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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Wild Archaeology — Meet the family

Last week on Wild Archaeology, Jenifer missed out on all of the diving fun because she’d returned home to prepare for her community’s PowWow. This week, Dr. Rudy and Jacob met up with Jenifer in Serpent River First Nation, and we got to tag along.

First, they visited Chief Isadore Day, who spoke to the role Jenifer and the series are playing in the process of healing for Indigenous people living in Canada.

“I am really excited that you are doing things that for a lot of years our young people could only dream about. I really attribute these traditional gatherings as a way to bring healing to our people and to give our young people a sense of pride and give them the direction that they need… That begins to give a sense of liberation and freedom and that is the healing that the young people are grasping today,” Day said.

After spending some time enjoying the PowWow, and learning first-hand about the traditions from the elders and community leaders in Jenifer’s home, the series headed to a quartzite quarry in Sheguiandah, on Manitoulin Island. It is believed that a tool made at this quarry more than 10,000 years ago is the same tool found at the site of Jacob’s dive last week. This would indicate that materials were traded around the upper Great Lakes for more that 10,000 years. Jacob and Jenifer also received a quick lesson in flint knapping.

Tuesday’s episode departed from the format that had been established in previous ones; in it we learned more about the cultural aspects that characterize communities in Ontario. It was fantastic getting to hear Chief Day’s comments as they pertain to the healing young Indigenous people are undergoing thanks to the efforts of programs such as Wild Archaeology.

Artifact Tally

Jenifer: Quartzite Endscraper from 8-10,000 years ago
Jacob: nothing

Wild Archaeology airs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Mohawk Ironworkers — The Hill brothers keep it in the family

This week on Mohawk Ironworkers, we head to Six Nations, outside of Brantford, Ont., to visit the Hill brothers. These three siblings have logged more than 83 years of ironwork between them, but their efforts have affected their long-term health. The entire episode focuses on the physical demands that this highly-skilled trade places on your body.

Rodney Hill, the eldest, retired 10 years ago but his time as an ironworker continues to take a toll. Years of hard labour had compressed several vertebrae in his spine, causing excruciating pain and numbness in his limbs. Following several surgeries, he was left paralyzed and is now relies on either a wheelchair or walker to assist in his mobility. Spending countless hours in physiotherapy, Rodney is slowly regaining the use of his legs.  His brothers, Mike and Gary, remain by his side just as they did when they all walked iron together.

In addition to the actual physical loss of his legs. Rodney must also cope with the psychological repercussions. Once a strong, vital man bravely walking the iron high above the city skylines, he must now cope with his reduced mobility. For many men, this is almost as debilitating as the paralysis itself. Rodney, fortified with the same courage he showed in his career, will only be satisfied when he can walk with only the aid of a cane.

Throughout, we learn of the very close familial ties ironworkers have, both within their blood family and within the ironworkers unions.

Mohawk Ironworkers airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Discovery’s Mighty Trains celebrates riding the rails

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Teddy Wilson loves to travel. He also loves trains. So it makes total sense that the InnerSpace and sometime Daily Planet co-host would—when he’s not talking all things sci-fi or science—ride the rails for Discovery’s newest series.

Mighty Trains, debuting the first of six episodes Sunday on the specialty channel, is the latest in the “Mighty” franchise that has previously celebrated ships, planes and cruise ships. But where those three had narration and one-sided conversations to describe what it’s like living and working on the machinery in the sea and sky, Mighty Trains has Wilson climbing aboard, talking directly to viewers and folks riding and working on the trains.

“I think the producers wanted to add a host to this one because the nature of trains is about the journey and a bit more of a focus on the passengers and the travel element,” Wilson says. “And I think having a host is representative of the viewer and drawing them into the journey.” He’s right. When I think of riding a train, it’s about looking out the window, experiencing the scenery, drinking in the adventure and chatting with my seatmates.

teddy_trains

But Mighty Trains, like its counterparts, does go under the hood to explore what’s so special about these trains. Sunday’s first instalment follows Wilson on the Glacier Express, an eight-hour ride from Zermatt, Switzerland, at the base of the Matterhorn, to the ski town St. Moritz. With parts of the line in operation for more than 125 years, it takes old technology to get these sleek, modern train cars through its climb of almost 5 km along inclines of up to 12 per cent, way over the three to four traditional trains can handle.

“This rack and pinion technology is an ancient technology, but it’s used on these ascents and descents,” Wilson says. “Seeing this technology in action and getting to visit the place where they actually build the train cars … I was absolutely blown away by it and that fascination really extended to every episode.” Future Sundays spotlight The Shinkansen, Japan’s bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka; Norway’s North Rail Express, a state-of-the-art freight service between the Arctic Circle and Oslo; the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad and its relationship to the Klondike Gold Rush; and The Ghan in Australia, which travels between Adelaide in the south and Darwin in the north, bisecting the country in its three-day journey.

A Canada-based production wouldn’t be complete without celebrating a train in this country; that happens Oct. 30 when Mighty Trains hops on The Canadian—star of the $10 bill—for the four-day journey from Toronto to Vancouver.

“I’m a proud Canadian and have been all over the country, but I had never crossed the country by train,” Wilson says. “That was a real life highlight for me, waking up every morning and seeing this completely different landscape from the window of a train.”

Mighty Trains airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Discovery.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

HGTV Canada hits close to home in new original series Holmes + Holmes

From a media release:

This fall, HGTV Canada is putting two Holmes under one roof as Canada’s most trusted contractor, Mike Holmes, and his son, Mike Holmes Jr. (MJ), team up in Holmes + Holmes premiering November 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The brand-new, Canadian original series follows the father-son duo as they work together to renovate MJ’s modest bungalow into the perfect first home for MJ and his girlfriend, Lisa. Complementary digital content at HGTV.ca offers fans some of the Holmes’ top tips for renovating and a further glimpse into their relationship in several digital short series.

Mike Holmes has helped hundreds of homeowners over the years, but now the homeowner who needs his help is his son, MJ. In Holmes + Holmes, viewers learn more about the personal lives of the Holmes men as they experience the ups and downs of their most personal renovation challenge to date. While Mike and MJ share a last name, a strong work ethic, and a desire to help others, they don’t always see eye to eye. Their different approaches provide the foundation for unexpected moments of humour and drama – though they always vow to build it right.

HGTV.ca further enriches the Holmes experience for fans with three new digital short series featuring Mike Holmes, MJ and his girlfriend, Lisa. The first digital short series includes construction and how-to tips allowing fans to learn from the pros themselves. Lisa stars in her own digital short series, Lisa’s Healing Herbs, a garden and wellness series where she explores the benefits of herbs – garlic, ginger and mint. Additional rapid-fire questions between Mike, MJ and Lisa result in hilarious, candid responses in several short-form videos. Full episodes of Holmes + Holmes will also be available at HGTV.ca after each episode airs.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

W Network greenlights Season 3 of Hockey Wives

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s W Network and Bristow Global Media Inc. (BGM) are pleased to announce that Hockey Wives has been greenlit for a third season. Production is underway and will see the show travel to new locales over the course of the season.

Set to air in spring 2017, the popular series centres around the lives of ambitious women balancing families, careers and personal aspirations while being married to the game. Cast details will be announced in the coming months.

After the success of the first two seasons on W Network, Hockey Wives will continue to have unparalleled access to the off-the-ice lives of the women who are the captains of their families, careers and relationships.

Hockey Wives is produced by Bristow Global Media Inc. in association with W Network. Executive Producers are Julie Bristow, President & CEO of Bristow Global Media and Megan Sanchez-Warner.

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