(February 15, 2017 – Toronto, ON) Perhaps it’s just a sign of the times, a reflection of the world we live in and can no longer ignore. If not quite nightly, the news cycle on TV can’t seem to put seven days together without a story of some attack or attempted attack somewhere in the world. Until a couple of weeks ago in Québec City we have been able to fool ourselves by thinking that that sort of thing couldn’t happen here. But it has.
Yesterday, CBC announced the launch of Keeping Canada Safe, a new documentary series that will begin airing next month. The first two of eight 30-minute episodes will be broadcast back-to-back on March 16 starting at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT), and the remaining six episodes will broadcast on subsequent Thursdays again pairing two episodes each night.
Filmed over a single 48-hour period, Keeping Canada Safe provides an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the people and emergency services tasked with protecting Canadians. Produced by Force Four Entertainment in association with CBC, the series lifts the veil and explores what it means to be safe in a rapidly changing world, while showcasing the intimate and dramatic stories of Canada’s everyday heroes who face tremendous challenges and put their lives at risk to keep Canadians safe.
In each episode, viewers will be privy to a dramatic, day-in-the-life snapshot of emergency services across the country including police, firefighters, airport security, Canadian Forces, CSIS agents, grassroots volunteers and more. Over two days in September 2016, 60 camera crews descended across Canada’s streets, airspace, parks and homes to capture the action-packed and inspiring stories of those working to protect the country, both within and outside its borders. With unparalleled access, more than 47 organizations were filmed at work in 34 different cities across 10 provinces and two territories to create this thorough and immersive program.
Based on the format from ITV, Keeping Canada Safe is a follow up to 2015’s Keeping Canada Alive. Founded in 1983, Vancouver-based Force Four has become one of Canada’s most successful and respected television production companies, producing more than five hundred hours of television and earning accolades on the national and international stage. They have won a prestigious Peabody Award, 10 Gemini Awards and over 25 Gemini nominations. Other programs include Border Security: Canada’s Front Line, The Cupcake Girls, Shannon and Sophie, Village on a Diet, Murder She Solved, and the scripted sitcom Seed. Force Four was acquired by international entertainment leader Entertainment One (eOne) in 2014.
