I can appreciate that there are still some people out there that need OTA as they have no alternative. Cable may not be available in the area and due to location (tree's etc) even a sat dish could become a very expensive install.

I don't think any public funded Canadian station should be allowed to turn off their OTA signal, after all we are already paying for them. If Ivan and the gang want to shut off CTV and the others, go ahead. 90% of what I can watch on those channels I get on US stations from across the lake. And what I cannot see, I probably can get on line or won't miss.
But we also should be very certain our government is not feeding them anything. They shut down the OTA signal, don't come asking for any help. As a tax payer, I don't want any of my money going into their pockets.