Everything about Industry News, eh?

In the news: Tentative deal ends ACTRA strike

From the Canadian Press:

Striking Canadian actors reach deal
“ACTRA, which represents 21,000 members across Canada, said it made sure current productions such as “Deal or No Deal,” “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and the upcoming season of “Canadian Idol” were not affected by the dispute by signing special deals with individual producers. But the producers association complained that the strike significantly hurt potential projects, pointing to prospective U.S. movie deals that have been scuttled by the labour woes.”

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:

Where have all the cultural warriors gone?
“In this crazy battle about the CTF, Trailer Park Boys has become a contentious issue. The show has been the subject of Philistine sneering from Jim Shaw of Shaw Cable, and his view has even been supported by right-wing pundits in certain newspapers. What’s supposed to happen: Are the Boys expected to step up, step out of character and articulate their Canadian-ness? As gloriously representative as they are of our uniqueness, the Boys are part of a mock-documentary TV series. Expecting them to do a Margaret Atwood is ludicrous. Is there no one among the many producers, writers and actors who benefit from the CTF who is willing to speak out, angrily and passionately, about the outrageous stunt being pulled by certain Canadian cable companies?”

From actor Peter Keleghan in Playback:

With no vision comes no Canada
“Since the disastrous 1999 CRTC decision to change the rules for broadcasters, one of our cultural delivery systems, indigenous television, has fallen on hard times. If we had gains by the ’90s with some good sitcoms and dramas, we are now in a place where, because of business concerns, we have been set back decades. We currently make so few shows for so little money, that Cancon hardly registers in our cultural picture, TV schedule, or press.”

Also from Playback:

TV needs “vision,” says Heritage critic Keeper
” ‘We have to be committed to our TV or it will become American,’ says Keeper, the MP for the northern Manitoba riding of Churchill, who is perhaps better known as Michelle Kenidi, the RCMP constable she played for five seasons on CBC’s North of 60.”

From The Gazetta (Montreal):

Quebecor bows to industry pressure
“Quebecor’s olive branch came at the end of a day filled with invectives from members of the domestic TV industry.”

From the Georgia Straight:

Activist calls for revolt against cut to TV fund
“A Vancouver community-media producer is urging consumers to withhold part of their fees to Shaw Communications Inc. Sid Chow Tan, coproducer of EarthSeen and Saltwater City Television, told the Georgia Straight that this might help persuade the Calgary-based cable giant to resume its contributions to the Canadian Television Fund.”