail address that you would like to use to receive CACTUS news updates and to log on to the CACTUS site to participate in on-line fora.

or

2) Send your membership via Interact transfer by e-mail to cedwards at timescape dot ca.

When we receive your membership fee by any of these routes, we will e-mail you to let you know that your membership is active.

Thanks for your support!

To become an organizational non-voting member, you can either:

1) Make out a cheque to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations and send it to:

177 Route Principale Est
La Pêche
Quebec
J0X 2W0

The cheque should be in the amount of $30 for your membership plus any additional amount that you would like to donate. On the back of the cheque, write the e-mail address that you would like to use to receive CACTUS news updates and to log on to the CACTUS site to participate in on-line fora.

or

2) Send an e-mail transfer to CACTUS' Executive Director at cathy at timescape dot ca

or

3) Click the button below to pay through Paypal, where you should enter $30 for your membership, plus any additional amount that you would like to direct to CACTUS as a donation.

You do not have to become a Paypal member to use this option. Your information will not be retained by Paypal, and there is no surcharge.

When we receive your membership fee by any of these routes, we will e-mail you to let you know that your membership is active.

Note that CACTUS does not have tax-exempt charitable status, so we cannot issue you with a tax receipt if part of your payment is a donation.

Thanks for your support!

To become an individual voting member, you can either:

1) Make out a cheque to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations and send it to:

177 Route Principale Est
La Pêche
Quebec
J0X 2W0

The cheque should be in the amount of $20 for your membership plus any additional amount that you would like to donate. On the back of the cheque, write the e-mail address that you would like to use to receive CACTUS news updates and to log on to the CACTUS site to participate in on-line fora.

or

2) Send an e-mail transfer to CACTUS' Executive Director at cathy at timescape dot ca

or

3) Click the button below to pay through Paypal, where you should enter $20 for your membership, plus any additional amount that you would like to direct to CACTUS as a donation.

You do not have to become a Paypal member to use this option. Your information will not be retained by Paypal, and there is no surcharge.

When we receive your membership fee by any of these routes, we will e-mail you to let you know that your membership is active.

Note that CACTUS does not yet (and may never) have tax-exempt charitable status, so we cannot issue you with a tax receipt if part of your payment is a donation.

Thanks for your support!

To become an individual non-voting member, you can either:

1) Make out a cheque to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations and send it to:

177 Route Principale Est
La Pêche
Quebec
J0X 2W0

The cheque should be in the amount of $10 for your membership plus any additional amount that you would like to donate. On the back of the cheque, write the e-mail address that you would like to use to receive CACTUS news and to log on to the CACTUS site to participate in on-line fora.

or

2) Send an e-mail transfer to CACTUS' Executive Director at cathy at timescape dot ca

or

3) Click the button below to pay through Paypal, where you should enter $10 for your membership, plus any additional amount that you would like to direct to CACTUS as a donation.

You do not have to become a Paypal member to use this option. Your information will not be retained by Paypal, and there is no surcharge.

When we receive your membership fee by any of these routes, we will e-mail you to let you know that your membership is active.

Note that CACTUS does not yet (and may never) have tax-exempt charitable status, so we cannot issue you with a tax receipt if part of your payment is a donation.

Thanks for your support!

To make a one-time donation to CACTUS, you can either:

1) Write a cheque to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations and send it to:

177 Route Principale Est
La Pêche
Quebec
J0X 2W0

or

2) Send an e-mail transfer to CACTUS at cathy at timescape dot com

or

3) Click the button below to pay through Paypal, where you will be able to enter whatever amount you wish as a donation.

You do not have to become a Paypal member to use this option. Your information will not be retained by Paypal, and there is no surcharge.

Note that CACTUS does not yet (and may never) have tax-emempt charitable status, so we cannot issue you with a tax receipt for your donation.

Thanks for your support! Check back to our web site from time to time if you want to keep up with our progress.