Montreal: The Canadian Screen Training Centre opens a new season of national craft instruction and professional seminars with Rencontre Montreal, a workshop, networking and screening program slated for Nov. 27-29….

Montreal: Riding a three-year turnaround, TVA Group has unveiled 12-month net profits of $25.8 million, or $0.90 per share – its best earnings performance since going public in 1974. The Montreal broadcast/production company recorded profits of $15.7 million in fiscal ’97….

Montreal: Coscient Group (mse/ tse) has approved a rights offering to shareholders which the company says will raise over $22.5 million in net proceeds….

Coscient Group distribution arm Motion International and l.a.-based Hearst Entertainment have signed a deal for two tv movies produced in Montreal by Coscient’s Allegro Films. Total budget for the two films is $5 million….

As part of YTV’s integrated initiative to blaze a new trail, the network brought veteran children’s television programmer Peter Moss on board as vice-president of programming and production. Formerly executive producer for the Children’s Television Workshop and Creative Head of Children’s…

The Canadian Film Centre has named its founder Norman Jewison as the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, a biennial honor established to pay tribute to those who have made significant international contributions to film, television and new media….

Praise for Mr. Macerola…

* James H. (Trey) Smith is the new president and ceo of Rogers Cable, effective Nov. 2. A 20-year u.s. cable veteran, Smith was most recently senior vp, western region for MediaOne/ Continental Cablevision in California. The position has been vacant…

In recognition of his work in the promotion of French culture, executive director of tfo Jacques Bensimon has been honored with the insignia of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by France’s Consul General Pierre-Jean Vandoorne….

Montreal: Less than two weeks into its release, the Denise Filiatreault comedy C’t’a ton tour, Laura Cadieux has topped the $1-million mark at the Quebec box office. The film hit $1 million Oct. 21 after its opening 12 days ago….

Mission, B.C.: As Vancouver-based producer Chuck Lazer tells it, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy is the production that finally convinced the b.c. cabinet to introduce the Film Incentive b.c. tax credit this year….

Following a golden run of the festival circuit, Don McKellar’s Last Night is hitting theaters across the country….