The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved an application by Vista Radio Ltd. to purchase CJGY-FM Grande Prairie and its rebroadcasting transmitters in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek from Golden West Broadcasting Ltd.
The decision, published Friday as Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2025-290, authorizes Vista to acquire the assets of the Christian-music formatted station and grants the company a new broadcasting licence to continue its operation. CJGY-FM, known on air as UCB Radio, serves listeners across northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia.
Under federal policy, buyers of broadcasting assets are required to make financial contributions known as tangible benefits, payments intended to support Canadian content development and broadcasting initiatives. Vista had asked for an exemption to the requirement, proposing instead to contribute $98,000, or about 6.4 percent of the transaction value, entirely to the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Radio Arts and Entertainment program.
The Commission, however, denied the exemption request, ruling that Vista must follow the standard tangible benefits policy to ensure continued support for a broad range of industry funds and initiatives.
Public interest and local programming
In its application, Vista said the purchase would ensure CJGY-FM’s long-term sustainability and strengthen its commitment to local news and community reflection. The company operates CFRI-FM in Grande Prairie and more than 50 radio stations across Western Canada and Ontario.
Vista told the Commission it plans to enhance local programming and journalism at CJGY-FM, committing to 126 hours of local programming each broadcast week, including more than two hours of news and community updates.
The CRTC agreed, saying the sale “is in the public interest, as it will help ensure that the station continues to provide local programming to the communities of Grande Prairie, Fort St. John, and Dawson Creek.”
The regulator found that Vista’s expanded presence remains within its ownership limits under federal policy and would not harm competition or diversity of voices in the region.
Vista Radio, based in Courtenay, British Columbia, is owned by Westerkirk Capital Inc., a subsidiary of SEB Investments Corp., majority held by Thomson Investments Ltd. Golden West Broadcasting, the seller, is controlled by Elmer Hilderbrand Ltd.
With this decision, Vista strengthens its footprint in northwestern Alberta, adding CJGY-FM to a roster of local and regional stations that includes 2Day FM in Grande Prairie.
The CRTC’s full decision, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2025-290, is available at crtc.gc.ca.
