The Canadian Television Fund and Telefilm Canada doled out $67 million to 70 drama, kids and variety shows through the Equity Investment Program – breathing new life into several cash-strapped programs and boosting the budgets of many LFP winners.

Fifty-six percent of EIP applicants were turned down, compared to 64% of LFP hopefuls.

These results, announced May 6, are down only slightly from those of last spring, when the EIP handed out $76.7 million.

Among the chosen are The Eleventh Hour, An American in Canada and The Red Green Show, all of which were snubbed by the LFP in early April. New seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Trailer Park Boys, Edgemont, The Newsroom, Blue Murder, Paradise Falls, Puppets Who Kill, Cold Squad and Da Vinci’s Inquest also made the cut, along with the CTV anthology series Keys Cut Here, the follow-up Trudeau mini and three CTV MOWs – Crazy Canucks, Prom Queen and Selling Innocence.

Notably absent from the list, however, are This Hour has 22 Minutes and The Sean Cullen Show. Producers and broadcasters complained loudly when these and other shows were snubbed by the Licence Fee Program in early April. The LFP shortfall has touched off a storm of complaints against the CTF.

‘Thanks to strong cooperation between the CTF’s two funding programs, we’ve been able to address a number of the issues that arose after the announcement of the LFP decisions,’ said Richard Stursberg, Telefilm exec director in statement, but added, ‘There’s a limit to what can be accomplished with the funds we have.’

CTF president and CEO Sandra Macdonald added, ‘We now have a better picture of what programming will actually be made this year.’

The combined EIP and LFP decisions up the odds that Canada’s more popular shows will be renewed, and that support for English-language MOWs and minis will be in line with that of previous years, according to CTF material.

‘Despite recent press stories, the final round of decisions will ensure that the most popular stories will continue next year,’ said Stursberg.

Full results are online at www.canadiantelevisionfund.ca