Edmonton-born actor, comedian and YouTuber Lisa Gilroy is set to host this year’s Canadian Screen Awards on June 1.

The 13th annual Canadian Screen Awards will air live from the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto at 8 p.m. EST solely on CBC Gem for the first time since 2021. This year’s ceremony will be produced by Calgary-based e=mc² events, with Toronto-headquartered Makers as consulting producers.

“Audiences are increasingly turning to digital and streaming platforms for their entertainment content,” Tammy Frick, CEO, Academy of Canadian Television and Cinema tells Playback Daily on the move to CBC Gem, explaining the move was intended to “meet [audiences] where they are.” The Academy will consider future plans for the awards once this year’s show is complete.

While confirming that the investment from CBC has not changed this year, Frick says “we remain mindful of financial realities across the sector.”

The L.A.-based Gilroy (pictured) has appeared in series such as Hulu’s Interior Chinatown, Netflix’s Running Point, Peacock’s Twisted Metal and Seth Rogen’s upcoming Apple TV+ series The Studio. She currently has a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television. Frick says Gilroy was “on the list very early on” and “a natural fit” due to her extensive improv work.

The awards will be 90-minutes long for the first time, as opposed to the usual hour, says Frick.

“It’s really great we have 90 minutes, as opposed to our traditional 60 minutes, to really properly celebrate the nominees and winners,” says Frick. “This just allows us to add more great Canadian content in the show. It was a little bit restrictive [previously].”

The total awards programme is also being condensed into a weekend of five ceremonies for the 2025 edition, compared with the four day-long programme with six ceremonies in 2024. May 30 will see the News, Entertainment and Sports Awards as well as the Documentary, Factual, Lifestyle and Reality Awards broadcast live on the Canadian Academy’s website. This will be followed by the Cinematic Art Awards and the Scripted Television Awards on May 31, then the Canadian Screen Awards will conclude the weekend the following day on CBC Gem. Frick says the schedule change was made based on the Academy’s final list of nominations as well as external consultations that urged for a more “condensed” weekend.

For the awards themselves, Frick is also conscious of the dramatic uptick in Canadian pride following repeated trade tensions with the U.S. government.

“I think that’s also turned on film and television and digital and media industries,” Frick says. “Shame on us if we don’t take that moment to say, ‘People want to see themselves in these stories.’ They want shows and films that tell authentic stories,” she says. “These shows that we’re celebrating not only resonate in Canada, but they resonate globally.”

The nominees will be announced on March 26. Earlier this month, the Canadian Academy announced the first five Special Award recipients that will be honoured during the ceremony.

Photo by Kristina Ruddick