CBC’s hit sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie may not be nominated in the best comedy series category at this year’s Gemini Awards, but the show is receiving a special award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television later this month at the 22nd annual fete.

Mosque has been named recipient of the Canada Award, sponsored by Canadian Heritage, recognizing excellence in TV programming that reflects racial and cultural diversity. Last year’s winner was the APTN animated program Wapos Bay.

‘The award is interesting,’ Mosque co-executive producer Mary Darling tells Playback Daily on the phone from Paris, where she is attending MIPCOM. ‘As opposed to a craft award, this is one that rewards our original intent of the show itself.’

Darling exec produces with Clark Donnelly through their Toronto- and Regina-based shingle WestWind Pictures. The show is also up for Geminis for Michael Kennedy for direction and Alan Rae for writing.

Darling says the point of the show was always to make people laugh, but the prodco also wanted to promote tolerance, unity and diversity.

‘The show plays a role in trying to bring a voice to a population that has been misunderstood or misrepresented since 9/11,’ she notes.

Most of the cast will attend the Geminis’ Oct. 28 gala in Regina, according to Darling.

In other special awards news, multitalented radio and TV host Don Harron, best known for performing the Charlie Farquharson character on U.S. and Canadian TV, will pick up the Earle Grey Award for his body of work and for raising the international profile of domestic television.

Writer/director/producer John Kastner, who has been deeply involved in both drama (The Terry Fox Story) and documentaries (the recent Monster in the Family), will receive the Academy Achievement Award.

Veteran newsman Tony Burman, the former CBC news chief who recently resigned from his post after 35 years with the pubcaster, has gotten the nod for the Gordon Sinclair Award for broadcast journalism.

Tom Jackson, the popular singer-songwriter who also starred in the CBC series North of 60, will be recognized with the Gemini Humanitarian Award for his selfless contribution to causes such as food banks.

Finally, the writing team behind the beloved children’s program Mr. Dressup — including Chris Clark, Lilly Barnes, Joy Simons-Newall and Susan Marcus — will receive the Margaret Collier Award for their contribution to the national and international profile of screenwriters in Canadian TV.

The special awards will be handed out during the Geminis’ craft category presentations, which take place in Toronto Oct. 15, 16 and 17.