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Cottage Life dives into summer with sensational lineup of new programming

From a media release:

Cottage Life, a Blue Ant Media multi-platform brand that celebrates weekend living, is heading into summer with a lineup of new series that showcase fascinating animal stories and breathtaking retreats, as well as exclusive new online videos and its first-ever virtual reality shorts, featuring the Brojects.

Beginning Monday, July 4, the channel will premiere What on Earth? that gives viewers unique viewpoints of the natural world. Wednesday, July 6 will see the debut of the highly anticipated Season 7 of Hope For Wildlife, which follows the day-to-day operations of a non-profit wildlife refuge in Nova Scotia. Continuing the wildlife theme on Wednesdays, the series will be followed by Vet on the Hill and David Attenborough’s Natural Curiousities. Rounding out the schedule, viewers will get their weekend fix of stunning vacation homes beginning July 9, with new installments of series starring fan-favourite hosts like Charlie Luxton and George Clarke, as well as a new real estate series, Home of the Year. Additionally, audiences will be able to watch full episodes and webisodes of fan-favourite Cottage Life series, including Cabin Pressure and Brojects: In The House on CottageLife.com.

Hope For Wildlife (New Season, Canadian Premiere) begins its highly anticipated Season 7 on Wednesday, July 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. In this new season, the harshest Atlantic winter in a century challenges the staff at the Hope for Wildlife rehabilitation centre as they’ve never been tested. Construction on an expanded care facility for the centres resumes, but the melting snow reveals more orphaned and injured animals than the staff has ever encountered. Watch as Hope Swinimer, maintaining her signature optimism, inspires her crew to care for more than 3,000 animals — including more white-tailed deer than the sanctuary can hold — in a truly remarkable year of contrast and change.

New Online Videos
CottageLife.com is debuting its first-ever virtual reality videos, in which Brojects fans will be treated to new videos with 360-degree footage that complement the exclusive Brojects: In The House mini-build webisodes. Each video features a one- to three-minute scene related to key moments in the zany webisodes that gives viewers a 360-degree vantage point. The 360 videos can be found at CottageLife.com/video and can be viewed on desktop or smartphone. For a truly immersive virtual reality experience that puts viewers in the house with the brojects themselves, fans can visit brojects.tv for information on downloading the Brojects VR app and obtaining a Brojects Google cardboard viewer.

Over the summer, Cottagelife.com will also roll out five new short videos a week as part of its popular original web series that feature helpful bite-size tips, essential how-to tutorials, useful advice from Cottage Life Editor, Michelle Kelly and beautiful lakeside moments. Some of the videos set to debut this summer will include the basics for cooking a great steak, a DIY ice cream treat to impress guests and a look at unique locations in Canada. The site will also allow audiences to catch up on full episodes of new series such as Hope For Wildlife, which will join full episodes of fan favourites including Colin & Justin’s Cabin Pressure and Brojects: In The House. Audiences will find Cottage Life’s complete library of new and pre-existing online videos and webisodes at cottagelife.com/video.

Cottage Life is a Blue Ant Media multi-platform brand, celebrating the people, activities and places that make leisure time special. Exclusive content covers real estate, food, DIY projects and much more. Both informative and entertaining, no one captures the essence of weekend living like this. tv.cottagelife.com

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Historica Canada releases new Heritage Minutes on Residential Schools and Treaties

From a media release:

In a ground-breaking addition to its Heritage Minute collection, Historica Canada is releasing a pair of new Minutes that explore vital moments in Indigenous history: treaty-making and residential schools. The Minutes highlight darker chapters of Canadian history and come a year after the conclusion of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“If Canada is going to move towards reconciliation then we have to engage in some hard truths about residential schools and treaties,” said Shane Belcourt, director of the two Minutes. “We had so much to say about the issues but only one minute. My hope is these Minutes lend themselves to a larger dialogue.”

“Chanie Wenjack” tells the story of a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who ran away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in 1966. Wenjack (known as Chanie to his family, but historically as Charlie) died shortly into his journey. His death sparked the first inquiry into the conditions faced by residential school students. Wenjack’s sister, Pearl Achneepineskum, herself a survivor of residential school, shares the story in her own voice.

“Naskumituwin (Treaty)” tells the story of the signing of Treaty 9 through the eyes of a historical witness, George Spence. Spence, an 18-year-old Cree from Albany, James Bay, witnessed the treaty signing at Fort Albany on August 3, 1905. In the oral history tradition, Spence passed the story of the treaty signing down through his family. His great-granddaughter, Rosary Spence, shares the story as she inherited it.

The Heritage Minutes were produced by Historica Canada and Toronto-based Wabunganung Film Company Ltd. They were written by acclaimed author Joseph Boyden. Boyden and filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin provide the iconic end narration for “Wenjack” and “Treaty”, respectively. Additional educational materials for teachers are available here and here.

These Heritage Minutes were made possible through funding from the Ontario government. Historica Canada thanks Porter Airlines for its generous donation of travel vouchers for this project.

 

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Stingray Digital Group to acquire Juicebox, MuchLoud, MuchRetro, and MuchVibe from Bell Media

From a media release:

Bell Media today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Montréal-based Stingray Digital Group Inc. (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B) for the sale of four of its specialty services: Juicebox, MuchLoud, MuchRetro, and MuchVibe.

“These services are a perfect complement to Stingray’s strong multiplatform music portfolio,” said Mary Ann Turcke, President, Bell Media. “Divesting these channels enables us to focus our resources on Bell Media’s leading slate of specialty services while maintaining our Music First commitment with our portfolio of radio, TV, and digital platforms, including the upcoming launch of iHeartRadio in Canada.”

“Both Bell Media and Stingray recognize the tremendous potential for Canadian content services operated by broadcasters of all sizes. This transaction helps foster a more competitive broadcast environment and ultimately creates more choice for consumers by capitalizing on both companies’ strengths.”

Upon completion of the transaction, the channels will be rebranded by Stingray. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2016. Financial terms will not be disclosed.

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Nova Scotia film budget increased in 2016-17 to meet demand

From a media release:

An additional $1.5 million will be provided for projects completed this fiscal year, bringing the total budget for the program to $11.5 million for 2016-17.

“We value our film industry and we want it to be successful and stable,” said Mark Furey, Minister of Business. “We’ve been working closely with Screen Nova Scotia to monitor activity and requirements under the fund and we’re pleased to see more productions applying. This will benefit the economy with more jobs and increased spending in Nova Scotia.”

Government and industry have been monitoring all approved, pending, and anticipated applications, as well as the year each production is expected to be completed and paid out, to forecast capacity in the fund.

The Nova Scotia Film and Television Production Incentive Fund, introduced in July 2015, provides between 25-32 per cent of eligible costs such as labour and goods and services purchased from a Nova Scotia-based supplier.

To date, Nova Scotia Business Inc., the program administrator, has announced 17 productions representing $4.9 million in funding commitments. Those approved productions, which span several fiscal years, can be found at www.nsbi.ca/filmfunding. Continue reading.

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Link: Derek Miller challenges the Canadian entertainment industry with TV show

From Lindsay Monture of Two Row Times:

Link: Derek Miller challenges the Canadian entertainment industry with TV show
Derek Miller is no stranger to the challenges of establishing freedom of expression in the face of the Canadian government. Derek’s performance variety TV series The Guilt Free Zone had been in conflict with some Canadian entertainment industry policies and had fought to bring it into its second season. Continue reading.

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