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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Nish Media’s Hit the Ice returns for its sixth season on APTN

From a media release:

Hit The Ice returns for its sixth season. The 15-episode series features Midget and Junior Indigenous hockey hopefuls, from communities across the country, aged 16 to 18, as they are put through the paces of a real NHL style training camp by a team led by ex-NHL coach and player John Chabot. This year, for the first time ever, hopefuls had the chance to try out either via virtual video or in person in Winnipeg.

Premieres on March 10 on APTN e and APTN hd at 12:00 p.m. ET, APTN w at 10:00 a.m. MT and APTN n at 11:00 a.m CT. The Cree version of the show began on February 7.

The players are tested and put through various hockey drills and other physical challenges during the camp in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, like the pros, the players then go through cuts and watch some of their group released until the final roster is determined.

The 20 remaining prospects then experience the challenges of an NHL calibre training camp featuring physical training, on ice drills and different team building activities which make them grow not only as a team but also as men. Their ultimate payoff is to showcase their skills playing against a Team Made in Manitoba under the scrutinizing eyes of real-life Junior hockey scouts from the Canadian Hockey League as well as U.S. universities. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that few young players will ever get to experience.

The coaching & training team is led by ex-NHL coach and player John Chabot, a member of the Kitigan Zibi First Nation, who returns as head coach of the camp. Chabot played with the Canadiens, Red Wings and Penguins and had coached & assistant-coached for the Islanders as well as in the QMJHL. His team includes:

Assistant Coaches
Ron Choules, currently a coach with the Gatineau Olympiques; was the Assistant Coach for Team Canada U-18; played in the QMJHL, drafted by the Maple Leafs.

Pat Loyer, currently president of the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League; coached in the WHL and various Junior A teams; played in Major Junior for the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Alfie Michaud, Ojibwe, currently the goalie coach for the University of Maine’s hockey team; goaltended for the Canucks, the Danish Sonderjyske Ishockey and in the AHL.

Carrie Peters, a strength and conditioning coach and fitness instructor will take care of the off-ice training.

Guest Coaches
Mark Stone (Ottawa Senators player)

Calvin Pickard (currently Vegas Golden Knights player, formerly Colorado Avalanche)

Travis Hamonic, Métis (currently Calgary Flames player, formerly with NY Islanders)

Joe Cramorossa (currently Stockton Heat/AHL player, formerly with Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks)

Brandon Montour, Six Nations of the Grand River (Anaheim Ducks player).

Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, a University of Manitoba sports psychologist.

J.P. Vigier, a former NHL player (Atlanta Thrashers) and coach.

Brad McEwen, an NHL scout with the Calgary Flames. Brad will lead the player evaluation and selection process for Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for the 2018 World Junior Championship.

R.T. Rice, the Hit the Ice alumnus who has been invited to attend the Vancouver Canucks’ development camp.

Dan Girardin MPT, BESS, is the physiotherapist for the team.

Over the years, Hit The Ice has demonstrated its positive impact on young Indigenous hockey players with many of them now playing in the WHL, QMJHL and the OHL. Everyone’s hope is to one day see one of the players reach their goal of playing in the NHL.

About Nish Media
The series is produced by Nish Media, a multi-award-winning production company based in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Over the past ten years, producer Jason Brennan has produced over 200 hours of television for various networks such as APTN, CBC, Radio-Canada, Ici ArtV, Canal D, TV5 and CBC Docs, including Mouki, Wapikoni, La Fosse aux tigres and six seasons of Hit The Ice, nominated in prestigious television festivals including the Banff World Media Festival and Italy’s FICTS. Its first feature film, “Le Dep”, was selected to play in several film festivals including the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, the Vancouver Film Festival, the Raindance Film Festival, ImagineNative and the American Indian Film Festival. Nish Media is currently adapting Marc Séguin’s novel Nord Alice for film, as well as producing Sonia Bonspille Boileau’s next feature film Rustic Oracle.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

This March on Discovery: New original Canadian series Rocky Mountain Railroad and Season 4 of Jade Fever

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From a media release:

This March, Discovery’s primetime schedule embarks on a bountiful lineup featuring a slew of new and popular returning homegrown programs.

The exhilarating month of authentic, character-driven programming is led by the debut of Discovery’s new original Canadian series ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET beginning March 5. The all-new series casts a spotlight on the elite crews assembled to keep the nation’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling during the winter months by battling deadly avalanches, monster icicles, steep rockslides, and dangerous wildlife. Featuring the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Ontario Northland Railway, ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD takes viewers on an exclusive journey to Canada’s most extreme railways, where the resilient crews do whatever it takes to keep the critical lifeline running smoothly.

Also in March, after a five-year hiatus, Discovery revives the iconic, fan-favourite, customized motorcycle series AMERICAN CHOPPER. Before the series makes its big return to Discovery’s spring schedule, viewers can catch a full-episode sneak peek of AMERICAN CHOPPER as it kicks off Discovery’s “Gear Head Week”, Monday, March 5 at 8 p.m. ET. Before that, “gargantuan” takes on a whole new meaning with the return of DAILY PLANET’s “Gigantic Week”, weeknights at 7 p.m. ET, beginning March 5. Later in March, Discovery heads to Northern B.C. for Season 4 of JADE FEVER, airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET beginning March 13.

Below is a closer look at Discovery’s new and returning programming highlights for March. All programming is subject to change (all times ET; visit discovery.ca to confirm local broadcast times; programming subject to change).

“Gear Head Week”
Driven by an array of automotive-focused programming, “Gear Head Week” (March 5-9) invites viewers to test drive the finely-tuned programming with adrenaline-charged content including:

NEW SERIES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD – New Original Canadian Series
Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning March 5

Featuring the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Ontario Northland Railway, the new eight-part series follows the resilient crews battling ferocious weather and treacherous terrain to keep Canada’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling through the winter. Shutting down is not an option.

NEW SEASONS OF RETURNING SERIES
DAILY PLANET– Theme Week!
Monday, March 5 through Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

If it can be sized up on a truly massive scale, DAILY PLANET is on the case with its annual “Gigantic Week”. Scouring the world for the biggest and most over-the-top science and engineering stories, co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dan Riskin invite viewers to witness the world’s whopping inventions, escalated experiments, and even exceptionally large creatures.

JADE FEVER – Original Canadian Series
Tuesdays at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET beginning March 13

Season 4 of JADE FEVER follows the intense adventures of the Bunce family as they gamble in search of million-dollar boulders of jade in Northern B.C.’s Cassiar Mountains. Claudia and Robin Bunce are taking the ultimate risk this season – mining without investor support and putting their family’s life savings on the line in search for “Grade A” jade. Over a six-week period, viewers can catch a double dose of the Bunces’ exciting, high-stakes search with weekly back-to-back episodes.

 

 

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Awards

Emma Hunter and Jonny Harris to host 2018 Canadian Screen Awards

From a media release:

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) and CBC today announced that Jonny Harris of CBC’s Still Standing and Murdoch Mysteries and Emma Hunter of The Comedy Network’s The Beaverton and CBC’s Mr. D, will co-host the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards Broadcast Gala live on CBC on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The Canadian Academy also announced hosts for the three non-broadcast Canadian Screen Awards Galas and Family Fan Day.

The Canadian Academy and CBC also announced their new production partner for the Broadcast Gala: Insight Production Company. This year marks the inaugural year the Canadian Academy will work with the award-winning content producers to deliver one of the country’s biggest award shows. As part of the new partnership, Insight Productions is taking on the task of bringing the “Golden Era of Entertainment” to the Canadian Screen Awards stage.

Also taking on hosting duties during Canadian Screen Week this year are five very talented Canadian stars who will each bring their own flare and personality to the stage at the three non-broadcast Galas during Canadian Screen Week.

  • Canadian Screen Award nominee and co-anchor of The Comedy Network’s The Beaverton, Miguel Rivas, will host the Gala Honouring Excellence in Non-Fiction Programming Sponsored by Boat Rocker Media and Eagle Vision (March 6, 2018);
  • Award-winning actor and improv dynamo Andrew Phung, of CBC’s Kim Convenience, will host the Gala Honouring Excellence in Creative Fiction Storytelling Sponsored by Technicolor and Thunderbird Entertainment (March 7, 2018); and
  • Mind Fudge’s Jon Simonassi and Justine Nelson will serve as “virtual hosts” through the creation of content for the Gala Honouring Excellence in Digital and Immersive Storytelling Supported by the Independent Production Fund (March 8, 2018).

The three off-air Galas will be produced by e=mc2 events who are working with the Canadian Academy for the first time this year.

Additionally, ET Canada’s Carlos Bustamante will host Family Fan Day, presented by the Canadian Academy and the Shaw Rocket Fund, and supported by City of Toronto at the Sony Centre of Performing Arts on March 10, 2018, which coincides with the beginning of March Break in Toronto.

 

 

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Schitt's Creek

Link: Daniel Levy’s queer comedy asks what would happen if the Kardashians went penniless

From Hilton Dresden of Out:

Link: Daniel Levy’s queer comedy asks what would happen if the Kardashians went penniless
“It was only when we started pulling back the layers on this family that we realized there’s a really tender through line of these strangers coming together and realizing love does not require any financial compensation. And once we struck that chord I think it really sent us on a nice, clear trajectory. In terms of season after season.” Continue reading.

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Industry News

Critically-acclaimed North of 60 returns to the airwaves on APTN

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From a media release:

Several generations grew up watching the popular series North of 60, before it left the TV screen a little over a decade ago. Today, fans are still enthralled with the drama.

“APTN regularly receives phone calls, letters and social media posts from fans asking us to bring back North of 60,” said Jean La Rose, APTN CEO. “When the show originally aired in 1992 it became the most popular series in Canadian history, drawing almost a million viewers per week. It’s apparent that fans miss the show and would love to see it back on the air. APTN has been listening and is thrilled to bring the show back to Canadian television!”

The entire series—six seasons, all 90 episodes—will air in consecutive order starting Monday, February 19. Daily episodes Monday through Friday, airing on APTN e and APTN hd at 5:00 p.m. ET, and on APTN w at 5:00 p.m. MT and APTN n at 1:00 p.m. CT. Fans who prefer a weekly rendezvous can also tune-in on Sundays, starting February 25, on APTN e and APTN hd at 7:00 p.m. ET, APTN w at 7:00 p.m. MT and APTN n at 7:00 p.m. CT.

North of 60 was one of the first shows that represented Indigenous Peoples in a real way. Day-to-day life was highlighted along with issues that mattered most including cultural preservation. It was the first time an Indigenous person was cast as the lead in a Canadian television drama, and the show launched many careers.

The super fans of North of the 60 do not falter, even after all these years. An online petition garnered more than 1,500 signatures and a Facebook page with 4,000 subscribers, including actors from the show, to bring the show back to the screen.

North of 60 was created and produced by Barbara Samuels and Wayne Grigsby, starring Tina Keeper, Tom Jackson, Tracey Cook, Gordon Tootoosis and Gerry Bean (John Oliver).

 

 

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