In operation from 1959 to 1963 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, the station was later converted to a rebroadcaster of Ottawa's CJOH-TV.

The station originally signed on as a CBC Television affiliate on October 18, 1959, owned by Toronto architect Stanley Shenkman.

[1] Shenkman also acquired the radio stations CKSF and CKSF-FM, which both adopted the CJSS call sign as well.

[2] The radio stations were sold to a local family, and subsequently broadcast as part of Corus Entertainment.

Of these stations, 1220 AM (as CJUL) left the air August 18, 2010, leaving just CJSS-FM retaining the original call sign.