More Canadian communities will lose over-the-air TV reception as the result of a regulatory decision allowing Bell Media to shut down 28 transmitters nationwide, including four in Manitoba.
Bell operates the CTV network. All of the transmitters to be shut down still broadcast in analog and relay CTV stations from larger nearby communities with no local programming.
Despite the fact that the shutdowns mean the end of broadcast TV in many areas, the move will likely have little to no actual impact since cable and satellite use in rural areas is said to be extremely high. CTV told the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission that the stations do not generate revenue and generally have little to no audience.
In Manitoba, the following CTV stations will be shut down in July 2021:
| Dauphin | 12 | CKYD-TV | 140kW |
| Fisher Branch | 8 | CKYA-TV | 62kW |
| Flin Flon | 13 | CKYF-TV | 1.04kW |
| The Pas | 12 | CKYP-TV | 1.07kW |
CTV has been the only remaining over-the-air signal in the four Manitoba communities since the CBC shut down its rural transmitter network in 2012. CTV Winnipeg station CKY-DT will continue to be relayed on transmitters in Brandon, McCreary, and Thompson.
Two stations that are part of the CTV Northern Ontario sub-network will also be shut down:
| Huntsville | 11 | CKNY-TV-11 | 24kW |
| Kearns | 11 | CITO-TV-2 | 325kW |
The shutdowns are hardly a surprise, since CTV first sought to turn off the transmitters a decade ago.
The complete list of transmitters to sign off is posted at https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2019/2019-268.htm.