Canwest has greenlit Rise Up, a half-hour pilot from Mary Walsh and Shaftesbury Films.

The comedy, created by Walsh, casts the This Hour Has 22 Minutes vet as a ‘strong-willed, salt-of-the-earth ex-punk rocker’ from Newfoundland, who moves her rustic family to Toronto’s ritzy Rosedale neighborhood after winning a multimillion-dollar lottery.

Walsh shares writing credit with Kevin White (Corner Gas) and Sara Snow (Degrassi: The Next Generation). Shaftesbury boss Christina Jennings will executive produce.

The company is keeping quiet on further casting and crew for now. The script also calls for two troubled teenagers and an ex-husband to play opposite Walsh.

‘When we read the script for Rise Up, we knew we had to bring to life the amazing characters, hilarious storyline and creative vision,’ said Christine Shipton, Canwest’s SVP of dramatic and factual content, in a release.