The Ontario Liberals and newly minted Premier Dalton McGuinty raised eyebrows last month when they quietly floated the idea of privatizing TVOntario – commenting in a pre-budget public document that the pubcaster has strayed somewhat from its original, purely educational mandate, and wondering aloud if a better use could be found for the $54 million put in every year by the province, which is carrying a $5.6-billion deficit.

McGuinty’s Grits are set to release their first budget this spring, and have gone looking for public opinions at a series of town hall meetings. A 15-page backgrounder briefly questioned the future of TVO, fueling rumors of an impending sell-off.

‘TVO now provides more broadly based public television. Is this the best way to spend money to achieve results in education?’ it reads.

Lobby group Our Public Airwaves noted that a similar argument was used last year when British Columbia moved to drop its Knowledge Network, but a spokesperson with the Ministry of Finance says the paper is just raising questions, not setting policy.

Ian Morrison, spokesperson of The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, expressed some concern, but noted that a privatized TVO has been suggested and shot down before. The broadcaster is popular with an informed, politically aware audience and would pose certain regulatory and financial problems for a private operator, he says.

The only danger is if the province, eager to prove it can reign in the economy, runs with the idea anyway. ‘It’s like being a gunfighter and shooting someone just to prove you’re serious,’ he warns.

-www.tvontario.org