Everything about Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, eh?

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Wild Archaeology: Jacob goes on an underwater archaeological expedition!

This week on Wild Archaeology,  we visit an area I am very familiar with: Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Dr. Rudy and Jacob are off for a scuba diving adventure below the Great Lakes to explore the landscape that revealed itself during times of low water. Jacob’s first dive reveals evidence of waterfalls, far below the lake’s surface near Tobermory, Ont.

Oral history in the region speaks of the Prehistoric Alpena Amberly Ridge which was at one time used by migrating Caribou. Jacob grabs the opportunity to dive in this area as well and sees first-hand the remains of drive lane complexes, proving credible what  oral history has spoken of for generations. During his dive, Jacob collects flake indicative of tool sharpening.

As Dr. Rudy and his team have moved across Turtle Island in this series, they are seeing a “clear pattern between researchers and Indigenous peoples that there is no dichotomy between prehistory and history. Really what we are looking at across this vast landscape is deep history. The lines of evidence that Indigenous people and scientists, archaeologists and many others can bring to the table are only going to add to that, allow us to better understand the past.”

More and more Geomythology (geological occurances documented in myth and legend) is linking oral history with archaeology, providing clues and context to artifacts found in scientific digs. This discipline is also bridging that academic gap between what academia deems as knowledge and what Indigenous peoples have always known is knowledge.

Another really strong episode this week. This is such a great instrument for social studies in classrooms across Canada. As a teacher, with each episode I watch, my head spins with possible lesson plans that would excite children to learn more about Canada’s rich history.

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

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Mohawk Ironworkers build New York

This week, Mohawk Ironworkers explores the connections between ironworkers and New York City.

Thomas Jock II, from Akwesasne explains that workers must travel for the work. Most of the large projects are found along the eastern coast of the U.S. in cities like Albany, New York and Boston. “Booming out” to the job, workers may spend months away from home and family; this is just one of the prices these men must pay for choosing this high paying, very high risk, occupation. Working in New York as a unionized ironworker, a person can earn in the neighbourhood of $2,000 a week.

The work week begins on Sunday, with the six-hour drive from Kahawa:ke or Akwesasne, in order to get to New Jersey for a night’s sleep. The work day begins at 4 a.m. in order to begin the commute to the job site in Manhattan. Several motels in the area recognize status cards, and try to accommodate as many ironworkers as they can with weekly rates. Rooming houses, small apartments and motels have replaced Little Caughnawaga in Brooklyn, New York, with families remaining in Kahnawa:ke.

This episode also covers the history of Mohawk ironworkers that began when they were hired in the 1880’s as unskilled workers on various building projects. Ever since, ironworkers have been traveling where the building boom takes them. Most building sites employ four or five workers from Kahnawa:ke and this brotherhood has helped to preserve the Kanien’keha (Mohawk) language as it’s often the language of choice for Mohawks on the job site.

This history also covers the collapse of the Quebec Bridge in 1907, an accident where 75 of the 86 workers building the bridge died, of which 33 were from Kahnawa:ke. Many of those who tragically died were not killed by the collapse itself, but rather were trapped by the wreckage at low tide and drowned when the tide came in. A number of memorials that have been built to commemorate these workers can be found in Kahnawa:ke.

This is one of the better episodes this season and far richer than many that have preceded it. The traditional documentary style of the program is tiring, particularly when we have seen some great storytelling in documentary formats using innovative techniques. I feel like I am back in grade school, which is a shame since so many of these stories could be presented in a way that engages the audience. I am hoping the directorial talents of Michelle Smith in next week’s episode bring some improvement.

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

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Taken: Cherisse Houle

This week’s episode of Taken focused on the specialized investigation unit known as Project Devote. Officers from the Winnipeg Police and the RCMP deal specifically with cases categorized under “murdered and missing  exploited persons.” The active case of Cherisse Houle, a smart and playful youngster, who loved being active, exemplifies the class of casework this unit was established for. Officers believe any seemingly insignificant detail could prove the key to solving Cherisse’s murder and people are strongly urged to call 1 888 673-3316 to share any information about Cherisse.

Cherisse’s older sister, Jessica, was her best friend; they were inseparable. Bowling, movies and rollerskating were some of their favoured activities as young children, and as a child Cherisse was eager to meet the challenge of school. However, during grade school this all changed and her life turned to a pinball of group homes and foster care. It is Jessica’s belief that had the two sisters never been placed with CFS, Cherisse would still be alive. It was here that they were first exposed to illegal drugs and sex work.

A 17-year-old  mother of an 18-month-old boy, Cherisse was a vulnerable teen who had fallen victim to the sex trade and whose life was plagued with drug use. By all accounts, though she had been making efforts to turn her life around. Cherisse had been reaching out to family members for assistance and had made efforts to get treatment. These requests proved futile. Sadly, due to lack of space, she was turned away from several treatment facilities in the region. Days later, Cherisse vanished.

Last seen on June 26, 2009 in Winnipeg, her body was found on July 1, 2009 by a construction worker near Rosser, Manitoba, adjacent to Sturgeon Creek.

If you have any information about this case or any other active cases you are asked to contact Taken.

Taken airs a new episode Fridays at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

The Liquidator comes to an end on OLN

It’s the end of the road for The Liquidator on OLN. After 91 episodes and five seasons, series star Jeff Schwarz made the announcement via Facebook on Thursday.

“I want to be clear it’s been great filming The Liquidator and based on the success of the show and its ratings, I would have continued,” he wrote. “We hit 163 countries, and had top ratings in Canada, it’s been a pleasure being on OLN. The decision to not renew the show has really nothing to do with them, new regulations with programming is ONE of the main reasons the show is no longer being filmed.” The new regulations Schwarz mentions no doubt refers to the CRTC’s ruling regarding skinny basic and à la carte cable offerings, and suggests OLN won’t exist once consumers are given the power to buy only the channels they want to watch.

“I can assure you that we are working on more TV, and it should happen with any network we look forward in continuing filming,” Schwarz continued in his post. “We did a total of 91 episodes or five seasons with the help of Anaïd Productions. This on any standard was a huge achievement on any level! I want to personally thank all my fans with their support and encouragement and should an opportunity arise and it makes sense we will be back on TV.”

The Liquidator docu-drama series followed the Vancouver-based Schwarz—owner of Direct Liquidation—as he bought up discarded or unwanted merchandise and then sold out of his 30,000 square-foot warehouse. The series won a 2014 Leo Award for Best Screenwriting in a Lifestyle/Information Series and another in 2015 for Best Directing in a Lifestyle/Information Series.

Fans of The Liquidator have gone online and created a petition for folks to sign in a bid to get the series back on the air.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Andrew Younghusband returns with Discovery’s Canada’s Worst Driver and Tougher Than It Looks?

1 Comment

From a media release:

Notable host, creative producer, and writer, Andrew Younghusband is taking over primetime television Monday nights! Discovery, Canada’s most-watched entertainment specialty network, continues rolling out its biggest-ever fall lineup with the season premiere of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT followed by the network’s newest original Canadian series, TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, beginning Oct. 24.

Discovery introduces TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? starring Younghusband as he delves into the toughest jobs, attempts to tackle terrifying heights, extreme sports, small spaces, and strange hobbies. Shot in ultra-vivid 4K UHD, each 30-minute episode finds Younghusband on a mission to tackle wildly different experiences with minimal training, including working as a window cleaner on a dauntingly high skyscraper, wing walking on a bi-plane in mid-air, barefoot water skiing, setting world records, and even racing lawnmowers. Nothing is too scary – or obscure – for Younghusband to try … at least once.

But first, Younghusband is back at the Driver Rehabilitation Centre in Dunnville, Ont., for CANADA’S WORST DRIVER as eight disastrous Canadian drivers take on various challenges behind the wheel in Season 12. CANADA’S WORST DRIVER was Discovery’s most-watched series last season and ranked as the #1 Canadian series on entertainment specialty television among the key adult demos (A25-54 and A18-49). The series also saw a double-digit audience growth among the A25-54 (+15%) and A18-49 (+18%) demos, when compared to its previous season.

This year’s reckless and irresponsible drivers hail from Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton, Ont., Kitchener, Ont., and beyond. Each nominated by a friend or family member, these truly terrible drivers are put through driving challenges in a controlled environment and evaluated by a panel of driving experts: CP24’s Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, a professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and registered psychotherapist Shyamala Kiru.

A first for CANADA’S WORST DRIVER this season, Younghusband examines and compares Canadian driving laws with the customs and driving cultures of other countries, all while administering the series’ trademark tried-and-tested challenges designed to push this year’s driver participants to their limits. Week by week, one driver graduates from the training centre, and merges back on to the open road with their head held high.

The season finale sees the remaining three drivers face the last challenge before one finalist is ultimately named this year’s “Worst Driver”. Viewers can catch up on all previous season finales of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER online now at Discovery.ca. Previous seasons of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER are streaming now on Discovery GO and CraveTV™.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail