As of this July, TV Ontario will decommission eight over-the-air transmitters including three in southwestern Ontario.
The decision affects transmitters in Windsor, Chatham, London, Kitchener, Belleville, Cloyn, Ottawa and Thunder Bay. It will keep just one transmitter operational, in Toronto.
TVO will eliminate seven transmitter maintenance positions as a result.
Ontario's NDP Culture Critic, Sarah Campbell is raising a red flag calling the decision short-sighted.
"Cutting transmitters will not only restrict free, public access, but it also ignores the cord-cutting trend that has seen many Ontarians return to OTA receivers."
The move is expected to save the provincial broadcaster approximately $1-million a year.
"The Minister of Education must immediately consider the impact the loss of educational programming will have on young Ontarians," says Campbell. "This move should be reversed immediately. The Minister of Education must take the necessary steps to protect access to educational programming for all Ontarians across our province."
A statement released by TVO's CEO, Lisa de Wilde says the announcement "reflects the reality of today's media environment."
"TVO has had to make tough choices about where to allocate resources in order to move forward with the strategic priorities of digital learning and high-quality current affairs journalism, as well has cover inflationary pressures."
The statement continues to say "redirecting resources to strategic priorities builds on the previous decommissioning of 100 low power and 14 medium power analog transmitters in 2012."
The decision is not expected to affect those with basic cable or satellite subscriptions.
