Dear members of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, I am writing to you from rural Ontario, where we tune in to CBC radio on a near daily basis, either via radio or podcast, and review CBC's web coverage on any stories that require our immediate attention. As a low income, working class intergenerational family of 3, this is our main source of reliable information.

We rely on the professionalism of CBC journalists as they present both breaking news and deeper dives into the issues facing our increasingly fractured world and we are always grateful to know that key facts and principled reporting won't be sitting behind a paywall. In short, CBC has been a mainstay in our lives, offering us the information we need to sustain healthy, thoughtful lives and continue supporting our community in a well-informed manner.

In this time of the increasingly diminishing trust in our institutions, which has been identified as a key threat to our nation as a democracy, I ask that you find ways to maintain the talented staff and strengthen the CBC's ability to continue offering their critical programming and fair reporting with the integrity that they have maintained as a public broadcaster. Public trust must be not only maintained, but rebuilt during these challenging times, and we ask you to support the CBC retaining its position as one of the most effective organizations for doing that. Sincerely, Joanna Jack K0A 2X0