Canada’s Bell Media axes 40 positions as part of wider cuts at parent BCE

Bell Media in Canada has laid off around 40 staff as part of broader cuts at its parent company, telecommunications giant BCE.

Mirko Bibic

The Bell Media lay-offs, which represent the equivalent of around 1% of the entertainment company, primarily hit corporate roles. Across all of BCE, around 700 positions were eliminated, or roughly 2% of the company.

In a statement, a representative for BCE said: “We made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce the number of non-unionised management positions across the company to better align our team structure with our growth plan.”

The cuts are part of a long-term plan to reduce its debt load, which currently stands at around C$40bn (US$28bn), and re-orient its business for the future. BCE is led by president and CEO Mirko Bibic.

BCE has made several significant moves over the past 18 months, including selling its minority stake in sports giant Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for around C$4.7bn.

There have been major lay-offs across all parts of the business in recent years at BCE. Bell Media, whose assets include broadcaster CTV, streamer Crave and a portfolio of cable channels, cut almost 100 jobs in February through lay-offs and buyouts. In 2024, BCE cut 4,800 positions and the previous year it shed 1,300.