DIY Canada has arrived. The ‘hard-core home improvement’ channel bowed in October, offering viewers ways to ‘cut costs and increase the value of their homes,’ in light of the current economic slump, says Canwest’s lifestyle SVP Karen Gelbart.

The channel arrives in Canada 10 years after it was established in the U.S. under Scripps Networks, which also owns the lifestyle channels HGTV and Food Network, Canuck versions of which are also under the Canwest umbrella. The Category 2 channel was first approved by the CRTC in 2000.

Unlike the HGTVs, there are no plans for cross-border copros at DIY, says Gelbart. Nor is the channel looking for pitches from producers right away. Its 15% Canadian content will be filled with programming from HGTV.

Canwest’s Emily Morgan, VP of content for Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada, will also program DIY. Morgan added HGTV to her plate in September, following the departure of Anna Gecan.

As is the case with most lifestyle TV, DIY’s target audience is primarily females aged 25-54, though Gelbart notes the channel is particularly male-friendly because of all the project-driven shows, in addition to male-focused fare such as Cool Tools and Man Cave.