Vox talk: Canada- U.S. relations

Sun june 4 at 6 pm

In recent years, Canada has diverged from the U.S. on issues like decriminalization of marijuana, the war in Iraq, and same-sex marriage. We consume the same popular culture but our core values are growing farther and farther apart.

Host Max Valiquette talks to Ontario teens about the state of our relationship with the U.S. and how Canadians set themselves apart from American social and political issues.

The life of mammals series

Wednesdays at 7 pm

With breathtaking footage and Attenborough's informed enthusiasm, The Life of Mammals takes viewers into the line of fire for an up-close and educational look at evolution's greatest success stories.

The 10-part series explains the different classifications of mammals, explores their versatility, and reveals how humans came to be the dominant animals on the planet.

The amazing adaptability of these creatures, big and small, is the crux of the series that will certainly prove to be both an entertaining and educational experience.

Colour of war

Mondays at 10 pm     

Until this series, film footage of World War Two has always been black and white. For the first time, original colour footage is used. Events are described from letters and diaries of people present over three episodes.

The view from here: the corporation

Wednesday june 7, 14,  21   

The Corporation addresses three different themes. In the first program, The Pathology of Commerce, filmmakers examine the pathological self-interest of the modern corporation. Planet Inc. looks at the scope of commerce and the sophisticated, even covert, techniques marketers use to get their brands into our homes. The final program, Reckoning, examines how corporations cut deals with any style of government - from Nazi Germany to despotic states today - that allow or even encourage sweatshops, as long as sales go up.

Repeated the following Sunday at 10 PM

Chiefs: sitting bull

Monday june 19 and 26 at 7 pm

Some of the stories of the continent's First Nations are illuminated through the lives of some of its finest leaders. This two-part documentary features Sitting Bull.

Black coffee

Wed july 5, 12, and 19 at 10 pm 

What you pay for your morning fix equals a day's wages for the millions of workers who harvest the bean. Since its discovery in the Ethiopian hillside in the sixth century, our beloved cup of joe has been a dominant force in shaping the economic and social structures of entire nations. Black Coffee provides an intriguing glimpse into the dark side of the brew, which is the second largest trading commodity in the world after oil, and like sugar, has been instrumental in promoting the slave trade. The three-part series, from Montreal's Irene Angelico (The Cola Conquest) casts a critical eye on its human rights and ecological record that remains dodgy at best, and also links our morning ritual to the rise in the café culture and the fair trade movement's efforts to guarantee small growers at least a decent price.

Repeated the following Sunday at 10 PM

Water under fire

Tuesdays at 7 pm beginning july 11th

This 7-part series exposes the Nation's water crisis. Host BOB MCDONALD challenges our comfort level, as we do take water for granted, and calls us to take action by presenting potential solutions.Through a progression of interviews with top water scientists , this series explores the issues, the science, and the human impacts on water. The first six episodes will examine freshwater issues in one of Canada's distinct regions. The National Perspective will provide a picture of Canada's water issues on a national scale.

Repeats Tuesdays at 7 PM beginning AUGUST 1

Conquering Niagara: the story of the Welland Canal

Monday august 7 at 7 pm  

A documentary on the history of the most important economic link of Canada's Great Lakes region to the United States: The Welland Canal. This epic documentary, timed with the Canal's 175th Anniversary celebration in 2003, traces its history from its conception in 1824 through its continued evolution and expansion. The Welland Canal is a story of tremendous achievement and vision, a story of business, engineering, architecture, economics, geography, and history, and the development of a nation.

Jambo Kenya

Sun august 20 at 7 pm

Eleven intrepid Canadian teens – members of a Toronto Catholic District School Board leadership program – sign up for a three-week trip to Kenya. They have no clear idea of what's ahead – just “Teach in the morning and build in the evening.”

In the heart of Masai Mara country, a new world awaits. Language barriers. Lack of books and resources. Teaching in a stifling one-room classroom. Building a schoolhouse from scratch – with no modern equipment. Digging six-foot trenches with shovels. And no one expects to be chased by a wild elephant! That's just the beginning … Nothing could have prepared them for the magic that would mark the next weeks.

First scientists

Monday august 21 at 7 pm

First Scientists is a fascinating documentary exploring the history of aboriginal scientific and social techniques and looks at how modern science is now catching up to these ideas. Centuries before Europeans arrived in North America the continent's First Nations had their own system of scientific exploration rooted in their culture. In many ways, aboriginal science has many parallels to modern methods honed through trial and error and hypothesis testing. In others, this traditional science and technology is fundamentally different, focusing on relationships rather than objects, on the how rather than the why, and on the heart rather than the mind.

The rise and fall of jim crow

Mondays at 10 pm, beginning august 21

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow chronicles the struggles of African Americans, on the streets and in the courts, to put an end to a system of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation. The four-part documentary starts with the Reconstruction period after the American Civil War - a time that held so much promise for free black men and women. In the early 20th century, new laws segregated and disfranchised African Americans and undermined their aspirations for land, civil and political rights, and legal due process. In the period between the wars these laws were reinforced by terror tactics, most notably lynchings. The series concludes at the height of the Civil Rights movement, a century after the Emancipation Proclamation, when African Americans at last began to realize true opportunities for education, business, and land ownership.

The adventure of english

Saturdays at 5 pm beginning sept 16

A remarkable journey around the globe, investigating the spread and development of the English language and examining how vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar vary dramatically not only between countries but also from region to region in Britain.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING

Rough science

All summer long! sundays at 6:30 pm

On an unspecified Mediterranean island and with only rudimentary tools, five scientists pool their wits to accomplish a number of tasks.

The view from here: Actuality: the art and life of allan king

Sunday june 4 at 10 pm

In a career spanning 50 years, filmmaker Allan King has challenged the conventions of the documentary art form. From his groundbreaking Warrendale and A Married Couple to Dying at Grace , he shaped the genre to his vision. At 75, King is still at work, and still challenging the viewer. The success of his most recent film, Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company , which premiered in February on TVO, firmly demonstrates King's ability to capture the common struggle of humanity - to come to terms with the reality of existence. Looking back at pivotal moments in King's profound personal and public legacy, Actuality: The Art and Life of Allan King is a lyrical and moving film that pays tribute to the artist and his place in the history of documentary film. The film is an official selection of Hot Docs 2006.

2006 AIC Limited and Spelling Bee of Canada, Ontario Championships

May 28th at 8pm (senior championship), repeated sun jun 4 at 3pm
sat june 3 at 2:30 pm (junior championship)

Join host Joe Motiki, Senior Pronouncer Tina Srebotnjak, and Junior Pronouncer Mary Ito as they capture all the spellbinding suspense at the 19th annual AIC Limited and Spelling Bee of Canada Ontario Championships at Convocation Hall, University of Toronto. For the third year in a row, TVO is partnering with the Spelling Bee of Canada (SBOC) to present the championships.

A grassroots volunteer initiative, SBOC has been operating in local Ontario communities since 1987. Over 30,000 children have participated - from Ottawa to Sioux Lookout and St. Catherines to Sudbury. The spelling bee fervour has also spread to other provinces, including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and British Columbia.

Move your world

Sun august 13 at 7 pm

Three Canadian teens visit Tanzania and see the real face of HIV/AIDS and the devastation it causes, especially on the lives of children.

[top]