Canadian Heritage has appointed a 12-member advisory board to help inform its upcoming Cancon review, encompassing a range of figureheads and stakeholders from Canada’s entertainment industry.
In April, the government announced that, with the help of an expert advisory group, it would lead public and stakeholder consultations on how to strengthen Canada’s content creation industries. Those consultations are slated to begin this summer and expected to extend throughout the year.
While no further information about these consultations has been revealed, the government has announced that the expert advisory group will meet between June 2016 and January 2017.
The advisory group members are:
- Rob Blackie, co-CEO, executive producer and writer at St. John’s based Take the Shot Productions, and co-creator of the upcoming Discovery Canada original series Frontier
- Katie Boland, actress, writer and co-founder of Toronto and L.A.-based prodco Straight Shooters
- Catherine Cano, CEO of CPAC (Cable Public Affairs Channel)
- Loc Dao, chief digital officer at the NFB
- Lisa de Wilde, CEO of pubcaster TVO and chair of the Toronto International Film Festival’s board of directors
- Michael Donovan (pictured), executive chairman of DHX Media Ltd.
- Charles Falzon, Ryerson University’s RTA School of Media associate professor and dean, FCAD
- Philippe Lamarre, president of Montreal-based prodco Urbania Media
- Jean La Rose, CEO of APTN
- Monique Savoie, president and artistic director of Société des Arts Technologique
- Justin West, founder and president of Montreal-based independent record label Secret City Records
- Ken Whyte, SVP of public policy for Rogers Communications Inc. and former head of Next Issue Canada, which has since been renamed Texture
According to a Canadian Heritage statement released today, the expert advisory group will have no decision-making authority and they will not be required to submit a formal report. Rather, the group will “offer independent advice and insight into policy directions emerging from the consultations and departmental analysis.”
The group will meet at least five times in person with Minister of Canadian Heritage Melanie Joly in Ottawa (or via video conference), and may be required to participate in workshops. The government announced that six workshops will be held between September and mid-October.
Throughout the process, the experts will help review and give feedback on a consultation document and the “What We Heard” report, which is expected to be released in December or January 2017.
Image via DHXmedia.com
