Canada’s private broadcasters are taking the CRTC to court – alleging that they have been illegally taxed by the federal regulator to the tune of more than $300 million over the past three years. The lawsuit, filed Dec. 2 in Ottawa by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, representing some 600 members, claims that the commission has overstepped its authority by charging so-called ‘Part Two License Fees.’

Not even two months in and already it has been a busy year for Montreal-based Equinoxe Films. In the first two weeks of February, Equinoxe acquired worldwide distribution rights to the next comedy feature from the makers of Mambo Italiano and expanded its production base by acquiring Montreal prodco Lyla Films.

The race to build Toronto’s next studio is down to four contenders, all of which made their final pitches to the Toronto Economic Development Corporation earlier this month, moving the city’s troubled Portlands project one step closer to completion.

In the same year in which domestic producers felt the pinch of scarce funding dollars, Canadian conventional broadcasters enjoyed a level of profitability in 2003 not seen since 1999.

By the time all the paperwork is done, Michael MacMillan will, in effect, be the sole controlling shareholder of Alliance Atlantis Communications by 2005 – holding sway over more than half of the voting stock of the $900-million company, according to documents filed recently with the Ontario Securities Commission.

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed, the gruesome werewolf sequel with an oddly feminist edge, opened with a bloody splash in 53 Canadian theaters on Jan. 30. By the end of its first week on Feb. 5, it was the top Canadian film at the domestic box office, with a total take of $127,468 and a per-theater average of $2,405.

Corner Gas, which debuted Jan. 22 to 1.15 million viewers, is proving to be a big success for CTV, with subsequent episodes still breaking the million-viewer mark.

If you can stand the subzero temperatures, the sixth National Screen Institute FilmExchange opens on March 2 in Winnipeg with SnowScreen, a festival favorite that invites brave viewers to settle into icy seats to watch animated shorts from the National Film Board projected on a screen made entirely of snow.

The new minister of Canadian heritage says restoration of the federal government’s support of the Canadian Television Fund is a priority for her but, with the new federal budget just weeks away, she is offering no guarantees to put anxious producers at ease.

Helene Chalifour Scherrer, the new minister of Canadian heritage, made her first major address to the Canadian film and television industry during a Jan. 29 breakfast speech at the CFTPA/APFTQ annual convention in Ottawa. Here is an excerpt.

Ottawa: Taking their cue from the success of FilmOntario, a who’s who of industry stakeholders from across the country gathered Jan. 28, prior to the Prime Time in Ottawa opening reception. Their mandate was to plan and create a new national lobby group representing the entire production sector.

With a federal budget expected to come down sometime this month, stakeholders from across the industry are asking Finance Minister Ralph Goodale to restore Ottawa’s support of the Canadian Television Fund in a Feb. 5 open letter.