Canadian Crossing

Canadian long weekend notebook: A year without a permanent U.S. Ambassador to Canada

The first Monday in August is unofficially known as the Civic Holiday in Canada. There are a few different names: British Columbia Day, New Brunswick Day, and Saskatchewan Day are self-explanatory.

Other names include Regatta Day (Newfoundland and Labrador); Terry Fox Day (Manitoba); Natal Day (Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island), Simcoe Day (Toronto), and Heritage Day (Alberta).

The picture (above) is from a trip to Lake Louise, Alberta around this time a few years back. That morning was perhaps the coldest I have ever been in the summertime but was so beautiful anyway. Those driving to Alaska are supposed to skip such amazing views.

We will break down the list of Canadian films at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival tomorrow. Today, we wanted to run a few items that are more contemplative, perfect for a lazy day in August.

U.S. may not pick a permanent replacement for Ambassador to Canada until well into 2021

Kelly Knight Craft gets to stop pretending to spend time in Canada

2019 Canada Day notebook

Kelly Knight Craft left her job as U.S. Ambassador to Canada on August 23, 2019. You can definitely argue that she left her job many times. Craft had hundreds of absences from her post as U.S. Ambassador to Canada, more than 300 days over 19 months. Most were trips back home to Kentucky, which is not in Canada. Given the current regime in the United States, Craft somehow got promoted to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Richard M. Mills Jr. has been serving as the interim U.S. Ambassador to Canada for almost a year. Mills has an excellent background and is fluent in French, something Craft likely lacked. Mills was nominated in January to be the next United States Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, which would put him (again) under Craft.

Aldona Wos, a retired physician and former U.S. Ambassador to Estonia from 2004-2006, is reportedly the new nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Mills and Wos remained in limbo.

We are still concerned that the post would not be filled with a permanent replacement until at least January 2021. If former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden does win in November, the hope is that a permanent U.S. Ambassador to Canada would be ready to go on January 20.

Piya Chattopadhyay to take over for Michael Enright on Sunday mornings on CBC Radio One

Victoria Day 2020 notebook: Summer of uncertainty in Canada

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We love listening to CBC Radio programs on podcasts. You can listen live to CBC Radio One stations across Canada on the CBC Listen app. Realistically, listening to those same programs on podcasts allows you to back up to rehear what someone said or run the podcast a bit faster.

Lately, CBC Radio has been introducing promos and even commercials into the podcasts. The promos are annoying, especially in the middle of the program. Sometimes, the promos run in the middle of a sentence. The promos are also louder than the actual programming.

Dr. Brian Goldman had a new podcast called The Dose. I haven't heard this podcast but his intro turns me off. "If you haven't heard my new podcast The Dose, this is the perfect time to subscribe." I'm sure Dr. Goldman, who also hosts White Coat, Black Art, is a nice person. By his logic, I haven't heard his podcast but I have to subscribe. That is a leap the size of the Bay of Fundy between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

You may have only heard this once. Try hearing it over and over and over.

The promos are bad enough. The commercials for the alcohol delivery service are even worse. We don't want to mention the alcohol delivery service by name. This is an American company that only operates in Canada in Alberta with a .com address. We are also certain that the ads do not conform to Canadian advertising standards for advertising alcohol such as pointing out age restrictions.

The commercials are bad enough during the podcasts but CBC Radio is also running the alcohol delivery service ads on the CBC News World At Six and CBC News World This Weekend podcasts. The ads don't run during the actual newscast (yet). Running advertising around the news for a public broadcaster newscast that doesn't have commercials violates the spirit if not the letter of the policies of a public broadcaster.

I may not be thrilled with commercials during a newscast but do find the particular sponsor category to be inappropriate to be next to a newscast. Coverage of drunk driving could be affected by running a commercial for an alcohol delivery service.

The CRTC would not get involved since the ads don't run on the actual news program on the radio.

CBC doesn't get money from running promos for its own podcasts. They do get money from commercials. Hopefully, they can find a quieter sponsor with fewer ethical concerns, preferably not around a newscast.

Before Game 1 of the Edmonton-Chicago series on Saturday, Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild gave a brief speech on the need for change tied to Black Lives Matter. Dumba is a founding member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance. Dumba then became the first NHL player to kneel before the U.S. anthem.

Dumba, a Regina, Saskatchewan native, kneeled with fellow Canadian Black players Malcolm Subban (Chicago) and Darnell Nurse (Edmonton) flanking Dumba during the U.S. anthem on Canadian soil.

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Dumba said later that he wished he stayed on one knee during the Canadian anthem.

"To be honest, I kind of froze up. I know why I knelt. It wasn’t a sign of disrespect by any means. It was to shed light on the people who have lived through the injustice and oppression, especially in my home state of Minnesota. That's why I did it.

"I think my biggest regret is not doing it for the Canadian national anthem, as well because there is a lot of light that needs to be shed on what is happening in Canada and the oppression First Nations people have felt for hundreds of years. I was disappointed looking back on it because, like I said, I knew the reasons why I knelt. Just in the moment, it happened like that."

Dumba did raise his fist during the U.S. and Canadian anthems last night in Edmonton.

photo credits: me; Rogers Sportsnet/NHL

Piya Chattopadhyay to take over for Michael Enright on Sunday mornings on CBC Radio One

Thank you to Michael Enright for laying a foundation of excellent public broadcasting on Sunday mornings (and elsewhere on @cbcradio). And to all the producers who work on @cbcSunday, I look forward to being on this new adventure with you. 2/5

— Piya Chattopadhyay (@piya) June 8, 2020

Michael Enright has set the pace for Sunday mornings on CBC Radio One for 3 hours for the past 20 years on The Sunday Edition. Enright is stepping down at the end of the month on June 28. He will anchor a new, unique one-hour CBC Radio program.

Piya Chattopadhyay, who has hosted Out in the Open from noon-1 pm after The Sunday Edition, will replace Enright for that 3-hour shift on Sunday mornings. The last episode of Out in the Open will also run on June 28. The new show will have a new format and does not have a title.

"I am so proud to take up the mantle of Sunday morning, to build and expand upon the deep journalistic legacy of that space," said Chattopadhyay.

Chattopadhyay has been a popular fill-in host on numerous CBC Radio shows. She is currently filling in for Jayme Poisson, who is on maternity leave, on Front Burner.

Chattopadhyay's first show in the 9 am-Noon timeslot will be September 6.

The move is intriguing in that Enright is trading a specific 3-hour show for a to be determined 1-hour show. Chattopadhyay is trading a specific 1-hour show for a to be determined 3-hour show. The irony would be complete if Enright's show followed Chattopadhyay's show. His timeslot hasn't been determined.

Anna Maria Tremonti launches interview podcast

New changes to CBC Radio in 2020

Matt Galloway will be the new permanent The Current host

Laura Lynch to take over The Current through the federal election on CBC Radio One

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

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CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

The big news last summer was the transition at The Current. Matt Galloway has done a solid job as the host. We've enjoyed the new More podcast from Anna Maria Tremonti. Nahlah Ayed has been splendid as the new host of Ideas.

You can listen live to these radio shows on CBC Radio One, on the CBC Listen app, or where you get your podcasts.

Twitter capture: @Piya
photo credit: CBC

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

Anna Maria Tremonti launches interview podcast

Matt Galloway is firmly in control of The Current on CBC Radio One. Laura Lynch produced some great radio as the interim host of The Current. All of this since we've heard from The Current original host Anna Maria Tremonti.

Tremonti went off to create a pair of podcasts. She teased the one-on-one interview series in November at the Hot Docs Podcast Festival. Now More with Anna Maria Tremonti has launched. The debut episode matching celebrity with theme is Catherine O'Hara (SCTV, Schitt's Creek) and the power of collaboration.

Matching a person with a meaningful topic is a clever way to cut through celebrity clutter.

New changes to CBC Radio in 2020

Matt Galloway will be the new permanent The Current host

Laura Lynch to take over The Current through the federal election on CBC Radio One

Here is the upcoming podcast schedule:

• January 28: Catherine O'Hara on the power of collaboration
• February 4: Vivek Shraya on fear and hate
• February 11: Samantha Bee on finding your way
• February 18: Elle Mills on being vulnerable in public
• February 25: David Suzuki on growing older
• March 3: Naomi Klein on finding hope in today's world
• March 10: Margaret Atwood on leading a political life
• March 17: Frank Gehry on standing out
• March 24: Malcolm Gladwell on changing your mind

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

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CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

You get to learn some things about O'Hara in the opening episode that you likely did not know. You learn a tiny bit more about Tremonti, who is not used to sharing.

The opening list is rather impressive, filled with significant Canadians who make contributions to the dialogue of the world.

We look forward to hearing how the conversation goes with these people and on these topics.

The original announcement had Tremonti also producing a podcast along the lines of a serialized story but with other voices. We don't know the status of that podcast.

photo credit: CBC

New changes to CBC Radio in 2020

CBC Radio's As It Happens took its time finding a co-host with Carol Off but didn't go far to find the replacement.

Chris Howden, who has been with the show since 2003 and head writer for the show for the last decade, will co-host with Carol Off starting Monday.

Howden (right, with Carol Off) also hosted the documentary show Living Out Loud. He replaced Jeff Douglas, who left As It Happens in May after 8 years to host the weekday afternoon CBC Nova Scotia show Mainstreet.

As It Happens airs on CBC Radio One weekdays following The World at Six.

Matt Galloway will be the new permanent The Current host

Laura Lynch to take over The Current through the federal election on CBC Radio One

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

As we noted in October, Matt Galloway is the new permanent host for The Current on CBC Radio One also starting on Monday. Galloway signed off last month from CBC Toronto's Metro Morning, where he has been the host since 2010. Galloway has been with CBC Radio for more than 15 years.

Laura Lynch served as interim host through the Canadian election and will finish this week. The Current original host Anna Maria Tremonti left the show in June after 17 years to pursue podcasts with CBC Radio.

Piya Chattopadhyay will fill in as the interim host for Metro Morning.

The Current airs at 8:30 am local time (9 am in Newfoundland) on CBC Radio One.

CBC Radio 2 still exists but under the CBC Music banner

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CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

Saroja Coelho has been in the host chair for Mornings on CBC Music after Raina Douris left that program in September 2019. Coelho has been a fill-in on a number of CBC shows as well as the host of Breakaway, CBC’s drive-home show for Quebec.

You can listen to these shows in Canada on CBC Radio One and CBC Music or on the CBC Listen app. Those outside Canada can listen on the CBC Listen app to CBC Radio One from any time zone and CBC Music content on the Eastern and Pacific feeds only.

photo credit: Andrew Nguyen/CBC

Matt Galloway will be the new permanent The Current host

CBC Radio has selected Matt Galloway as the new permanent host for The Current on CBC Radio One.

Galloway, who has hosted CBC Toronto's Metro Morning since 2010, will join the show on January 6, 2020.

Galloway has been with CBC Radio for more than 15 years.

Interim host Laura Lynch will anchor the program until Galloway starts next year.

The Current airs at 8:30 am local time (9 am in Newfoundland) on CBC Radio One.

Anna Maria Tremonti, the original host of The Current, left the show in June after 17 years to pursue podcasts with CBC Radio.

Tremonti will give a preview of her new long-form interview podcast November 10 at the Hot Docs Podcast Festival in Toronto.

Laura Lynch to take over The Current through the federal election on CBC Radio One

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

CBC Radio 2 still exists but under the CBC Music banner

CanadianCrossing.com radio coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CBC Radio has a couple of key on-air openings. Raina Douris left the morning show on CBC Music (formerly CBC Radio 2) to host World Cafe for NPR. Douris moved from Toronto to Philadelphia. Saroja Coelho is serving as the interim host on Mornings.

Douris replaced Tom Power in the morning slot; Power moved over to host Q on CBC Radio One.

As It Happens is still working with guest hosts months after Jeff Douglas left to host Mainstreet, the weekday afternoon radio show for CBC Nova Scotia.

Carol Off, who has hosted As It Happens since 2006, did spend part of 2010 with guest hosts before Douglas started in 2011.

photo credit: CBC Radio

Laura Lynch to take over The Current through the federal election on CBC Radio One

We have a new permanent host of one CBC News radio program and a temporary host for another CBC News radio program.

Laura Lynch will serve as the interim host of The Current, airing weekdays for 90 minutes at 8:30 am local time on CBC Radio One. Lynch will anchor the show starting today on Labour Day through the federal election season.

Lynch (above) has served as CBC's Europe correspondent as well as being based in Ottawa and the U.S. capital in Washington, DC.

NBC News picked an interim host in Tom Brokaw for Meet the Press after the June 2008 death of Tim Russert. An interim host takes the pressure of a new host jumping right into the federal election.

Lynch is an excellent pick. She will do a way better job as an interim host than Tom Brokaw did in that role in 2008.

Lynch replaces Anna Maria Tremonti, the original host of the show. Lynch was the first guest host of the program in the summer of 2003.

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

Veteran foreign correspondent Nahlah Ayed is the new host of Ideas, exploring contemporary ideas from culture and the arts to science and technology and social issues. Ayed took over for Paul Kennedy, who retired from the show.

Ayed has been based in London for the last 7 years. She has covered major world events over nearly two decades in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

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CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

People outside Canada can listen to CBC Radio One programs via the CBC Radio app. Individual programs are also available in podcast form.

photo credit: CBC

2019 Canada Day reflections

The CFL posted a fun video of American players weighing in on "What's the most Canadian thing you’ve ever seen?" Even though the feature requests to not say poutine, Winnipeg QB Matt Nichols said poutine. Nichols did say he hadn't had poutine in awhile.

There were some obvious answers, such as Ottawa RB Mossis Madu, who pointed out the way Canadians say "sorry." Hamilton QB Jeremiah Masoli had a great story about a 4-way stop where drivers were exceedingly polite.

"Bacon donuts, Bacon everything in Canada. That's real Canadian." That was Saskatchewan SB Emmanuel Arceneaux. Then he brought up a breakfast served with a slice of tomato. "What am I going to do with this tomato with my breakfast? Why did you put a tomato with breakfast?"

The bacon is American bacon, not to be confused with Canadian bacon. The tomato with breakfast sounds more like a British breakfast Arceneaux might found when he played in Vancouver. I had a tomato with breakfast in San Francisco this winter. I've seen a few British breakfasts with a slice of tomato. Pretty sure that isn't truly Canadian.

Speaking of the CFL, 13 new Canadian citizens had their citizenship ceremony at the Canada Day game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina last night. Becoming a citizen of Canada is incredible even in a more boring setting. Canada Day with the Roughriders and their fans has to be electric. The significance of 13 comes from the Roughriders fans, who act as the 13th man on the team.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Clara was the free Canadian film shown the Wednesday before Canada Day. We will have a full review soon. We cover Canadian film trends as well as provide Canadian film reviews.

Hopefully, you included a Canadian film in your celebration.

Celebrating Canadian classic rock contributions

97.1 FM WDRV Chicago, known as The Drive (and 96.9 WWDV Zion, IL) has had fun with Canada and Canadian classic rock songs in the past. This year, they devoted their Ten @ 10 feature on the actual Canada Day.

Here was the playlist:

Born to Be Wild — Steppenwolf
Working for the Weekend — Loverboy
Closer to the Heart — Rush
Takin' Care of Business — Bachman Turner Overdrive
Straight from the Heart — Bryan Adams
Sundown — Gordon Lightfoot
Rockin' in the Free World — Neil Young
Just Between You and Me — April Wine
Up on Cripple Creek — The Band
Lay It on the Line — Triumph

One critique: 9 of the 10 songs were played in the August 2017 celebration. April Wine subbed for the Guess Who (These Eyes) on the 2019 list. You might have also picked better songs from Rush and Bryan Adams in particular.

WDRV DJ Bob Stroud's intro mentioned some Canadian delicacies: "get some real maple syrup, Lay's ketchup chips, milk in a bag." Yes, we know milk in a bag is limited to Ontario and Ruffles's ketchup chips are better. Still, that was fun to hear 10 Canadian songs in a row to honour Canada.

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The Washington Nationals have barely acknowledged its Montréal Expos roots since 2005. The Nationals will change that on July 6 when the players will wear the Expos uniforms in a throwback game with the Kansas City Royals at Nationals Park.

The Expos and Royals came into MLB 50 years ago, so the Royals will also wear throwback uniforms. The Nationals will actually wear the road powder-blue uniforms from that era.

Vladimir Guerrero will be among the Expos-related guests to be honoured. The team will also honour personnel that have ties to the Expos, including Washington manager Dave Martinez (1988-1991); third base coach Bobby Henley (1998) who has been a coach for the team since 2003 when the team was in Montréal; and colour analyst F.P. Santangelo (1995-1998).

If you are going to the game, you should know that poutine and smoked meat sandwiches will be available. Poutine will be available at Grand Slam Grill (Sections 110 and 141), Anacostia Station (Section 218), and Triple Play Grill (Section 318). Steak of the Union (Sections 117 and 133) will have smoked meat sandwiches. Our culinary suggestion is to order both and slip some of the extra smoked meat on your poutine.

We doubt that the batters will be announced in French and English. The young women who served as ushers won't be an option. Hopefully Youppi! will show up.

We can't speak for Montréal Expos fans as far as the connection with Washington. I personally am glad that baseball is back in Washington, though we said at the time that the Florida Marlins should have been moved north to the U.S. capital. Still, the Washington team has been fairly cold to the Montréal Expos legacy. We are looking forward to a game someday with the Montréal Expos and the Washington Nationals.

Canada Day notebook: More delays with edibles

Canadian sports notebook: Record number of Canadians in the 2019 NBA draft

The Kansas City Royals wore a Canadian flag on their jerseys at Rogers Centre for Canada Day. Muriel Kauffman, wife of Royals founder Ewing Kauffman, was from Toronto. The MLB Network carried the Rogers Sportsnet feed for the 11-4 win.

Corner Gas: Animated debuted its second season yesterday on the Comedy Network in Canada. The show continued a tradition of cameos from current prime ministers. Paul Martin and Stephen Harper made appearances (not together) during the original Corner Gas show from 2004-2009.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recorded a cameo for the animated version that will run this season. Show creator and star Brent Butt noted that the scene took about 15 minutes to record. Tom Power of Q asked which prime minister was the best actor: Butt said Harper.

Though the original show did find a life in the United States on WGN America and currently on Amazon Prime Video, we don't know if/when the animated series will cross the border.

photo credit: CFL; Facebook/Corner Gas

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

Regular listeners to The Current podcasts know the show had a recent poll for listeners to guide the show on possible changes to the podcast version of the program. In hindsight, Anna Maria Tremonti's obsession with podcasts showed up earlier than we might have thought.

As we reported last month, Anna Maria Tremonti — the only host The Current has had in its 17 years of existence — is leaving The Current on CBC Radio One. Tomorrow is the final episode for Tremonti.

Tremonti will produce and host a pair of podcasts this fall, starting with an in-depth one-on-one interview series. The other program is less clear at the moment but appears to be "a serialized story" where other voices may join in the mix.

Her previous duties included 19 years with CBC Television, including 2 years as a host of The Fifth Estate and 9 years as foreign correspondent for The National. This is the level of experience that has benefited The Current and why fans of the show have enjoyed the program.

ICYMI https://t.co/D1TlNLv1Y3

— Anna Maria Tremonti (@amtremonti) June 12, 2019

A recent example of the brilliance of Tremonti and the show is the on-the-line series traveling the route of the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

The final show tomorrow will have a live studio audience at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto with music, special guests, and more.

2019 CBC television upfront preview

"It's not my place [to comment on The Current]," Tremonti said in an interview with The Globe and Mail. "Once I decide to step away from it, I don't take ownership of it. If they want to change it, that's their business, and I will support that."

"Same with who gets the job. I'm not weighing in, privately even, on that. Because I don't think it's my place, and I don’t think it's helpful. There are people who I admire, but I don't think it's my place."

The new host should be selected closer to the end of the summer. The CBC bench is filled with well-qualified interim hosts during the summer. Some of them will audition to be the new host.

The Current airs at 8:30 am local time (9 am in Newfoundland) on CBC Radio One.

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Anna Maria Tremonti isn't the only major CBC Radio name to change directions. Jeff Douglas has left As It Happens after 8 years to go back to his home province of Nova Scotia to host the weekday afternoon CBC Nova Scotia show Mainstreet.

His co-host Carol Off had a nice send-off for Douglas. The show recently celebrate 50 years on the air. Off has been a host on the show since 2006.

Paul Kennedy, the host of Ideas on CBC Radio, will retire by the end of the year. Kennedy has hosted Ideas since 1999.

photo credit: CBC Radio
Twitter capture: @amtremonti

2019 CBC television upfront preview

The 2019 CBC upfront gives us a much more streamlined fall lineup than we saw last year with most of the new shows working their way in the winter months.

Battle of the Blades is not new but we haven't seen the skaters since 2013. The only new prime time show in the fall is sketch comedy from TallBoyz II Men — Tim Blair, Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen, and Vance Banzo. They were precede the Baroness von Sketch Show on Tuesday nights.

We only have the official fall schedule for now. Let's go to the highlights.

In a highly pleasant fashion, Monday nights are the same with Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries. Baroness von Sketch Show moves to 9:30 pm on Tuesdays to make room for Tallboyz.

The Great Canadian Baking Show remains as the early show on Wednesdays. Daniel Levy and Julia Chan are out with new hosts Aurora Browne and Carolyn Taylor (Baroness von Sketch Show). Northern Rescue seems anti-climatic as the late show on Wednesdays. Those watching on CBC Gem (Canada) and Netflix (United States) have been able to watch all the episodes since March.

Battle of the Blades is back for its 5th season but hasn't been seen since 2013 due to budget cuts. Dragons' Den moves back an hour to complete the Thursday lineup.

Marketplace and In the Making start out Fridays. The latter show profiles Canada’s most extraordinary creators. The Nature of Things moves from Sundays to Fridays.

Heartland returns to the fall lineup on Sunday nights followed by Anne with an E. The Fifth Estate remains on Sunday nights.

CBC Fall 2019

Monday

Murdoch Mysteries 8p
Frankie Drake Mysteries 9p

Tuesday

Still Standing 8p
This Hour Has 22 Minutes 8:30p
Tallboyz 9p
Baroness von Sketch Show 9:30p

Wednesday

The Great Canadian Baking Show 8p
Northern Rescue 9p

Thursday

Battle of the Blades 8p
Dragons' Den 9p

Friday

Marketplace 8p
In The Making 8:30p
The Nature of Things 9p

Saturday

Hockey Night in Canada 7p

Sunday

Heartland 7p
Anne with An E 8p
The Fifth Estate 9p

bold indicates new series; ital indicates new timeslot

Outside of prime time, CBC Arts: Exhibitionists returns on Friday nights at 11:30 pm. Gerry Dee will host Family Feud Canada "with a Canadian spin" in late fall Tuesdays-Fridays at 7:30 pm. Your tax dollars at work.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

While we don't have a defined winter schedule, we know Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience, Workin’ Moms, Diggstown, Burden of Truth, Coroner, The Detectives, and CBC Docs POV are on the list.

The Trickster will be one of the new winter dramas on CBC. The story is based on award-winning Canadian writer Eden Robinson's novel Son of a Trickster. This will be the first CBC show developed based on books by an Indigenous author.

Fortunate Son is about the matriarch of an American activist family who helps smuggle Vietnam war deserters and draft dodgers across the border to Canada. The Sounds is a co-production between Canada and New Zealand about the happenings in Pelorus Sounds. Reality-type shows include Back in Time for Winter, Fridge Wars, and High Arctic Haulers.

Northern Rescue streaming on both sides of the border

We featured Street Legal as the top photo for the 2018 CBC television upfront review. There wasn't much of a chance for the reboot to continue beyond the 6 episodes. The reboot did have an unfortunate distinction of being cancelled before the finale aired. Haven't watched the original or the reboot, but from what I've read, there wasn't much of the old show in the new show.

Little Dog did make it for 2 seasons and 15 episodes. Crawford (12 episodes) and Cavendish (8 episodes) each lasted a brief season. I did see most of Season 1 of Little Dog (all but the season finale). The show was a bit rough in the telling but felt very Newfoundland somehow.

I watched a few episodes of Crawford and the show didn't quite click. Crawford was still better than a lot of U.S. sitcoms. CBC presented the entire show online on Groundhog Day 2018 before airing the show in the following summer.

For Canadians, this is why CBC Gem exists. Can't speak to Cavendish but the other two comedies are definitely worth sampling.

Mary Kills People debuts final season in Canada but doesn't have a U.S. TV home

While we cover the CBC, we do acknowledge Canadian TV on other networks. We wrote earlier this month on the saga that is Mary Kills People in the United States as well as Season 3 of Private Eyes. Both shows air on Global in Canada.

If you have a Canadian TV show in question over being renewed (whether or not CBC carries the show), you should check out the tv-eh.com renewal scorecard. They do really fine work.

Season 2 of Burden of Truth debuts on the CW on June 2 at 8 pm Eastern on The CW. The U.S.-based network has also agreed to pick up Season 3 of the CBC program. See. Lifetime: that is how a show gets picked up.

CanadianCrossing.com radio coverage

This is a CBC television upfront but we have to pass along this CBC Radio news. Anna Maria Tremonti has been with the CBC for 35 years, the last 17 years as the only host in the history of The Current. Tremonti is leaving the show to start a pair of new CBC podcasts.

The new podcasts will have Tremonti hosting a 1-on-1 long-form interview show along with "a serialized story" where she might be one of a few voices.

The new podcasts will start this fall. The final day for Tremonti on The Current will be June 20. We will have more on this story when CBC announces Tremonti's replacement.

The Current airs at 8:30 am local time (9 am in Newfoundland) on CBC Radio One.

photo credit: Geoff George/CBC