January

* Denys Arcand’s The Barbarian Invasions, animated Canada/Belgium/ France copro The Triplets of Belleville and the short Nibbles by Canuck animator Chris Hinton are all nominated for Academy Awards on Jan. 27
* Regina’s Minds Eye Entertainment emerges from credit protection with a restructured business plan and scaled-down production slate
* Calgary-based broadcaster Craig Media goes on the block after failing to meet its revenue targets

February

* Canada’s private broadcasters take the CRTC to court, alleging that the federal regulator has illegally taxed them to the tune of $300 million
* The CRTC’s Statistical and Financial Summaries 1999-2003 report shows that net profits for private TV broadcasters jumped to $189.8 million in 2003 from $95.6 million the year before
* Quebec Superior Court approves the US$144-million sale of Montreal kids programming prodco Cinar to a group led by former Nelvana execs Michael Hirsh and Toper Taylor on Feb. 19. The company will be renamed Cookie Jar Entertainment
* It is a busy month for director Denys Arcand and wife/producer Denise Robert. On Feb. 21, their film The Barbarian Invasions wins three trophies at Les Cesar in Paris; the next day it takes four awards at the Prix Jutra in Montreal; one week later, Arcand, Robert and producer Daniel Louis collect the Academy Award for best foreign-language film. It will win six Genie Awards in May
* Alliance Atlantis Communications begins the sell-off of its post-production interests. Rob Power, VP of the former Salter Street Digital, heads a group that acquires the Halifax shop from AAC, renaming it PowerPost Production
* Broadcasters CTV and Global cancel long-running cop dramas Cold Squad and Blue Murder, respectively

March

* On March 12, Global Television cancels The Mike Bullard Show, which it began airing in fall 2003
* On March 23, the federal government restores its $100-million commitment to the Canadian Television Fund for 2004 and 2005
* U.S. animation producer IDT adds Toronto’s DKP Effects to its growing stable, following the purchase of Vancouver’s Mainframe Entertainment a year earlier

April

* The Banff Television Foundation files for bankruptcy protection in a Calgary court. Investment firm Achilles Partners emerges to purchase the assets of the original foundation. Pat Ferns steps down as president and CEO of the Banff Television Foundation to assume a ‘more creative role’ in the organization. Achilles’ Robert Montgomery becomes the foundation’s new CEO
* Toronto-based 3D graphics systems and services provider Alias (formerly Alias|Wavefront) breaks free from parent Silicon Graphics with backing from Accel-KKR and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
* The documentary The Corporation, by Vancouver’s Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott, passes the $1-million mark at the box office, making it the most successful all-Canadian documentary ever
* CHUM Limited announces that it has signed an agreement, pending CRTC approval, to purchase all shares of troubled Craig Media for $265 million, which would allow CHUM to finally penetrate the Alberta market
* Technicolor Creative Services Canada enters a pre-acquisition agreement for troubled domestic post major Command Post and Transfer Corporation
* Micheline Charest, cofounder, former chair and co-CEO of animation house Cinar, dies suddenly at age 51 while undergoing plastic surgery in Montreal
* Toronto prodco Capri Films launches distribution arm Capri Releasing and appoints Tony Cianciotta as president

May

* Lions Gate Films enters into a partnership to distribute Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fahrenheit 9/11 in the U.S. over the summer. Soon afterwards, Alliance Atlantis secures the rights to distribute the film in Canada
* Alliance Atlantis Communications sells post house Casablanca to rival Magnetic North. The new entity is known as Casablanca Magnetic North

June

* Hamilton Film Studios in Hamilton, ON closes down after failing to attract any significant business
* On June 30, Toronto animation house DKP Effects buys the assets of AAC’s last remaining post op, cross-town animation and FX house Calibre Digital Pictures

July

* CHUM Ltd. puts up $34.8 million in benefits packages related to its proposed purchase of Craig Media
* Liza Frulla is named Canada’s new heritage minister on July 6
* On July 27, Telefilm Canada and SODEC release a study of the country’s four major film festivals. All fests are graded positively except for the Montreal World Film Festival, accused of poor attendance, lack of industry relevance and little transparency
* It is announced that Richard Stursberg, executive director of Telefilm, is leaving his post to become CBC’s executive VP of English television, replacing the retiring Harold Redekopp

August

* Sun Media and TVA Group strike an agreement to buy Toronto 1 from CHUM Ltd. for $46 million. The CRTC has ruled that CHUM sell the station as part of its purchase of Craig Media
* Stephen Tapp, the executive in charge of CHUM Television properties, loses his job on Aug. 31 in a corporate reorganization that eliminates his position

September

* On Sept. 7, Telefilm and SODEC invite groups to apply for the $1 million it annually earmarks for the Montreal World Film Festival if they can prove they can run a viable new international film fest in Montreal. The WFF is eligible, but refuses to participate
* Bob Scarabelli, president and CEO of Vancouver post-production major Rainmaker, dies Sept. 8 of an apparent heart attack at age 48

October

* With Global lagging behind CTV in the ratings, parent CanWest Global Communications fires Jack Tomik, president of CanWest Media Sales; Loren Mawhinney, VP of Canadian production; and Doug Hoover, SVP programming and promotions. Rick Camilleri, former COO of CanWest operations, is named president of the newly launched CanWest MediaWorks, which encompasses the company’s Canadian divisions. U.S. TV execs Kathleen Dore and Joseph Mangione are brought on board as president television and radio and president, sales and marketing for CanWest Media Works, respectively
* The CBC lets go of 50 employees in the wake of the ongoing NHL labor dispute, which causes major ad revenue losses for the network, which counts Hockey Night in Canada as its most profitable program

November

* Prime Minister Paul Martin recommends that the contract for CBC president Robert Rabinovitch be extended for another three years
* Montreal film distributor Cinema Libre closes its doors on Nov. 15 after 25 years in business
* After five months of controversy and debate, the CRTC grants Fox News a licence on Nov. 18 to operate as a digital channel in Canada
* The CRTC approves the sale of Craig Media to CHUM Ltd. on the condition that the Toronto media giant put up $21.9 million in funding for independent production

December

* Wayne Clarkson, previously executive director at the Canadian Film Centre, is named the new head of Telefilm, starting Jan. 17
* Telefilm and SODEC announce that a consortium led by L’Equipe Spectra is the recipient of $1 million to mount a new international Montreal film festival
* Media icon Pierre Berton, whose distinguished broadcast credits include Close-Up, Front Page Challenge and The Pierre Berton Show, dies in Toronto at age 84
* The Ontario provincial government appeases the local industry by boosting the domestic and foreign production tax credits to 30% and 18%, respectively