Hoor Javed of the Canadian Press interviews the people behind Total Drama Island:

• New animated reality show
  “Teletoon’s new tween cartoon “Total Drama Island,” set in a northern Ontario summer camp, is being billed as a reality show, even though the characters aren’t exactly real.”

John Doyle of the Globe and Mail talks to Damian Kindler, creator of the online series Sanctuary:

• Slick new West Coast sci-fi only online
  “One reason why Sanctuary might well succeed as a rare example of pay-to-see content on the Internet (outside of pornography) is its roots in the sci-fi genre. Kindler spent years working as a writer and producer on the Stargate series, which is made in Vancouver. ‘You have this very loyal fan base with a series like Stargate,’ he says. ‘If you pay attention to what the fans are saying, you realize that people spend far more time discussing it online than actually watching it on TV. This is an audience that is ready and willing to accept TV on the Internet and invest in it to the point of paying to see it. Why not deliver the content to where they already are – on the Internet?'”

From Global:

From The Ground Up Season 2
Thursdays – 9pm ET/PT
July 5: “The Kitchens” – It’s a tizzy of a task as Debbie throws everything but the kitchen sink at her protegés. Forced to take creative control, the protegés are given the task of redesigning a kitchen for a client they’ve never met. Debbie enlists the help of the mystery client, ultimately proving that sometimes “mother knows best”.

July 12: “The Sono-Tubes” – Taking a break from right-angles, Debbie has her protegés create a complete furniture collection out of sono-tubes. Debbie and one lucky protegé have everything riding on this one as the winning design will be featured in one of the hottest design magazines!

July 19: “The Living tableau” – Debbie forces her protegés to think in a completely new direction about the job as her Chief Designer; market the Debbie Travis Brand into a living ad that will be unveiled to the public audience. During this final stretch of the race, one solid designer will crack under the pressure and break Debbie’s heart in the process.

July 26: “The Super Bowl of Design Parties” – An impossible feat: plan and design a high-end industry party in less than two days! The protegés get off to a rocky start causing Debbie’s stress and anxiety to mount. With RSVPs pouring in and deadlines looming over her head, Debbie is forced to bring in an event planner to help her protegés pull off the party.

Jesse Kohl and Terry Poulton from Playback compile the list of new and returning shows – a few Canadian:

• Alliance Atlantis channels annouce fall lineups
  “The net’s big show is the much-hyped 26-part original series Home Heist, which puts Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan (How Not To Decorate) to work spreading their gospel of “decorative beautification” in Canada. The show premieres on October 2.”

From Channel Canada (but it’s got to be straight from a media release):

• Three Comedy Series Pilots in the Works from Showcase

The Foundation is a darkly comedic look at the inner workings of a dysfunctional but well-funded charity and its corrupt “Executive Director for Life” Michael Valmont-Selkirk, played by Mike Wilmot (Corner Gas, It’s All Gone Pete Tong). Produced in Montreal, the pilot – in which Valmont-Selkirk unwisely accepts the “Homeless Challenge” to spend a night on the streets – is created and produced by Jennifer Wilson and Michael Dowse (FUBAR, It’s All Gone Pete Tong). Executive producer is Daniel Iron, Foundry Films (Away From Her, Manufactured Landscapes).

In Pure Evil, a suburban father named Frank Smith (played by Rick Roberts, An American in Canada) would love nothing more than to live a normal, peaceful life – except he happens to be the son of Satan. Frank tries to hide his demonic ancestry from his family, despite his evil father’s constant attempts to lure him back to the dark side and bring about the end of days. Things get complicated when Satan possesses the family’s next-door neighbour. This dark comedy pilot, written, produced and directed by Mark Sawers (Alienated, Kids in the Hall), was filmed in British Columbia. Executive producer is Jayme Pfahl of Crescent Entertainment (Terminal City, Moving Malcolm).

Retail follows the exploits of a group of friends and foes who work in a Winnipeg mall. The lead character and provocateur is Shawn (Alex Woods, Citizen Duane), an aspiring drag queen, who works at the makeup counter with his best friend and roommate Jill (Grace Lynn Kung, Slings & Arrows). When their old friend Miss Bitters – a down-on-her luck tranny – moves back to the ‘Peg from Los Angeles and moves into their apartment, their lives are turned upside down. Created by Noam Gonick (Kink, Hey Happy!), the pilot is directed by Shawn Alex Thompson (Billable Hours, Puppets Who Kill). Executive producer is Jamie Brown of Frantic Films (‘Til Debt Do Us Part, Lucid).