TORONTO — The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) released Wednesday the results of a survey done to gauge the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Canada’s documentary sector, revealing the heightened vulnerability of those working in the industry.
Conducted in mid-April, the research looked at both the quantitative and qualitative impacts of Covid-19 on Canadian documentary workers. In total 172 people completed the survey, from eight provinces and two territories. As an indication of their work involvement in documentary filmmaking, a large majority (74%) said they derive 50% or more of their income from work in the documentary sector and…
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MONTREAL and VANCOUVER — Canada’s 5G networks are starting to shape up, with Bell Canada announcing Tuesday it will use radio access network (RAN) equipment from Ericsson for its national 5G wireless network, including for its high-speed Wireless Home Internet service for rural customers.
Bell’s national network sharing partner, Telus, announced separately today it will use equipment from Ericsson and Nokia to support the buildout of its 5G network. Bell has already announced Nokia as a key 5G supplier. Telus has said previously it was planning to push ahead with Huawei tech for its 5G infrastructure outside of…
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WINNIPEG and TORONTO — With the Manitoba government allowing film and television production to begin reopening today in the province, the Directors Guild of Canada welcomed the release of the Manitoba Media Production Industry Covid-19 Health and Safety Guide to ensure the safety of the industry’s workers.
“We’d like to thank On Screen Manitoba for their quick, thoughtful leadership, working with us and partners across the industry, to put together this guide,” said Cathie Edgar, chair of the Manitoba District Council for Directors Guild of Canada, in the news release, “and we’d like to congratulate those producers who’ve shown…
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VANCOUVER — After a B.C. Supreme Court ruling earlier today that said extradition proceedings against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou can continue, Huawei Canada issued a statement regarding the case this afternoon.
“Huawei is disappointed in the ruling today by the Supreme Court of British Columbia. We have repeatedly expressed confidence in Ms. Meng’s innocence. Huawei continues to stand with Ms. Meng in her pursuit for justice and freedom,” reads the statement.
Meng is the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer and is facing fraud charges in the United States, which has requested her extradition from Canada. The…
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By Etan Vlessing
IT’S A LIVE TV PRODUCER’S worst nightmare: Take eight months to get the Canadian Screen Awards off the ground, then cancel your in-person, live gala ceremony just before going to air due to a sudden coronavirus pandemic spread, and then be forced to pivot online with entirely preproduced segments.
That’s what confronted the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television suddenly cast into disarray last March by a world in the grip of a Covid-19 crisis.
“You don’t make money by cancelling a show two weeks out. It threw us into a bit of a financial panic,” Beth Janson,…
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OTTAWA — A recent Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association survey compiling data from some of Canada’s telecom providers released today gives insight into just how much Canadians’ consumption of telecom services has changed during the current health crisis, and that the country’s networks remained resilient in the face of all the traffic shifts and increases.
The CWTA collected information regarding wireline and mobile traffic, for broadband and voice, and measured it against a pre-Covid-19 baseline. Facilities-based network operators who were surveyed for the report include Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw/Freedom, Tbaytel, Telus and Videotron.
Among the data highlights of the CWTA’s report, Managing…
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OTTAWA — Through its Data for Good program, Telus said today it is working with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to support government efforts in Canada to flatten the curve and reduce the spread of Covid-19.
NSERC is the largest funder of natural science and engineering research in Canada. Telus will share insights with NSERC researchers free of charge and provide “supervised and guided access to strongly de-identified and aggregated network mobility data” to be used by NSERC-eligible researchers studying and assessing the Covid-19 crisis, says the news release.
For research projects that qualify, NSERC will offer…
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Today marks the 100th anniversary of broadcasting in Canada
By Ken Goldstein
MAY 20, 1920, 100 YEARS AGO TODAY, was warm in Ottawa, with the temperature reaching 24C. That evening, at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, there was a meeting of the Royal Society of Canada, including a demonstration involving new communications technology – “wireless telephony”, as it was then called.
The audience at the Chateau Laurier included Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden and Opposition Leader W.L. Mackenzie King. They heard a program of spoken word and live and recorded musical content that was broadcast from XWA, the Marconi-owned facility in Montreal.
By 1920,…
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OTTAWA — Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) announced today its spring webinar series continues on Tuesday, May 26 with “Building Resilient Communities with Corus”, moderated by Sangita Patel, on-air host at ET Canada.
The webinar topic will be of interest to professionals in the broadcast industry, members of the broadcast audience and anyone now working from home and trying to stay productively connected with their workplace.
The presentation will explore how Corus implemented strategies to forge strong communities and sustain them through difficult times.
In addition to moderator Patel, the virtual panel discussion will include: Cheryl Fullerton, executive vice-president of people…
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TORONTO – On Friday, the Canada Media Fund announced the criteria for the administration and distribution of $88.8 million in new federal government support to television and interactive digital media production companies.
This is part of the $500 million the government is making available through the Covid-19 Emergency Support Fund for cultural, heritage and sport organizations to help mitigate the impact of the crisis on Canada’s production sector.
“We recognize the trust the government has placed in CMF to administer and distribute these much-needed funds in the most effective and expedient way possible. We hope businesses will benefit from these…
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