The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) announced the winners of the 29th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards tonight at Koerner Hall in Toronto. The gala brought together hundreds of screenwriters, industry professionals, and fans—all in celebration of excellence in screenwriting for Canadian film, television, and digital media.
This year’s winners include Jagjiwan Sohal for Comedy Series (Late Bloomer, “The Turban”), Michael Konyves for Drama Series (Wild Cards, “The Infinity Thief”), Jason Buxton for Feature Film (Sharp Corner), Evany Rosen for Tweens & Teens (Davey & Jonesie’s Locker, “Orange is the New Snack”), and many more across 10 categories.
Special honours were also presented:
Leah Johnston received the Sondra Kelly Award, generously sponsored by AFBS.
Faisal Lutchmedial was awarded the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize for Through the Eyes of an Ibis.
With supporting partner, the Canadian Academy, the Margaret Collier Award was presented to Andrew Wreggitt.
The prestigious Showrunner Award was awarded to Matt Schiller for his outstanding work in the kids and teen space.
Hosted by Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience, Run the Burbs) and Jonathan Langdon (Run the Burbs, Open Season: Call of Nature), the gala featured lively moments, and presentations by well-known industry professionals and creators, including maxine bailey (Executive Director, Canadian Film Centre), Joan Digba (Jane, Beyond Black Beauty), Mark Ellis (Allegiance, Flashpoint), Jason Filiatrault (The Order, Entanglement), Allan Hawko (Saint-Pierre, Republic of Doyle), Jamie Thomas King (The Tudors, The Light Before the Sun), Meg MacKay (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Don’t Even), Thomas Santram (Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Cineplex Entertainment, and Chair of the Canadian Academy’s Board of Directors), Robina Lord-Stafford (Saint-Pierre, Wild Cards), Supinder Wraich (Allegiance, Sort Of), and Sugith Varughese (Kim’s Convenience, Transplant).
The WGC also unveiled the new award statue. Like screenwriting itself, the abstract design is open to interpretation. Each viewer may see something different — a folded script, a wing, a hand, or a torch. The artist, Luisé Cisneros Alavez, was inspired by the themes of creativity, freedom, unity, and diversity.
2025 WGC SCREENWRITING AWARDS WINNERS
CHILDREN’S Open Season: Call of Nature, “Cash Camp Pt 1 & 2” | Written by Mike Girard
COMEDY SERIES Late Bloomer, “The Turban” | Written by Jagjiwan Sohal
DRAMA SERIES Wild Cards, “The Infinity Thief” | Written by Michael Konyves
DOCUMENTARY Altona | Written by The Affolter Brothers (Heath Affolter, Nathan Affolter, Thomas Affolter, and Jon Affolter)
FEATURE FILM Sharp Corner | Written by Jason Buxton
MOW & MINISERIES Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers | Written by Keri Ferencz
PRESCHOOL Luna, Chip & Inkie Adventure Rangers Go, “Lights, Camera, Save Eagle Creek!” | Written by Shelley Hoffman & Robert Pincombe
SHORT FILMS (UNDER 60 MINUTES) Let Me In | Written by Joel Buxton
SHORT SERIES (EPISODES UNDER 15 MINUTES) Space Janitors, “Clones War” | Written by Brendan Halloran
TWEENS & TEENS Davey & Jonesie’s Locker, “Orange is the New Snack” | Written by Evany Rosen
CBC today announced streaming and broadcast premiere dates for its winter 2025 slate of new and returning programming on CBC Gem and CBC TV, including more than 30 original series from Canadian creators, producers, and storytellers reflecting people, places and perspectives from across the country. The first episode of all series will be available to stream on CBC Gem starting at 9 a.m. ET on their premiere dates noted below, with a new episode available weekly at the same time unless otherwise specified. CBC TV local broadcast times are noted in parentheses (for Newfoundland and Labrador, please add half an hour to all times). CBC’s special holiday programming will be announced separately in December.
New Canadian Original Series
SAINT-PIERRENew Drama Series (10×60) – Premieres Monday January 6 (9 p.m.)
Fitz (Allan Hawco, Republic of Doyle, Jack Ryan) and Arch (Joséphine Jobert, Death in Paradise) – two seasoned officers with very different policing skills and approaches – are forced to work together to solve unique crimes in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, the French territory just off the coast of Newfoundland.
NORTH OF NORTHNew Comedy Series (8×30) – Premieres Tuesday, January 7 (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., before continuing at 9 p.m. as of January 14)
Filmed in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Inuk actor Anna Lambe (True Detective, Trickster, The Grizzlies) stars as Siaja, a young Inuk woman who dreams of reinventing herself in her tiny Arctic community of Ice Cove, a town where everybody knows your business. After a spontaneous — and extremely public — exit from her marriage, Siaja finds herself navigating the unpredictable, and often hilarious, highs and lows that come with relationships, motherhood, a new job, and finding your way.
SMALL ACHIEVABLE GOALSNew Comedy Series (8×30) – Premieres Tuesday, February 25 (9 p.m.)
Baroness von Sketch Show’s Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill star as two wildly different women in the throes of menopause, thrust together to produce a podcast. The pair embark on an unpredictable journey of transformation, helping each other through workplace challenges and office politics, dating disasters and relationship drama, and some serious health concerns. This comedy follows them on a hormonal adventure where their friendship is the key to finding solace, strength, and a new way forward.
Allegiance
Returning Series
CORONATION STREET ongoing (weekdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.)
FAMILY FEUD CANADASeason 6 (64×30) – Premieres Monday, December 30, airs Mondays – Thursdays (7:30 p.m.)
THE NATURE OF THINGSSeason 64 (11×60) – Premieres Thursday, January 2 (9 p.m.) The new season tears down stereotypes of TEENAGERS (Jan. 2) across the species, breaks into a SWEAT! (Jan. 9) exploring the complex cooling system of humans, and investigates the FOODSPIRACY (Jan. 16) behind ultra processed foods.
SKYMEDSeason 3 (9×60) – Premieres Sunday, January 5 (9 p.m.)
WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVALSeason 22 and 23 (5×60) – Premieres Sunday, March 9 (9 p.m.)
YOU’RE MY HEROSeason 2 (6×15) – All episodes available to stream on CBC Gem beginning Friday, March 14
BOLLYWEDSeason 3 (8×30) – Premieres Thursday, March 20 (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.)
GHOSTING WITH LUKE HUTCHIE AND MATTHEW FINLANSeason 2 (8×30) – All episodes available to stream on CBC Gem beginning Friday, March 21
Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan
CBC News
ABOUT THAT WITH ANDREW CHANG (15×30) – Continues Friday, January 10 at 8:30 p.m. on CBC TV (Weekday mornings on the CBC News streaming channel and available now on CBC Gem)
MARKETPLACESeason 52 (14×30) – Continues Friday, January 24 (8 p.m.)
THE FIFTH ESTATE Season 50 (14×60) – Continues Friday, January 24 (9 p.m.)
THE NATIONAL – ongoing (live at 10 p.m. weekdays and Sundays on CBC TV and CBC Gem)
CBC’s flagship national newscast with Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault (Monday – Thursday) and Ian Hanomansing (Friday and Sunday)
CBC MORNING LIVE WITH HEATHER HISCOX (Weekday mornings on CBC TV and CBC News Network)
CANADA TONIGHT WITH TRAVIS DHANRAJ (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
POWER & POLITICS WITH DAVID COCHRANE (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
ROSEMARY BARTON LIVE (Sundays on CBC TV and CBC News Network)
CBC Sports
CBC SPORTS PRESENTS – ongoing (live on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on CBC TV and CBC Gem)
With the Olympic Winter Games Milano-Cortina 2026 on the horizon, CBC SPORTS brings audiences all the action from the world of high-performance sport with key competitions including: FIS Alpine Skiing Men’s Downhill (Jan. 25 in iconic Kitzbuhel, Austria); FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (Feb. 4 – 16, Saalbach, Austria); FIL Luge World Championship (Feb. 8, Whistler, Canada); IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships (Mar. 6 – 16, Lake Placid, USA); ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships (Mar. 14 – 16, Beijing, China); ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships (Mar. 13 – 16, Hamar, Norway); FIS Snowboard & Freestyle Skiing World Championships (Mar. 17 – 30, Engadin, Switzerland); and ISU World Figure Skating Championships (Mar 26 – 30, Boston, USA). Canada will also host international competitors at the following World Cup events: ISU World Cup Speed Skating (Jan. 24 – 26, Calgary); FIS World Cup Freestyle Skiing (Jan. 25 – 26, Lac-Beauport, Que.); FIS World Cup Freestyle Skiing Moguls (Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, Val Saint-Côme, Que.); FIS Snowboarding World Cup (Feb. 15 – 16, Val Saint-Côme, Que.); FIS World Cup Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle (Feb. 20 – 22, Stoneham, Que.); FIS Snowboarding World Cup (Feb 21 – 22, Calgary); and FIS World Cup Freestyle Ski Cross (Mar. 12 – 15, Craigleith, Ont.). Visit cbcsports.ca for the full schedule.
CBC Kids
THE BRAVEST KNIGHTSeason 2 (13×11) – Premieres Friday, December 13 on CBC Gem and Sunday, January 12 on CBC TV
Sir Cedric – a former pumpkin farmer turned knight, now grown up and married to the prince of his dreams – shares the story of his transformative journey with his 10-year-old adopted daughter, Nia. Through his stories, Nia, who is herself training to become a knight, learns important chivalric values such as honour, justice and compassion. Alan Cumming and Jane Lynch joining returning voice actors TR Knight, Christine Baranski, Wilson Cruz, Steven Weber and Bobby Moynihan.
LANA LONGBEARDNew Animated Series (52×11) – Premieres Friday, December 20 on CBC Gem, with weekly episodes continuing to roll out on CBC Gem as of Friday, January 3
Twelve-year-old Lana Longbeard yearns to join her father Captain Andar on his heroic adventures at sea and leave her home island behind. When Andar decides he’s ready to hang up the hammer and retire Lana takes matters into her own hands, hijacking her father’s ship. After catching up with her Andar is inspired to continue to quest, now together with Lana on a father-daughter voyage of adventure. Set sail with LANA LONGBEARD as she sails across the ten realms with the ragtag crew of the Mighty Windbreaker ship in pursuit of glorious quests, fabulous treasure and delicious pancakes!
GANGNAM PROJECTSeason 2 (10×30) – All episodes available to stream on CBC Gem beginning Monday, March 3
Season 2 follows the young K-pop performers as they transition from One Mile Entertainment trainees through the excitement and make-or-break journey of becoming professional K-pop idols. But while the highs are high, the lows can be even lower – it’s not easy suddenly being in the spotlight. With pressure from OME, expectations from the fans, and dealing with creative differences as a group, friendship and commitment are tested like never before.
