Briarpatch cuts back to 6 issues; wonders what's happening to CMF and PAP?

Briarpatch magazine of Regina, in anticipation of a jump in postal costs has shifted to 6 slightly larger and slightly pricier issues a year from 8, starting in January. It plans to hold the price of a subscription where it is.

Dave Mitchell, the editor, sent a note wondering what is happening in government funding programs:

There's been an eerie silence of late regarding the future of the Publications Assistance Program (from which Canada Post is scheduled to withdraw its contribution in the spring) and the Canada Magazine Fund (which is not even accepting applications for grants for next fiscal year, and which recently scaled back its grant support for, ahem, at least one small Canadian magazine). Does anyone know what's going on? Are we all just holding our breath waiting for the "new" government to announce its intentions for post-March 2009?

When it comes to the ongoing viability of small Canadian magazines, it feels like we're staring over the edge of a cliff as we approach the beginning of the next fiscal year.... Any updates or prognostications on what we might expect or what we can do to prepare would be most welcome.

Related posts:

• Magazine funding overhaul delayed until 2010
• Industry CMF support program cut by 20%; what else is in play? Who knows?
• Radical funding overhaul by Heritage proposes merger of CMF and PAP