Camera courtesy of Voth's Countrywide Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1

A group that is urging the provincial government to keep SCN on the air made a stop in Swift Current on Saturday.

 

SCN Matters hosted a kid-friendly event at the BMO Bank of Montreal Courtyard with kids invited to play with soap bubbles and chalk drawings.  Adults were asked to sign a petition to the government asking them to stop funding cuts to the Saskatchewan Communications Network.

 

The provincial government announced SCN's closure in the 2010 budget, and was set to shut it down last month, but they are keeping it on as they explore buyers for its broadcast assets.

 

SCN Matters Spokesman Robin Schlaht says they have been hearing questions about why the government decided to close down SCN so quickly.  The group is asking them to restore funding on an interim basis so they can work collaboratively to make SCN into an even better broadcaster.  He says they've been hearing from viewers, voters, and the Film and TV industry that they can really be more effective if they take their time and be methodical.

 

Schlaht says the event was geared towards kids, and making people aware of the children's programming SCN airs every day, but says the event was actually for kids of all ages.  He says just as many seniors as kids stopped by, because many seniors are attached to SCN and are concerned about losing it, especially in rural Saskatchewan.

 

Schlaht adds that the petition had already gathered 2451 signatures from 80 Saskatchewan communities when they presented it to Premier Brad Wall this week, and further signatures will be added to the petition the Premier already has.

 

You can sign the petition at scnmatters.ca, or search "SCN Matters" on Facebook.