Canadian Crossing

2020 Canadian Screen Awards film winners

Canada's entry to the Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, Antigone took most of the major awards at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards online last night.

The Quebecois film won Best Motion Picture, Adapted Screenplay, best editing, and individual acting awards for Nahema Ricci (Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role) and Nour Belkhiria (Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role).

Sophie Deraspe, who directed Antigone and won the Adapted Screenplay award from the Sophocles play, specifically cast unknown people for the roles, including Ricci and Belkhiria.

Canada's previous Oscars entry Chien de Garde only won a major award for Théodore Pellerin, who was the narrator for the Canadian films section last night.

Antigone doesn't make Oscars shortlist for best international feature film

Canadian film review: Antigone

Antigone is Canada's entry to the Oscars for Best International Feature Film

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn took home a couple of awards for The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. Tailfeathers and Hepburn won for Achievement in Direction and Original Screenplay. The film also won Achievement in Cinematography.

Mark O'Brien won Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his role as Terry Sawchuk in Goalie. You might recall that Goalie was shown on CBC in March as part of its Movie Night in Canada programming.

The legendary Remy Girard won Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for And the Birds Rained Down | Il pleuvait des oiseaux

The awkward Murmur from Heather Young won the John Dunning Best First Feature Film Award. Menteur | Compulsive Liar won the Golden Screen Award for the Canadian film that made the most money at the box office.

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up won the 2020 Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary over Alexandre le fou; If You Could Read My Mind; Invisible Essence: The Little Prince; and Prey.

CBC is showing Canadian films to fill time on Hockey Night in Canada

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Canadian film review: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2019

Kuessipan and The Twentieth Century were outstanding films that got shut out of the major awards. The latter film was also up for the John Dunning Best First Feature Film Award. The Twentieth Century won for Costume Design, Hair, and Art Direction / Production Design.

The Song of Names from Francois Girard had the most nominations with 9 and won 5 awards: Makeup; Sound Editing; Overall Sound; Original Score; and Original Song.

Belkhiria didn't have a lot of screen time. I haven't seen most of the films in that category so I am at a disadvantage. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Violet Nelson were both nominated in the best actress category for The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. Nelson would have taken supporting actress if she had been in the category.

In the battle of Canadian historical figures, O'Brien had a tough role in becoming Terry Sawchuk but Dan Beirne blew us away as William Lyon Mackenzie King in The Twentieth Century.

2020 Canadian Screen Awards to be unveiled online May 25-28

Canadian Screen Awards ceremony scheduled for last night but remains in limbo

COVID-19 forces TIFF Bell Lightbox to close for a month, cancel Canadian Screen Awards

Expanding on the Canadian film nominees at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards

Anne with an E, Schitt's Creek dominate 2020 Canadian Screen Awards nominations

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Pandemic be damned, having an individual night to celebrate Canadian film was a glorious notion. When we do this in person, let's have a night for TV and a night for film.

The 2020 Canadian Screen Awards are presented by CBC and CTV with the support of Telefilm Canada and Canada Media Fund.

photo credit: Antigone film

2020 Canadian Screen Awards television winners

Emily Hampshire won a pair of 2020 Canadian Screen Awards last night in an online ceremony. Hampshire won Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series for Save Me and Best Supporting Actress for Schitt's Creek.

The venerable CBC comedy won 4 awards Wednesday night: Best Comedy Series along with individual honours for Eugene Levy (Best Lead Actor) and Catherine O'Hara (Best Lead Actress).

Kim's Convenience got the other 2 acting awards: Andrew Phung for Best Supporting Actor and Amanda Brugel for Best Guest Performance.

Baroness von Sketch Show won Best Sketch Comedy Show & Ensemble Performance and Best Writing, Variety or Sketch Comedy.

Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney of Letterkenny won Best Writing. The other 4 contenders were from Schitt's Creek.

Tatiana Maslany won 2 awards in 2017 for Best Actress, Drama (Orphan Black) and Best Actress (The Other Half).

Cardinal dominated the drama portion. Just like Schitt's Creek, the CTV show won Best Drama Series and acting awards for Billy Campbell (Best Lead Actor), Karine Vanasse (Best Lead Actress), and Kristen Thomson (Best Supporting Actress).

Thom Allison won Best Supporting Actor for Killjoys. Dalmar Abuzeid won Best Guest Performance for Anne with an E, the only acting award for this series.

Cardinal won Best Writing for Patrick Tarr, Noelle Carbone, and Aaron Bala.

Could build an all-star Canadian TV lineup out of shows that are leaving

2020 Canadian Screen Awards to be unveiled online May 25-28

Canadian Screen Awards ceremony scheduled for last night but remains in limbo

COVID-19 forces TIFF Bell Lightbox to close for a month, cancel Canadian Screen Awards

Anne with an E, Schitt's Creek dominate 2020 Canadian Screen Awards nominations

Anne with an E cancellation might be start of fallout with CBC and Netflix

The Golden Screen Award for TV Drama or Comedy goes to the most-watched Canadian TV series. This year's winners were in a tie with Murdoch Mysteries (CBC) and Private Eyes (Global).

You can catch up with all of the winners going back to Monday night.

I wondered if Noah Reid might get the call for Best Supporting Actor but Andrew Phung had a great year on Kim's Convenience. Was partial to Caroline Dhavernas to win for Mary Kills People since that show is done for the awards. As we noted earlier this week, you had 3 strong contenders in that category.

Have loved Kristen Thomson since Away From Her but Elizabeth Saunders was terrifying in Mary Kills People.

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Each segment of the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards had its own narrator in lieu of a host. Monday's narrators were legendary news anchor Lloyd Robertson, Toronto Raptors PA announcer Herbie Kuhn, and writer, director, producer, and actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. The Tuesday list consisted of actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and previous host Emma Hunter (The Beaverton). Last night, we had Evany Rosen and Kayla Lorette in the first segment and Eric McCormack in the second segment.

The 2020 Canadian Screen Awards are presented by CBC and CTV with the support of Telefilm Canada and Canada Media Fund.

photos credit: Schitt's Creek; Cardinal

Could build an all-star Canadian TV lineup out of shows that are leaving

In the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards television awards handed out online tonight, 4 of the 5 Best Dramatic Series contenders aren't producing any more episodes.

Cardinal, Mary Kills People, and Vikings left on their own terms while Anne with an E came to an abrupt end. Coroner is the only contender that will return with more episodes.

On the comedy side, Schitt's Creek is done and Baroness von Sketch Show will be done this fall.

Baroness von Sketch Show to end after 5 seasons this fall

Saying goodbye to Cardinal

2020 Canadian Screen Awards to be unveiled online May 25-28

These are nominees in the individual Canadian Screen Awards categories who aren't coming back in their shows:

Drama

Best Dramatic Series: Anne with an E; Cardinal; Mary Kills People; Vikings
Best Lead Actor: Billy Campbell (Cardinal); Shawn Doyle (Unspeakable)
Best Lead Actress: Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E); Caroline Dhavernas (Mary Kills People); Karine Vanasse (Cardinal)
Best Supporting Actor: Rossif Sutherland (Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey); Brendan Fehr (Daughter of the Wolf); Hugh Thomson (Forgive Me)*; Thom Allison (Killjoys)
Best Supporting Actress: Kristen Thomson (Cardinal); Karen Robinson (Forgive Me)*; Kelly McCormack (Killjoys); Elizabeth Saunders (Mary Kills People); Rosemary Dunsmore (Street Legal)

*uncertain if Forgive Me will have a Season 4

Comedy

Best Comedy Series: Schitt's Creek
Best Lead Actor: Daniel Levy, Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek)
Best Lead Actress: Annie Murphy, Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek)
Best Supporting Actor: Chris Elliott, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan (Schitt's Creek)
Best Supporting Actress: Mary Walsh (Little Dog); Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Sarah Levy (Schitt's Creek)

Depending on the status of Forgive Me, Brandon Oakes (Diggstown) is the only supporting nominee, male or female, in a show that is likely to come back. You could easily justify giving the Best Lead Actress to McNulty, Dhavernas, or Vanasse.

Mark Forward (Letterkenny) along with Andrew Phung and Nicole Power (Kim's Convenience) are the only supporting nominees that are presumably coming back.

We should point out that the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards can contain nominations from Cardinal, Vikings, Anne with an E, Schitt's Creek, and Baroness von Sketch Show since their final seasons will fall in the 2021 window. Still, you get the idea.

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Adieu to Schitt's Creek

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CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

The good news is there will be a lot more room for award nominations for the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards. Kim's Convenience and Workin' Moms can contend for more awards on the comedy side.

This is the part where we might suggest other shows and actors that would get future Canadian Screen Awards nominations. The uncertainty with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic means we don't know the near future for anything.

Besides, the 2021 and 2022 versions of the Canadian Screen Awards may have some good surprises. Canadian television is stronger than ever before and that cream will rise.

photo credit: Mary Kills People/Global

Baroness von Sketch Show to end after 5 seasons this fall

The good news is that there will be a Season 5 for Baroness von Sketch Show this fall on the CBC and later on IFC. The bad news is that the 8 episodes are the final ones for the troupe.

Co-creators Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne, and Jennifer Whalen shot those episodes pre-pandemic last fall. The announcement of the end came last week as the TV industry on both sides of the border is in flux thanks to COVID-19.

After five fantastic years, we have decided that Season 5 of Baroness von Sketch Show will be our last. We are so grateful to have been given the opportunity to share our deepest embarrassments, existential angst and daily observations with you, our fans.

We hope you'll enjoy Season 5 of Baroness von Sketch Show.

Love,

Carolyn, Meredith, Aurora and Jennifer.

The Mom Jeans sketch is the one I like people to know when they know nothing about the Baroness von Sketch Show. I tell them if you like this sketch, try more of them. (Here is a link to the sketch for those in Canada.)

The Hamilton sketch from Season 4 was wonderful as someone who has been to Hamilton.

In the early seasons, Whalen was more in the background. She became less shy in Season 4. Browne was a lot more blonde in Season 4.

IFC should applaud the unique drink that is a Caesar

Baroness von Sketch Show makes U.S. debut on IFC

CBC ran the first 2 seasons in 2016 and 2017 in the summer before smartly promoting the show to the fall lineup in 2018. IFC picked up the show, though made them change a reference to a Caesar into a Bloody Mary, fearing that Americans couldn't Google what a Caesar was.

CBC finally gave the show a proper timeslot Tuesdays at 9 pm for Season 3. The network then buried the show behind Tallboyz, shifting the program to 9:30 pm on Tuesdays. We don't know what timeslot the show will get for Season 5.

The show had 6 and 7 episodes in the summer run. The previous 2 seasons have had 10 episodes.

Top 10 best Canadian TV shows in the 2010s

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Baroness von Sketch Show barely beat out Workin' Moms to reach the top 10 shows of the previous decade. Rather good for only 33 episodes to that point.

We will have more to honour the amazing talent of these 4 and their collaborators after the end of the run this fall. Hopefully, we will have a better sense of what is coming to television this fall on both sides of the border. Good to know Baroness will be a part of it and will savour those last 8 episodes.

video credit: YouTube/IFC
photo credit: Baroness von Sketch Show/CBC

2020 CFL preseason schedule

Date	Game	Time	Cdn TV
May 24	Edmonton @ Winnipeg	4p
May 28	Hamilton @ Toronto	11a
May 29	Montréal @ Ottawa	7:30p
May 30	Saskatchewan @ Calgary	4p
May 30	BC @ Edmonton	4p
June 4	Ottawa @ Hamilton	7:30p
June 5	Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan	9:30p
June 5	Calgary @ BC	10p
June 6	Toronto @ Montréal	1p
All times Eastern. TSN broadcasts are available on ESPN+.

Just preserving what would have been the 2020 CFL preseason schedule for the history books. There are no new CFL games anytime soon.

The chain of announcements on Wednesday felt like falling dominoes. The season, if there is one, won't start until at least September. Regina will host the 2022 Grey Cup instead of having the honour in 2020.

The 2020 Grey Cup, if the season is played, will be held in the stadium of the higher seed among the Grey Cup teams. There will be no 2020 Grey Cup Festival.

The 2020 version of Touchdown Atlantic — the first regular season game ever in Halifax — is postponed.

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroisie told a House of Commons standing committee on finance earlier this month that the most likely scenario for the CFL is a cancelled 2020 season.

"Ours is a big brand but not a wealthy business," Ambrosie told the committee. "Unlike large U.S.-based leagues, our biggest source of revenue is not TV — it's ticket sales."

There is the ask for help from the Canadian government ranging from $20 million to $150 million as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The discussion has shifted a bit to a possibility of hub cities. We submitted the idea of playing in the Maritimes in a limited 9-game, 8-week schedule.

If CFL plays in 2020, have all the games in the Maritimes

2019 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

I want to, before I leave this plain of existence, sit at Varsity Stadium and watch a 11 am Toronto Argonauts preseason game. The Boston Red Sox play a 11 am baseball game on Patriots Day. That would be so cool.

If the CFL needs to double up on games in a hub site, unusual starting times might need to be a reality.

Right now, this is fun and speculation. American players would need to come up — assuming the border is open to them — and do a 14-day quarantine. Cities would have to allow a game with zero fans. The league would have to decide if that is financially viable. The conversation has been slightly more upbeat than the fatalistic words from Ambroisie.

TSN has been running classic CFL Encore games. Surprisingly, ESPN+ isn't running any of those games. Astonishing that ESPN+ doesn't carry more CFL coverage from pregame coverage to Wired, the weekly show on TSN.

The NFL might be able to play this fall where ticket sales aren't as crucial, the TV money is better, and they can play later in warmer climes. BC Place is the one guaranteed indoor stadium where the CFL could play late. Olympic Stadium in Montréal still has a roof issue and the CFL might not literally fit into Rogers Centre anymore.

The regular season was scheduled to start June 11, 2020. We wonder when the next regular season CFL game will be.

photo credit: CFL

Saying goodbye to Cardinal

We do give a lot of love to CBC comedies and dramas but we need to give more love to fine Canadian shows on the private networks.

Cardinal only had 24 episodes over 4 seasons on CTV but proved to be a well-done Canadian television drama with a significant viewing audience in the United States.

Cardinal features detectives John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse) in fictional Algonquin Bay.

Most shows choose the best weather to shoot: Schitt's Creek shot its only Christmas episode in the summer. Cardinal was set in winter in seasons 1 and 4 with spring in Season 2 and autumn in Season 3. The show is based on the Giles Blunt books: Forty Words for Sorrow (Season 1); Blackfly Season (Season 2); By the Time You Read This (Season 3); Until the Night (Season 4).

Cardinal was a great outlet for wonderful Canadian talent such as Brendan Fletcher, Allie MacDonald, Kristen Thomson, Kris Holden-Ried, Orphan Black veterans Kevin Hanchard and Kathryn Alexandre, Susan Coyne, Jennifer Podemski, and Devery Jacobs.

Farewell, Cardinal (tv-eh.com)

The show was also intriguing since Vanasse got to play a French-Canadian character. She has played a French character on U.S. television (Pan Am).

Thank you to everyone who joined us tonight and for the past four seasons. Thank you all and goodnight. #Cardinal #UntilTheNight pic.twitter.com/6ZbkfK7vJ5

— Cardinal (@CardinalCTV) May 12, 2020

Cardinal offered a gritty portrayal of small town life in Ontario. Definitely not boring.

The series is broadcast on Hulu in the United States as well as BBC Four in the United Kingdom, C More in Scandinavia, Calle 13 in Spain, and SBS in Australia.

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Karine Vanasse latest to play French-Canadian on English language TV

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Since we are honouring Canadian TV dramas that aren't from the CBC, we have a couple of non-updates.

Season 3 of Private Eyes started just under a year ago on Global (May 29) and ran through August 7 with 12 episodes. We have not heard a peep about whether Ion will show Season 3 in the United States or when that might happen.

We have noted that Ion is an odd network for the show since the death count on Private Eyes is much lower than their lineup of shows.

Private Eyes had 12 episodes in Season 3. Global has a 12-episode Season 4 scheduled to air this summer.

We also haven't heard anything from Hulu on Season 3 of Mary Kills People. Hulu has had Seasons 1-2 of the Global drama. Lifetime carried the first 2 seasons on cable TV but dropped the show before Season 3.

We wish we had much better news on either show.

photo credit: Bell Media
Twitter capture: @CardinalCTV

Andrew Scheer likely never was going to lose his U.S. citizenship

"We also found out that Scheer is a dual citizen with the United States and Canada. Scheer said he started the process in August to renounce his citizenship."

We speculated at the time of the Canadian federal election last fall that Andrew Scheer, leader of the Conservative Party, hadn't actually started the process to renounce his citizenship.

"Knowing that I won't be prime minister, I discontinued that process," Scheer said on CTV's Question Period with Evan Solomon on Sunday.

Solomon asked Scheer when exactly he stopped the process of dropping his American citizenship. "I'd have to go back and check."

Solomon also asked what the reasons where for the reversal. Scheer said they were personal.

Canada election 2019: Diary of an 'insurance broker'

Transparency is crucial for Canadians to decide on a dual citizen for prime minister

You are certainly entitled to ask why do we care about Andrew Scheer's citizenship when a) he isn't going to be prime minister and b) we're in the middle of a pandemic.

Too often, journalism stories get tossed to the side, pandemic or otherwise. Journalism is about chasing a story even when that story disappears from the headlines.

Without paperwork or an admission of guilt, we can't verify whether Scheer is a liar in this instance. His vague notions and words imply guilt but aren't a direct confirmation.

Conservative supporters might wonder if Scheer was all that viable of a candidate if he knew the dual citizenship would be an issue. Remember that Scheer only admitted to being a dual citizen when asked and treated it like it was no big of a deal. The Conservatives are running a new leadership campaign that will be settled in late August with postal ballots needing to be completed and received by August 21. The list of candidates is down to Peter MacKay, Erin O'Toole, Leslyn Lewis, and Derek Sloan.

Andrew Scheer told enough lies during the 2019 campaign to fill the ferry that goes out to Centre Island on the Toronto Islands. Scheer told the truth about being a dual citizen. Then we found out Scheer had targeted Michaëlle Jean's dual citizenship, specifically because she was French, while Scheer kept quiet about his dual citizen status.

Scheer said he would have said he was a dual citizen if asked. Do we know have to ask MacKay, O'Toole, Lewis, and Sloan if they are dual citizens?

The Canada-U.S. border has been closed since March 21 and will be until at least June 21. If the prime minister is a dual citizen deciding on when the border reopens, and Canadians don't know their prime minister is a dual citizen, that would pile on an already imbalanced relationship between the countries.

Canadian-born Ted Cruz to run for U.S. president

Ted Cruz is no longer a Canadian citizen

Ted Cruz gets about 8 months to learn something about Canada

Is Canadian-born Ted Cruz eligible to be U.S. president?

We noted last fall that Ted Cruz was smarter than Andrew Scheer. Cruz's approach was comical to pretend he wasn't a Canadian citizen but we did get proof that Cruz was no longer a Canadian citizen. We still think Cruz is a Cuban citizen but that is for another column.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

Canada currently has a minority government, one filled with lots of serious sagas in a short amount of time. Predicting when a minority government will fall is virtually impossible. When that election comes, the Conservative Party has a stronger chance of forming government than most of the parties in the race. Having a candidate with some integrity would be a giant step over Andrew Scheer. Canadians should know basic truths about a potential prime minister. From every indication, Andrew Scheer would have made being a dual citizen a secret he didn't think Canadians deserved to know.

photo credit: CTV News Channel

U.S. television turns to Canadian TV shows to fill gaps due to COVID-19

Flashpoint and Rookie Blue showed that U.S. television viewers can handle Canadian television drama shows that aren't too unusual (Orphan Black, Travelers). With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, U.S. television is looking to fill gaps in their programming schedule.

Traditionally, last week would have been filled with grand ceremonies promoting the new fall lineups on American television with lots of new shows.

No grand ceremonies this time around due to social distancing. Uncertainty reigns unless the show is animated. A lot of shows weren't able to shoot their season finale episodes.

The CW will run the CBC show Coroner this fall on Wednesdays at 9 pm Eastern. There are 16 episodes over 2 seasons. We don't know if the CW will show Season 1 or both seasons as the show isn't on its winter schedule.

Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan) is a recently widowed Toronto coroner who investigates suspicious deaths. The cast also includes Roger Cross, Alli Chung, Paniz Zade, Eric Bruneau, Ehren Kassam, Tamara Podemski, Lovell Adams-Gray, Saad Siddiqui, and Andy McQueen.

The Canadian show has already run in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Africa, Latin America, Brazil, and Australia.

NBC is picking up Transplant, a new show from CTV. Unlike Coroner and the CW, we don't have news of a specific slot.

Transplant features Bashir "Bash" Hamed, a Syrian doctor who came to Canada as a refugee who works as a medical resident in Toronto.

Hamza Haq stars as Hamed. The cast also includes Laurence Leboeuf, John Hannah, Ayisha Issa, Jim Watson, Sirena Gulamgaus, Torri Higginson, Linda Smith, and Grace Lynn Kung.

Transplant has 13 episodes from this winter. The Canadian debut was on February 26.

Canadian presence on 2019 U.S. TV upfronts

Coroner and Transplant fit unique circumstances for the American networks. Dramas translate easier than comedies. Ideally, the show has enough episodes to fill a temporary gap. The shows also can't have a U.S. network, cable, or streaming deal.

Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries, Republic of Doyle, Anne with an E, Heartland, Saving Hope, Mary Kills People, Private Eyes, Being Erica, Orphan Black, Travelers, Wynonna Earp, 19-2: All of these great Canadian dramas have a U.S. deal of some kind.

Northern Rescue with William Baldwin and Kathleen Robertson would have been ideal: 10 episodes, a bit too dramatic. The CBC show is available on Netflix.

Season 3 of the CBC legal drama Burden of Truth returns to the CW Thursday at 8 pm Eastern/Pacific.

Another possibility with no U.S. ties is This Life, the remake of the Radio-Canada series Nouvelle adresse, ran on CBC from 2015-2017 with 20 episodes. Higginson is the lead and also in Transplant. Lauren Lee Smith (Frankie Drake Mysteries) played her sister. This Life was heartwarming, just what the American audience wants.

U.S. television isn't going to run The Beachcombers: a few episodes are available on Amazon Prime Video.

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

The news from the U.S. networks has been limited understandably. We will cover that television news when we get all the information.

photo credits: CBC; CTV

Victoria Day 2020 notebook: Summer of uncertainty in Canada

Editor's note: The story has been updated to show the Canada-U.S. border ban has been extended to June 21.

If the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic news coverage is too much, you are not alone. We do recommend if you need a quick dosage of pandemic news, spend about 2 minutes with James Murray on the World at Six from CBC News.

Toward the beginning of each newscast, Murray gives the listener a capsule of the day's COVID-19 news in Canada, United States, and the rest of the world. We haven't timed the segment but Murray takes fewer than 2 minutes to give the highlights.

Feel free to listen longer than just the updates from James Murray. If you can't handle more than 2 minutes, Murray will help you out.

The World at Six runs weeknights at 6 pm local time/6:30 pm in Newfoundland on CBC Radio One. You can find the frequency nearest you or find the program on the CBC Listen app. You can also listen in podcast form wherever you get your podcasts.

Some Canadian provinces are easing their COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic restrictions

We have noted the limited travel between Canada and the United States during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The provinces are also cracking down on travel between the provinces.

Out east, Nova Scotia has checkpoints at every major entry point. People are stopped and questioned. Only Newfoundland and Labrador residents are allowed to enter that province. Prince Edward Island is closed to non-residents, except for health-care providers and other essential workers. Provincial peace officers in New Brunswick are at each of 7 interprovincial land entry points.

Manitoba allows a 50-kilometre "buffer zone" into northwestern Ontario; the province requires a 14-day self-isolation otherwise for entering the province, except for essential workers.

Lloydminister, Alberta and Saskatchewan and Ottawa/Gatineau are rare exceptions of communities that cross provincial borders frequently within Canada.

Canada-U.S. border closes to non-essential traffic over COVID-19 coronavirus

The travel ban between Canada and the United States is likely to be renewed this week. The 2-month ban expires May 21. [The ban was extended to June 21 on Tuesday.] Exceptions are made for essential travel, though this story hints that air travel into the United States is easier than a land crossing.

Rosemary Barton reported on the Party Lines podcast on CBC Radio last week that from March 21 to the beginning of May that 2,500 Americans tried to cross the Canadian border for non-essential reasons and were turned away. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is adamant about not having the international border be reopened. The question is whether the U.S. wants to reopen the border before Canada does (i.e., the angry toddler) and whether Canada would say no.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made countries feel more nationalistic. Canada is requiring a 14-day quarantine. Given the startling number of cases and deaths in the United States, the American government is just as eager to keep the border closed.

As for wanting to travel to Canada, I would gladly do so in a heartbeat, even now. I would feel much safer in Canada and, if I were Canadian, much more financially secure. The 14-day quarantine eliminates simple pleasure trips. Not being practical to travel to Canada is a reality that doesn't diminish my desire to travel to Canada. Not one bit.

COVID-19 notebook: How Canada is faring in the coronavirus pandemic

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Calgary Stampede. Canadian National Exhibition. The very cool Montréal festivals. These and other great summer activities aren't happening in 2020. You can't close the Canadian Rockies, the Bay of Fundy, and the surf off Tofino in British Columbia.

I have travel memories of all 10 provinces. We would be pushing people to travel to see Canada at this time of the year. Even if you can't literally travel to Canada, find a way to do it virtually. Victoria Day marks the beginning of summer in Canada. The 2020 summer is a summer of uncertainty for Canada and the rest of the world.

photo credit: CBC News

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late May 2020

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the May 30 listings.

The NHL is a non-factor on Saturday nights for the CBC. For once, this isn't Gary Bettman's fault.

Let's see what is coming up as CBC continues its Canadian film lineup on Saturday nights in lieu of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

May 16

7p The Journey Home (2014)
9p Two Lovers and A Bear (2016)

May 23

7p Milton's Secret (2016)
9p Remember (2015)

May 30

7p Dr. Cabbie (2014)
9p Beeba Boys (2015)

Tatiana Maslany is back with a recent Canadian film from writer-director Kim Nguyen (War Witch | Rebelle). Two Lovers and a Bear takes place in Apex, Nunavut, Canada. Gordon Pinsent is featured as the voice of Bear. Maslany is the primary reason to see this film. This is an above-average film though Picture Day is better.

Remember was directed (not written) by Atom Egoyan. Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau star as an elderly Holocaust survivor with dementia goes out to hunt down a Nazi war criminal.

The early entries on May 16 and May 23 are family-oriented films. The Journey Home is about a teenager who works to reunite a lost polar bear cub with its mother. Milton's Secret is about a kid who is bullied. The cast includes Mia Kirshner and Donald Sutherland.

Dr. Cabbie was scheduled earlier this spring but the schedule changed. Beeba Boys is from Deepa Mehta about the Vancouver arms and drug trade.

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early May 2020

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late April 2020

CBC is showing Canadian films to fill time on Hockey Night in Canada

COVID-19 notebook: How Canada is faring in the coronavirus pandemic

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

While we would love to see a pair of films aimed at adults, having a family film in the early slot does make sense. We are less familiar with family-oriented Canadian films.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Canadians can also watch these films on CBC Gem. Cable subscribers in Detroit, Buffalo, and Seattle and a few other places can watch CBC television.

photos credit: Two Lovers and A Bear film