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Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2026-205

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Reference: Part 1 application posted on 23 February 2026

Gatineau, 10 August 2026

Harvest Ministries Sudbury
Sudbury, Ontario

Public record: 2025-0417-5

CJTK-FM Sudbury – New transmitter in Kirkland Lake

Summary

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (the Commission) approves the application by Harvest Ministries Sudbury to amend the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial religious specialty FM radio programming undertaking CJTK-FM Sudbury, Ontario, to operate a transmitter in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

The application extends the originating station’s signal to Kirkland Lake. As such, CJTK-FM will be able to provide religious programming and Northern Ontario-focused content to a community that is underserved with respect to religious radio programming.

The Commission held a public proceeding on the application, but did not receive any interventions in response.

The Commission considers that the proposed amendments represent an appropriate technical solution and use of spectrum, and that approving the application does not have an undue economic impact on other radio stations in the Kirkland Lake market. The Commission further considers that, although the proposed rebroadcasting transmitter will be located outside the contours of the main station, the circumstances of this case warrant an exception to the Commission’s general approach, and that approval of the application upholds the integrity of the Commission’s licensing process and is in the public interest. Finally, the Commission notes that approval of the application does not prevent another applicant from seeking to serve Kirkland Lake, as other frequencies remain available to serve the community and surrounding areas.

Application

  1. On 13 August 2025, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (the Commission) received an application by Harvest Ministries Sudbury (Harvest) to amend the broadcasting licence for its English-language commercial religious specialty radio programming undertaking CJTK-FM Sudbury, Ontario, to add an FM rebroadcasting transmitter in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
  2. CJTK-FM provides religious programming and Northern Ontario-focused content.
  3. The proposed transmitter (CJTK-FM-15) would operate at 106.3 MHz (channel 292A) with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 510 watts (non-directional antenna with an effective height of the antenna above average terrain [EHAAT] of 51.5 metres).
  4. The proposed transmitter would expand the station’s current service to Kirkland Lake which is located outside the primary contour of the originating station in Sudbury.
  5. The proposed transmitter would serve approximately 8,000 individuals within its primary contour and extend access to CJTK-FM's programming to Kirkland Lake. Harvest submitted that this community is underserved with respect to religious radio programming. Harvest further submitted that the proposal would enhance programming diversity in the market while having little to no impact on incumbent stations.

Background

  1. CJTK-FM has been in operation since 1997, and Harvest acquired the station in 2018. CJTK-FM currently operates nine rebroadcasting transmitters throughout Northern Ontario: CJTK-FM-2 Little Current, CJTK-FM-5 Timmins, CJTK-FM-6 New Liskeard, CJTK-FM-7 Englehart, CJTK-FM-8 Sault Ste. Marie, CJTK-FM-9 Sundridge, CJTK-FM-10 Spring Bay, CJTK-FM-11 Iroquois Falls and CJTK-FM-12 Kapuskasing.

Interventions

  1. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to this application.

Legal framework

  1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to subsection 9(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), to issue licences for the carrying on of broadcasting undertakings, as well as to amend those licences.
  2. When the licensee of a radio station files an application for technical amendments to its licence, the Commission generally requires that the licensee present compelling technical or economic evidence justifying the requested technical amendments. Applications are examined on a case-by-case basis, and the Commission may take into consideration the details of an application and any relevant issues raised in an intervention.
  3. Broadcasting Information Bulletin 2025-266 (the Bulletin) provides guidance on the process for adding rebroadcasting transmitters by describing when a licensee should submit this type of application as a technical amendment to its existing licence (treated as a Part 1 application, which includes a public consultation but does not require a public hearing). This contrasts with situations in which these applications should be submitted as new licence applications (which require the application to be processed via a public hearing).
  4. Applications to add rebroadcasting transmitters by way of technical amendments should generally be filed when there is a demonstrated technical need to improve the signal in the station’s market or a demonstrated economic need to expand the market.
  5. These applications should generally not be filed as technical amendments when a licensee seeks to address technical problems outside of its market or to expand its contours in the absence of an economic need. This protects the integrity of the Commission’s licensing process by ensuring that proposals are not used as a “back door” to enter new markets.
  6. The Bulletin also highlights that the Commission may grant exceptions to this general approach and approve applications that do not provide compelling technical or economic evidence. In such cases, the applicant must provide evidence demonstrating its exceptional circumstances and justify its request in light of the public interest.
  7. This evidence may be in the form of community letters of support, a demonstration that the market is underserved, or other proof that the request fulfills specific objectives of the Act. In the Bulletin, the Commission states that it will consider such factors as the type of undertaking, location of the market, and the community to be served. Such applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Issues

  1. After examining the record for this application in light of applicable regulations and policies, the Commission considers that it must address the following issues:

    • whether the licensee has demonstrated a technical or economic need for the proposed rebroadcasting transmitter;
    • whether the proposed amendments represent an appropriate technical solution and use of spectrum;
    • whether approval of the application would have an undue economic impact on incumbent stations in the market; and
    • whether approval of the application would undermine the integrity of the Commission's licensing process and be in the public interest.

Technical or economic need

  1. The Commission generally assesses the merits of an application for technical changes on the basis of a technical or economic need. Technical or economic need might include, for instance, signal gaps in the area a station is licenced to serve. A station might also need to expand coverage to ensure viability and better service for local communities.
  2. The licensee’s application was not made on the basis of a technical or economic need. It seeks to serve the community of Kirkland Lake which is located outside the originating station’s primary contour of Sudbury, and is not currently served by any of the licensee’s existing transmitters.
  3. In light of the above, the Commission does not consider this application to be based on a specific technical or economic need. Instead, the Commission will consider this application as a request for an exception to its general approach and is evaluating it primarily from the standpoint of the public interest.

Appropriate technical solution and use of spectrum

  1. The applicant proposed the use of frequency 106.3 MHz (channel 292A) for the rebroadcasting transmitter. The Commission has identified other frequencies capable of providing similar service to Kirkland Lake and surrounding communities.
  2. The Commission notes that the licensee’s proposal has received conditional technical acceptability from the Department of Industry (also known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada). Therefore, the proposal adheres to the rules governing FM spectrum coordination.
  3. Further, the Commission notes that the addition of a rebroadcasting transmitter is generally an appropriate technical solution for improving or expanding coverage.
  4. In light of the above, the Commission finds that the applicant’s proposal constitutes an appropriate technical solution and use of spectrum.

Economic impact on incumbent stations

  1. The proposed rebroadcasting transmitter would not allow the station to enter a major market. It would extend service to approximately 8,000 individuals within its primary contour.
  2. The Commission notes that no other station in Kirkland Lake currently offers religious content. Therefore, the likelihood of competition for listenership is low. The Commission further notes that Connelly Communications Corporation, the operator of CJKL-FM, did not intervene in opposition to the application.
  3. The Commission notes that the programming offered by the applicant’s specialty station is not aimed at the same broad audience as the existing commercial station in the Kirkland Lake market. The Commission further notes that CJTK-FM is financed primarily through donations, with only a small portion of its revenues coming from advertising.
  4. In light of the above, the Commission finds that the proposed technical amendments would not have an undue economic impact on incumbent stations in the Kirkland Lake market.

Integrity of the Commission’s licensing process and public interest

  1. The licensee indicated that, should this application be approved, CJTK-FM would provide religious programming and Northern Ontario-focused content to the community of Kirkland Lake.
  2. The Commission notes that there are currently no radio licensees operating in Kirkland Lake that offer religious programming to the community.
  3. The Commission also notes that approval of this application would not prevent another applicant from serving Kirkland Lake in the future, as there are other available frequencies to serve Kirkland Lake and surrounding communities.
  4. Although the proposed rebroadcasting transmitter would be located outside the contours of the main station, the Commission notes that the licensee already operates rebroadcasting transmitters both closer to, and farther from, the main station. The proposed transmitter would provide service to some residents in the Kirkland Lake region who currently do not have access to CJTK-FM’s religious programming and Northern Ontario-focused content, despite being located between areas already served by the station.
  5. Further, given the specific nature of the programming offered by the licensee, the limited economic impact on the market, the absence of any local service offering comparable religious programming, and the additional access the proposed transmitter would provide to the licensee's programming, the Commission is of the view that approving this application would further important policy objectives relating to programming diversity and the expression of diverse viewpoints, and would be in the public interest.
  6. Finally, the Commission notes that the addition of a transmitter in Kirkland Lake would enable Harvest to offer programming that is relevant and of interest to the Northern Ontario community.
  7. In light of the above, the Commission finds that approval of the application would not undermine the integrity of its licensing process, and warrants an exception to its general approach based on the public interest.

Conclusion

  1. In light of all of the above, the Commission approves the application by Harvest to amend the broadcasting licence for its English-language commercial religious specialty radio programming undertaking CJTK-FM Sudbury, Ontario, to add an FM rebroadcasting transmitter in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
  2. The transmitter must be in operation by no later than 10 August 2028. To request an extension, the licensee must submit a written request to the Commission at least 60 days before that date, using the form available on the Commission’s website.
  3. This decision is to be appended to the licence.

Reminders

Content

  1. Pursuant to paragraph 2 of the Bulletin, the content broadcast on the rebroadcasting transmitter must be the same as that broadcast on the primary transmitter. As such, the content broadcast on the rebroadcasting transmitter cannot be tailored for any additional markets the Commission authorizes by way of a technical amendment.

National Public Alerting System

  1. As set out in section 16 of the Radio Regulations, 1986 (the Regulations), licensees have obligations relating to the broadcast of emergency alert messages received from the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System. In regard to the authorized contours of the new FM transmitter CJTK-FM-15 resulting from this decision, the Commission reminds the licensee that continued compliance with section 16 of the Regulations may require that any alert broadcast decoders (e.g., ENDEC) used for the purposes of broadcasting emergency alert messages on CJTK-FM, or on any rebroadcasting transmitters that may appear on the broadcasting licence for that station, be reprogrammed to properly account for the new authorized contours.

Secretary General

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