Peter Flemington, a founder of VisionTV and its head of programming for a dozen years, teaches and produces and serves on the international advisory board of INDICO.

A freak spring snow and sleet storm came close to paralyzing traffic in Toronto on April 4, but did little to disrupt the interest, even passion, of those who gathered for the International Diversity Council for Film and Television’s first industry seminar.

Presented in partnership with the ReelWorld Film Festival, now in its third year of celebrating cultural diversity in film and video, the seminar, labeled Ready For Prime Time, featured a dozen experienced and influential players from the fields of policy, regulation, production and broadcasting in Canada.

CRTC commissioner Andrew Cardozo led off with an analysis of the regulatory climate and spoke of ways in which the regulator invites and enables the expression of diversity. In addition to the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, which is carried on the basic service of cable and satellite across Canada, 50 digital licences have been issued for so-called third-language and ethnic services. And each of Canada’s largest cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver) has at least one multicultural, multi-lingual station, and the demand is projected to grow in the years ahead, Cardozo said.

To ensure that the reflection of diversity becomes entrenched in the system rather than treated as an add-on by corporate interests, all commercial TV services in the country are now required to file corporate plans related to diversity when they apply for a licence or a licence renewal, Cardozo told attendees. The plans speak to both on-air and off-air issues.

The CHUM Media Group – known for the edgy, street-level persona of its stations and programming – has been a leader in the representation of diversity for over 30 years. Sarah Crawford, its VP of corporate affairs, spoke of CHUM’s voluntary efforts to codify its ‘best practices’ relating to the issue. She noted that the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Task Force on Diversity is taking a snapshot of what’s on our screens now, but that, for CHUM, ‘diversity is the mainstream.’

Richard Stursberg, executive director of Telefilm Canada, said that any programming seeking agency funds aiming for mainstream, primetime broadcast needs a chance to connect with an audience and be seen by large numbers.

‘Diversity can be popular,’ he said, ‘it’s a matter of quality.’ Such programs have to be ‘funny, smart, gripping, entertaining’ – just like other programming. There is no special financial envelope for diversity projects, and to discover whether there were any systemic barriers within the agency, Telefilm has undertaken research both on the themes and staff complements of projects it has supported over the past three years.

Stursberg believes his financial ‘gatekeepers’ will do quite well. Somewhat in jest, he added: ‘Perhaps minority groups will not hate us any more than other groups.’

Asked how the recent budget cuts would affect Telefilm approval for subsidy of culturally diverse programs, Stursberg responded that ‘multicultural filmmakers should be going to the mainstream broadcasters for funding’ of their projects.

Karen King, a producer who heads up diversity initiatives at the National Film Board, indicated that the NFB had hired producers of color in all regions to ensure access to the system. The NFB also administers a ReelDiversity program as a steppingstone for visible minority producers requiring funding and support. VisionTV and CBC Newsworld broadcast these films nationally.

The second half of the panel was comprised of prominent and accomplished decision-makers from the Canadian broadcasting industry.

Laura Michalchyshyn, VP of dramatic programming for Alliance Atlantis Communications’ group of 12 analog and digital channels, said that, for AAC, ‘diversity makes both business and entertainment sense.’ AAC’s flagship drama channel Showcase has initiated a number of relatively inexpensive dramatic series and is collaborating with other broadcasters to support diversity projects such as Lord Have Mercy and Moccasin Flats. With these and other projects, the panelists stressed the importance of promotion in attracting audience – always a struggle for Canadian programming of any type against the strong, populist U.S. competition.

Barbara Williams of toronto|one, an experienced programmer and VP and GM of the new station with a multicultural ethos, spoke of the ‘expansion of [her] rolodex beyond the usual sources’ and the ‘thorough investment in team-building’ for the channel. Armed with a New Voices Fund and a Priority Program Fund – each $7.5 million over the licence period – Williams said she needed to hear from the minority communities.

‘Help us find you,’ she urged those in the audience, ‘we’ll only be as good as our production community.’

Cardozo of the CRTC noted that toronto|one, set to launch in mid-September, was the first to file a diversity plan with its licence application. ‘The players will work together,’ he said, ‘in an industry that’s becoming more mature.’

Tecca Crosby, director of dramatic programming at CTV, remarked on the problems that can arise from casting members of various ethnic groups in dramatic series that require funding from international markets. It’s a well known but little-talked-about trade secret that viewers in some international markets will not sufficiently tolerate characters of certain ethnic backgrounds in the dramatic programming they choose to view.

CTV, as part of a benefits package for a recent corporate merger, has made $45 million available for stories of Canadians ‘real or imagined’ in a series called Heroes, Champions and Villains.

In emerging producers, Crosby and her colleagues look for ‘strong creative impulses.’ Those who pass the test will be teamed with executive producers known to, and trusted by, the network. CTV also administers a ‘writer only’ fund, which allows early development on promising projects.

Paul Gratton, VP and GM of three of the CHUM channels (Bravo!, Space:The Imagination Station, Drive-In Movies), spoke of the many challenges and obstacles facing producers, and not just those from minority backgrounds. The government monies directed to Telefilm and the LFP (which match the licence fees paid by broadcasters) have been cut deeply this year, creating a funding crisis, many fewer projects and an ‘unbelievably competitive’ environment for producers in which an established ‘track record’ becomes even more important, said Gratton.

Emerging producers, however, still have Bravo!FACT, a fund which provides up to 50% (to a maximum of $25,000) of budgets for artistic shorts.

Joan Jenkinson, VisionTV’s director of programming operations, said the CRTC-mandated reporting on diversity is a real chance to tell Vision’s own story. She warned, however, that the access the network provided at one time for small and emerging producers is disappearing. With the need for ‘audience-driven’ programming, she said, ‘there is no longer a place for small voices.’

Patricia Scarlett of Scarlett Media sees what’s happening on the ‘street level’ with small and medium-sized producers internationally. It’s her job to help shape projects to make them ‘financeable,’ to find international partners and to handle the reams of paperwork – freeing the producers for the creative imperatives.

She encouraged producers to join her in finding new ways to finance projects. She agreed with Jenkinson that as government funding sources diminish, the producers who survive will be those who can finance ‘outside the system.’