From Tony Wong of the Toronto Star:
Link: ‘I never felt safe on set’ — Canadian actors on changing the culture of harassment
“I’ve always felt like this is a boys’ club. I’ve never felt safe on set. Sexual harassment is pervasive and insidious and it exists. It’s not always the crazy stuff you hear about. It can be more subtle. But it’s a fact of life.†Continue reading.
From The Canadian Press:
Link: CBC to launch ad-free paid streaming option as part of revamped TV app
CBC said Monday it plans to launch a paid version of a new CBC TV app that will let viewers watch programs without ads.
The broadcaster said in a memo that the new app, which will also be available for free in an ad-supported version, will allow users to live stream CBC TV, watch episodes on demand on the same day they’re released, see ad-free children’s programming and see series not aired on the network. Continue reading.
From Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter:
Link: Veteran Canadian film producer and broadcaster Felix “Fil” Fraser dies at 86
Fil Fraser, who worked as a broadcaster, writer and radio, TV and film producer over five decades, died Sunday of unspecified causes. He was 86.
“Fil Fraser was a great Albertan whose storied career made him a national treasure and a living legend,” Michael Jorgensen, board chair of the Alberta Media Production Industries Association, said Monday in a statement. Continue reading.
From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:
Link: ACTRA says it’s expediting sexual-harassment complaints processes
The union for Canada’s TV and film performers says it’s expediting its discipline processes for sexual harassment and assault complaints.
At a panel discussion on sexual harassment hosted Friday by the organization behind the Toronto International Film Festival, ACTRA Toronto president Theresa Tova outlined a number of immediate steps the union is taking as it also works with other industry stakeholders on longer-term strategies. Continue reading.
From Simon Houpt of The Globe and Mail:
Link: ‘I think I passed’: CBC’s Hubert Lacroix reflects on his time as president
Every president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation faces challenges, but Lacroix’s tenure was unusually crisis-filled, from a series of budget and staff cuts (in 2009, 2012 and 2014, totalling about 1,900 jobs); the loss of the NHL broadcasting contract; the Ghomeshi scandal and the ensuing revelations of a toxic workplace culture designed to placate hosts; and a conflagration within the human-resources department which sparked a series of lawsuits by former employees. Continue reading.
