Alliance Atlantis Communications, through its specialty services Showcase and History Television, will spend an additional $8 million on new Canadian programming from independent producers, on top of its existing licence requirements. And another $4.3 million will be spent on a new training initiative, and invested in production sector organizations.

The new money forms part of aac’s promise of benefits to the Canadian industry, a promise made as part of its application to the crtc to merge Showcase, hgtv, Life Network and History Television under its new corporate entity, Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting.

The new programming funds will be divided between Showcase and History and averaged out over the next seven years.

Jennifer Fong, a lawyer with aac, says: ‘Averaged out over seven years, each channel will receive approximately $1.1 million in annual installments.’

Currently, History spends a total of about $5.7 million on original Canadian independent production and acquisitions, while Showcase spends approximately $10 million.

Laura Michalchyshyn, programmer at Showcase, says in 2000, Showcase will broadcast a new Canadian dramatic series, but details are not yet available. In recent weeks, Michalchyshyn told Playback that Showcase has recently doubled the number of movies it buys. ‘These are still second windows.’

Last year, Yaffe says, Showcase invested in independent Canadian drama via its series Welcome to Paradox. ‘We have done it before,’ says Yaffe. ‘It is part of our licence and this [decision] will continue to give us funds to create new original drama for the channel.

She says Showcase will spend the new money on drama, but has not yet decided whether it will be directed towards series, pilots or one-offs; History will most likely spend its new funds on docs.

Now that the crtc has approved this merger, Life and hgtv will move their operations to join Showcase and History at aac’s Toronto Bloor Street location.

Yaffe says the company will announce any changes in staffing in the next couple of weeks.

Of the $4.3 million designated for new training initiatives, aac will be contributing at least $1.8 million to establish a new arm’s-length, not-for-profit organization, the Canadian Broadcast and Production Executive Training Program. ‘Our view is that executive training is what’s absolutely crucial in this industry and we’re happy to be able to contribute to it,’ says Yaffe.

As Playback goes to press, details of how the new organization will operate are not available.

The remaining $2.4 million for training will go to film and television production industry organizations. Among those already named as recipients are the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and Canadian Women in Communication.