OTTAWA — How much of the $300 million-plus Canada Media Fund should go to in-house production by broadcasters? And over what time period should it be phased in?

In-house production was one of 13 ‘policy priorities’ unveiled Thursday during an online town hall meeting, kicking off consultations on the new fund, which is due to replace the Canadian Television Fund on April 1. The 13 points are to be the basis of focus groups to be held across the country in the fall, with an eye to having the new fund’s guidelines in place by March 1.

Due to the tight timeline, CTF president and CEO Valerie Creighton said any other concerns would likely be addressed later, and perhaps implemented as the guidelines are refined in subsequent years.

‘The consultation process will be ongoing. We will never stop asking your advice,’ Creighton noted.

The priorities are based on guiding principles developed by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Others include questions about access to performance envelopes, and English regional production. For example, should Vancouver be considered a ‘region’?

Also revealed, during the Q&A session, was that caps are being contemplated for each platform, that games would be included in the convergence stream, that there would be no grandfathering of CTF rules, and that coproductions in digital media would be allowed.

Creighton also said the CMF may not have any funding for marketing, but it is considering making it a requirement of tapping into the new fund.

Written comments on the 13 points are due from stakeholders by Sept. 4.