Canwest Communications has some changes in store for its specialty TV channels, including the shuttering of lifestyle network Fine Living Canada, according to an exec speaking at the Banff World Television festival this week. Refreshing of Showcase and History Channel will also continue, with scheduling changes that include several new Canadian series.

Fine Living Canada hasn’t grown as anticipated, so the Winnipeg-based broadcaster is planning to close the channel and replace it on the dial with a do-it-yourself channel, according to Emily Morgan, VP of content at the Food Network, Fine Living and Discovery Health. Morgan did not give details of when exactly the switchover would happen.

On the other hand, Food has grown, with audiences doubling, according to Morgan, due to improved instructional programming about food.

Showcase’s brand is evolving and its new on-air look will debut this fall, according to Tara Ellis, VP of Showcase and drama content at Canwest. The channel is ‘growing up a bit,’ she said. It will still own ‘edgy’ programming, but shows like House and Bones will sit alongside that, Ellis added.

Showcase will also feature new one-hour Canadian shows, including a pilot featuring Kenny vs. Spenny‘s Spencer Rice called Single White Spenny (Breakthrough Films and Television), and the police series Shattered, with Callum Keith Rennie as a detective with multiple personality disorder (E1 Entertainment/Force Four Films).

Meanwhile, History Channel has shifted more to entertainment than heavy history documentaries, said Michael Kot, VP of factual content at Canwest. ‘We’ve stopped being the Hitler channel,’ he joked.

The change in focus has led History to being the number three specialty for 25- to 55-year-old women, and number two overall, stated Kot. New shows include Ice Pilots, about a flight service in northern Canada that operates with vintage war planes.

The broadcaster is looking for drama about real people for Slice in what Canwest is calling dramatic lifestyle programming. It also includes a lot of weddings-related shows.

The plan for Slice, which currently has a 70% to 30% female-to-male viewership, is to introduce programming that will increase the number of males tuning in, according to Vanessa Case, VP of strategic programming at E!, Slice and of original content at TVtropolis.

TVtropolis is limited by its licence conditions to shows that are 10 years or older, so change is difficult.

The information was revealed by Canwest at a broadcaster’s briefing at the recently wrapped Banff fest.