for the CFTPA

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association has heard enough murmurings from its membership about licence fees and production volume generated by the new specialty channels that the issue will be an agenda item at the association’s executive meeting in Toronto Feb. 6.

Meanwhile, the cftpa has formed a committee to address issues faced by producers of children’s programming.

The establishment of the group was one of the recommendations of Driving the Future, a year-long industrial strategy for children’s television in Canada headed by the Alliance for Children and Television.

The committee’s chair is Owl Communications president Annabel Slaight. Other committee members include: Kevin Shea, Atlantis Communications coo, Isme Bennie, president of Paragon International, Cinar ceo Micheline Charest and Cinar producer Patricia Lavoie, Andrew Cochran of Cochran and Associates, Madelaine Levesque of SDA Productions, Credo Group head Derek Mazur, Nick Orchard of Soapbox Productions, Tim O’Brien of O’B&D and Kealy Wilkinson of act.

Driving the Future will release its findings sometime in March.

Last but not least, the cftpa will establish a national training program – the CFTPA National Training Programme – for the Canadian film and tv industry and will be eligible to receive partial funding from the $1.1 million allotted for training programs through the new Canadian Human Resources Council announced on Jan. 19.

Objectives of the cftpa’s training program include ensuring the film and tv industry maintains a pool of well-trained professionals able to keep up with a constantly changing industry.