CJIL-DT (channel 17) branded on-air as Miracle Channel, is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, Alberta, Canada, owned by The Miracle Channel Association. The station's studios are located on 31 Street North in Lethbridge, and its transmitter is located on Highway 25 north of the city. Launched in 1996, CJIL was the first over-the-air religious TV station in Canada. It has been carried on

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

and

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

providers in other parts of Canada since 2000.

History

The

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...

(CRTC) granted a

broadcasting licence A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary ...

to Dick and Joan Dewert (also known as Dick and Joan Deweert) on April 4, 1995. It debuted on January 14, 1996, broadcasting in southern Alberta, after Canada's 60-year ban on

religious broadcasting Religious broadcasting, sometimes referred to as faith-based broadcasts, is the dissemination of television and/or radio content that intentionally has religious ideas, religious experience, or religious practice as its core focus. In some coun ...

was lifted. It expanded nationally on September 11, 2000. CJIL was the Canadian partner of the U.S. religious broadcaster

Trinity Broadcasting Network The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN; legally Trinity Broadcasting of Texas, Inc.) is an international Christian-based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN solicits donations on its Web site, a ...

(TBN). (The Dewerts had set up an unlicensed

relay transmitter A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or trans ...

for TBN in 1986, which was shut down by the CRTC before CJIL's license was granted.) The station is available globally via satellite and on the Internet. In 1999 and 2001, two additional transmitters were approved by the CRTC to be added in Bow Island and Burmis. On May 20, 2007, Dick Dewert admitted to an extramarital affair and resigned from the station. Joan Dewert resigned as well. Mervyn Mediwake was installed as the interim

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

. On January 1, 2010, after a series of interim leaders, the board of directors of the Miracle Channel Association hired Leon Fontaine, senior pastor of the

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

-based Springs Church, as permanent CEO. On July 8, 2013, TBN announced a partnership with Miracle Channel. As a result, Miracle Channel began airing some of TBN's flagship programs, including '' Praise the Lord'' and ''Behind The Scenes'', while TBN's networks picked up some of Miracle Channel's programs, including Springs Church services, and ''The Leon Show'' on The Church Channel. Plans were also announced for Fontaine to be a regular host on ''Praise the Lord'', and for four episodes per year to originate from Canada. The two networks also announced plans to co-produce a new weekly program. The move came weeks following Daystar's announcement of a similar program supply deal with Grace TV, which would soon be rebranded

Daystar Canada Daystar Television Canada is a Television in Canada, Canadian specialty channel that broadcasts religious broadcasting, Religious programming dedicated to the Christianity, Christian faith. It is owned by World Media Ministries. Originally known ...

. On September 19, 2017, the channel premiered a daily newscast, ''Bridge City News'', hosted by Hal Roberts. In 2024, MCA received approval for a new discretionary specialty channel known as Corco, dedicated primarily to family-oriented programming and a limited amount of religious content. In February 2025, it relaunched as a Canadian version of Merit TV as part of an agreement with

Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

's Merit Street Media.

Over-the-air in Alberta

In 2007, The Miracle Channel Association filed an application with the CRTC for a licence to operate English-language transitional digital television programming undertakings in Calgary (Channel 15) and Edmonton (Channel 21). If approved, these transmitters would have simply rebroadcast CJIL in its entirety. The applications were denied, however, in favour of a competing application from the

Crossroads Television System Yes TV (stylized as yes TV) is an independently owned Canadian nonprofit and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission-licensed religious broadcasting television system in Canada. It consists of three conventional over-the-air ...

. As part of spectrum re-allocation, full-power over-the-air transmitters on channels 52–69 must vacate those channels, but may move to a channel below 52. CJIL's transmitter in Burmis, CJIL-TV-2 channel 55, was affected by this change. In filings to the CRTC, CJIL has stated that it plans on shutting down this transmitter.

Criticism

''The Miracle Channel Review'', a Christian-run website unaffiliated with the network, has been critical of the Dewerts and other personalities over the

prosperity gospel Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, the gospel of success, seed-faith gospel, Faith movement, or Word-Faith movement) is a belief among some Charismatic Christians that financial bl ...

message they have preached during CJIL's fundraising

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

s. ''The Miracle Channel Review''s webmaster, Tim Thibault, issued formal complaints with the CRTC over improper statements made during CJIL's telethons; the CRTC ruled in 2006 that the fundraising cited by Thibault violated federal guidelines.

Transmitters

On March 30, 1999, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Bow Island on channel 39. On August 30, 2001, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Burmis on channel 55.Decision CRTC 2001-491
Addition of a transmitter of CJIL-TV Lethbridge at Burmis, ''CRTC'', August 13, 2001

References

External links

*
CJIL-DT
at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the

Canadian Communications Foundation The Canadian Communications Foundation (CCF) was a Canadian nonprofit organization which documented the history of broadcasting in Canada, particularly radio and television networks, programs and broadcasters. The organization was established in ...

The Miracle Channel Review
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cjil-Tv 1996 establishments in Alberta Christian television stations in Canada JIL-DT Mass media in Lethbridge Television channels and stations established in 1996 JIL-DT