sharing our stories - aptn · aptn / communiquÉ 2016 wachiya, the fiscal year 2015-2016 was a...

SHARING

OUR

STORIES

COMMUNIQUÉ 2016

APTN MISSION

APTN is sharing our Peoples’ journey, celebrating our

cultures, inspiring our children and honouring the wisdom

of our Elders.

ABOUT APTN

September 1, 2016 marked the 17-year anniversary of the launch of the first

national Aboriginal television network in the world with programming by,

for and about Aboriginal Peoples to share with all Canadians and viewers

around the world. APTN is available in approximately 11 million Canadian

households and commercial establishments with cable, direct-to-home

satellite, telco-delivered and fixed wireless television service providers. The

network launched its high-definition channel, APTN hd, in the spring of 2008.

APTN does not receive government funding for operations but generates

revenue through subscriber fees, advertising sales and strategic partnerships.

APTN broadcasts programming with 56% offered in English, 16% in French

and 28% in Aboriginal languages.

Cover Photo: Aboriginal Day Live 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTSMessage from Our Chairperson 2

Message from Our Chief Executive Officer 3

Year in Review Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Highlights 6

Aboriginal Production 8

Our People 14

Understanding Our Audience 20

Digital Drum | Connective Expression 24

Advertising 26

Setting the Technological Pace 30

Uncovering the Stories that Others Won’t 32

Conditions of Licence 36

Programming | What’s On 44

Aboriginal Day Live 58

Appendix A | Independent Production Activity

(Original Productions) 2015-2016

APTN / COMMUNIQUÉ 2016

Wachiya,

The fiscal year 2015-2016 was a

great year for Aboriginal Peoples

Television Network (APTN). Our

continued success is built through

our dedication to honour our

roots while keeping an eye to the

future. As a result, APTN produces

and broadcasts programs that

are increasingly higher quality,

distinctive and informative that also

reflect Aboriginal perspectives.

APTN is well aware of the significant

changes to the broadcast industry.

We continue to grow and adapt to

meet the challenges of television in

a new and increasingly technological

world. From being established as the

first national Aboriginal broadcaster

in the world and being known

as Canada’s only independent

Aboriginal television network, we

have continually sought to not just

meet our potential, but exceed

expectations from our viewers

and the industry. This fiscal year

has helped us set the stage for

impressive developments to come at

APTN that we will roll out in phases

over the next five to 10 years.

We said goodbye to some incredible

board members who moved onto

new and exciting opportunities, and

we have welcomed some new and

returning members. In addition, the

board is undergoing a structural

review to prepare for growth as

APTN becomes a more established

presence in the broadcast industry.

Moreover, the network must adapt

and find new ways to reach a

growing and fractured audience,

while ensuring there are revenues

to fund its programming, news

operations and related services.

On behalf of my board colleagues,

I thank APTN’s dedicated senior

management team and all APTN

employees for an outstanding

year. Your extraordinary skills,

passion and dedication collectively

advance a strong Aboriginal

media presence in Canada and the

world. I am honoured to be a part

of this network, as it continues

to be influential and shift focus

to become a truly specialized

multi-platform broadcaster.

Jocelyn Formsma,

Chairperson

APTN Board of Directors

MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIRPERSONJOCELYN FORMSMA

SHARING OUR STORIES / 3

I am honoured to be part of an

organization that is the most

influential Aboriginal storyteller

in Canada. Sharing our Stories is

the essence of APTN, which also

maintains our momentum in the

Canadian broadcast industry.

To engage the nation’s population

with the organization’s specialized

programming across multiple

platforms, APTN continues to

depend greatly on the Canada

Media Fund (CMF) to meet the

Canadian Radio-television and

Telecommunications Commission’s

(CRTC) expectations on the

different genres of programming

and languages to be broadcast.

APTN’s Performance Envelope

(PE) again decreased in this fiscal

year. Being a small independent

broadcaster, APTN faces many

challenges each fiscal year, but

one obstacle is the constant battle

against larger broadcasters for a

share of the PE funding. Compared

to the average decrease in PEs

among all broadcasters, the network

performed quite well.

This fiscal year, the organization

worked diligently to remain current

in broadcast and distribution

technology trends. By streamlining

processes, implementing leading

edge technology, seeking new ways

to improve the delivery of programs

and planning for the future, the

network continued to improve its

business of Sharing our Stories.

APTN’s specialized programming

is paramount for the organization’s

long-term success, supported by the

dedication of each employee.

Each fiscal year, the network

is tremendously proud of its

employees, including their

contributions and achievements,

as we strive to maintain our

lead in the industry as a highly

recognized employer. For the eighth

consecutive year, the organization

was recognized as one of

Manitoba’s Top Employers, and for

the fourth consecutive year, one of

Canada’s 100 Top Employers. Also,

for the third year in a row, APTN

received a national award for its

participation in the Take Our Kids to

Work™ program. These distinctions

are the result of a skilled and

dedicated workforce that creates

a collaborative culture to establish

a more productive, enjoyable and

rewarding workplace.

In preparation for growth, APTN’s

headquarters located in Winnipeg,

MB, laid the groundwork for

opportunities, including an

impressive renovation project at the

adjacent building. This space is the

news bureau and production studios

MESSAGE FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERJEAN LA ROSE


of APTN News and Current Affairs,

a nationwide team that provides an

award-winning and unprecedented

perspective on news for Aboriginal

Peoples and all Canadians.

Notably, APTN National News

received an unprecedented four

nominations from the Canadian

Association of Journalism (CAJ). At

the CAJ Awards, APTN Investigates

won the Communications Workers

of America Canada/CAJ Award for

Labour Reporting for Hurting for

Work. APTN National News also

won the Journalists for Human

Rights/CAJ Award for Human

Rights Reporting for A Soldier

Scorned. The reporting team also

remained focused on special news

programming to ensure the regional

representation of our Peoples’

stories were covered from coast to

coast to coast. APTN National News

featured 12 episodes of its mini-

documentary series – Perspectives.

The Ottawa bureau reported on

political affairs, including the election

of the Assembly of First Nations

National Chief in December and the

Annual General Meeting in July. In

addition, in-depth, unprecedented

coverage of the federal election

brought issues from grassroots

people directly to candidates in the

weeks prior to election day.

At its technical foundation,

APTN continued to initiate major

infrastructure changes that were

carried over from the past fiscal

year. The organization is set to

integrate new technologies into

its broadcast internet protocol

network. In addition, master control

was upgraded to a state-of-the-art

information technology-based

playout platform. A broadcast

graphics and a multi-channel

branding system were also

implemented. These modernizations

are imperative to increase

efficiencies, improve workflow and

enable the broadcast of content on

multiple platforms; each will help

APTN remain competitive in the

long term.

As the most influential Aboriginal

storyteller in Canada, APTN strives

to commission programs that meet

the highest standards for on-air

talent, writing and production

values. As a result, industry peers

and critics supported the merit

and influence of the network’s

programming, from award shows

to film festival podiums.

The leading dramatic series

Blackstone continued its tradition

of success with two Alberta

Film and Television Awards in

2016, including Best Production

Reflecting Cultural Diversity and

Best Performance by an Alberta

Actress. The series also received

recognition for its “Flat Line”

episode at the 2016 Leo Awards,

with a Best Lead Performance

by a Female in a Dramatic Series.

Documentaries also received

distinction. Chaos and Courage

was honoured with a Media Award

from the Association of Ontario

Midwives for its episode “Midwives.”

In addition, a one-off documentary

from APTN’s Emerging Director

program, Sex Spirit Strength, was

named the Best of Fest, and director

Courtney Montour earned Emerging

Filmmaker at the 2016 Golden Sheaf

Awards at the Yorkton Film Festival.

Once again, the network produced

the largest celebration of National

Aboriginal Day. Aboriginal Day Live

is an annual event that celebrates

the spirit of sharing, conveys

stories and showcases the talent

of Aboriginal Peoples. Thousands

attend to show their support for this

event to see the best and brightest

Aboriginal artists from across North

America perform live. The 10th

anniversary edition proved to be

another successful celebration at

The Forks in Winnipeg, MB.

The attendance was greater than

45,000 people for the day-long

festivities and evening concert, and

the multi-platform delivery reached

an audience of more than one

million. For the 150th anniversary

of the Canadian Confederation,

the 2017 edition will expand its

grassroots reach to even more

Aboriginal communities.

For the past 17 years, APTN has

evolved to become the foremost

national Aboriginal television

broadcaster. The organization has

now prepared to focus on what will

be crucial to continue its growth.

The network has completed a

brand refresh initiative based on key

insights from national focus groups,

with the initial phases launched

this fiscal year. The refreshed look

and feel will continue to roll out,

aligning APTN as a representation

of a progressive group of people:

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

Seeking opportunities to advance

in broadcasting, APTN is assessing

the feasibility of an independently

managed network in the United

States. All Nations Network (ANN),

a sister station, would convey the

stories of Native Americans to an

American audience, similar to the

Programming Department mandate

at APTN. We hope to have sufficient

support to launch this network in

the U.S.

APTN has also invested in

capital funds to build production

capacity at the Montreal, Ottawa,

Vancouver and Winnipeg bureaus

to produce in-house programming

for distribution. Other initiatives

will include the development of a

digital transformation strategy to

offer a diversified multi-platform

approach to the organization. In

addition, to prepare for APTN’s next

licence renewal with the CRTC, the

network’s executive team will review

the 2018-2023 business plan.

APTN achieved countless

accomplishments this fiscal year,

and I am proud to be a part of

this organization as we share the

modern Aboriginal experience in

this Communiqué.

Jean La Rose,

Chief Executive Officer

APTN



YEAR IN REVIEW2015-2016 HIGHLIGHTS

HOURS* HOURS*54.5 20.5Aboriginal languages programming French-language programming

*Average hours per week

8

SPECIAL EVENTS

COVERAGE

4Manitoba’s Top Employers

Extensive coverage of the federal

election and French-language

news stories of special relevance

to Quebec, including Virtual

Town Halls with Party Leaders;

All National Indigenous Leaders

Forum; French-language election

debate on APTN Décision 2015;

live broadcast of federal election

results; history-making, in-depth

interview between a sitting

Prime Minister and Aboriginal-

owned media (Winnipeg);

Assembly of First Nations

Annual General Assembly

(Niagara Falls); live coverage

of the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission of Canada Final

Report (Ottawa); Sixties Scoop

Apology (Winnipeg); federal

budget coverage with tracking

of specific promises from the

election (Ottawa); and ongoing

reporting of mental health issues

and solutions at the Attawapiskat

First Nation

Canada’s Top 100 Employers

YEARS RUNNING

YEARS RUNNING

1 10at Aboriginal Day Live 2016

Reached an audience of

of Aboriginal Day Live

YEARSMILLION

MORE THAN

MORE THAN

MORE THAN84% 95%

Canadian programming content Canadian programming broadcast

was independently produced


HOURS479original programming: English,

French and 20 different

Aboriginal languages

292,364

$20,000

15unique visitors to aptn.ca per month

(on average)

in Band Aid grants were presented

in partnership with MusiCounts to

Aboriginal schools in Manitoba

secured for TV and aptn.ca

NEW ADVERTISERS

61 65%

story views on APTN

Facebook accounts

have Aboriginal ancestry

MILLIONOF EMPLOYEES

2APTN Investigates –

Communications Workers of

America Canada/Canadian

Association of Journalists (CAJ)

Award for Labour Reporting

APTN National News – Journalists

for Human Rights/CAJ Award for

Human Rights Reporting

JOURNALISM AWARDS

40 25

3 Proud sponsor of 20 events

including Manito Ahbee Festival,

imagineNATIVE Film + Media

Arts Festival, Alzheimer Society

of Manitoba – Gala 2016, Whistler

Film Festival, Soaring: Indigenous

Youth Career Conference, 23rd

Annual Indspire Awards, 2016 JUNO

Awards – Aboriginal Album of the

Year, Eastlink East Coast Music Week

2016, Vision Quest Conference,

Yorkton Film Festival, Western

Association of Broadcasters 2016

Conference, BANFF World Media

Festival 2016, MusiCounts, Alianait

Arts Festival, Terres en Vues – Land

InSights (Montreal First Peoples

Festival), Aboriginal Music Week

2016, Canadian Cable Systems

Alliance, Telco Week, SAY Magazine

and NCI Music Countdown

programming commitments programming commitments

for participation in the national

Take Our Kids to Work™ program

TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS

ORIGINAL DIGITAL MEDIA COMPONENTS

YEARS RUNNING

205national accolades for crowd-

pleasing programming

EVENTS

AWARDS

MORE THAN

ABORIGINAL

FOR MORE THAN 17 YEARS,APTN has been firmly rooted in

Canada’s broadcasting landscape

and has been an essential player

in the content industry.

PRODUCTION


Through documentaries, news and current affairs shows, dramas, entertainment specials, children’s series, cooking shows and education programs, APTN opens a window into the remarkably diverse worlds of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada and throughout the world.

Our mandate would not be possible without the creative and talented production community. Every year, APTN partners with more than 100 Aboriginal producers, directors, storytellers and writers to ensure that our stories are being told with a true and authentic voice.

SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS2015-2016 Accomplishments

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

This fiscal year, the quality of

our programs was once again

recognized by industry professionals

at award galas and festivals.

APTN’s leading dramatic series

Blackstone continued its tradition

of success with two Alberta Film

and Television Awards in 2016,

including awards for Best Production

Reflecting Cultural Diversity and

for Best Performance by an Alberta

Actress (for newcomer Jordyn

White). Blackstone actress Carmen

Moore also received recognition for

her work in the “Flat Line” episode,

with a Best Lead Performance by a

Female in a Dramatic Series Award,

from the 2016 Leo Awards.

The network’s documentary series

Chaos and Courage was honoured

with a Media Award from the

Association of Ontario Midwives

for the episode “Midwives.”

A one-off documentary from APTN’s

Emerging Director program, Sex

Spirit Strength, was awarded the

Best of Fest at the 2016 Golden

Sheaf Awards at the Yorkton Film

Festival, and also received the

Emerging Filmmaker Award for

director Courtney Montour.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

For a fifth and final year, APTN

partnered with the National Screen

Institute’s Aboriginal Documentary

Program. This program has been

important to lay the ground work

and train each selected producer

and director team, pairing them with

an industry mentor to assist with the

final development and production of

a short documentary film. During the

past four years, this partnership has

supported 16 teams.

Continuing to build relationships

with independent Aboriginal

producers, the network maintains

its long-standing involvement with

the Montreal First Peoples Festival.

In August 2016, APTN offered the

third annual APTN Award – one that

recognizes an Aboriginal filmmaker

who has produced distinguishing

work in the last year. This year’s

APTN Award went to director

Sonia Bonspille Boileau, a Mohawk

filmmaker from Gatineau, QC. APTN

also sponsored three master classes

at the festival: one in French and two

in English, featuring guest speakers

Marco Collin, Courtney Montour and

Angie-Pepper O’Bomsawin.

APTN supported the imagineNATIVE

Film + Media Arts Festival for a third

year, offering a cash prize of $5,000

for a dramatic short film and $2,000

toward a short documentary film.

The selected entrants were Tasha

Beeds for her short documentary

Walking Out: An Indigenous

Woman’s Journey from Violence into

Ceremony and Roxann Whitebean

for her dramatic short film Paradigm.

To continue its work to foster

French-language content, APTN

collaborated with TV5 for a second

year on a call for web series

concept, Ma websérie sur APTN.

The selected project, a drama-

comedy webisode series Police sans

réserve, was submitted by Sonia

Bonspille Boileau.

The network once again

commissioned programs

with a number of notable

co-broadcasting partners:


• APTN has confirmed a partnership

with Unis TV on the second

season of the children’s series

Canot Cocasse in April 2016.

• CBC and APTN united to support

the one-off documentary The Girls

of St. Mary’s in spring 2016, while

APTN and Société Radio-Canada

successfully led the children and

youth series Tshakapesh through

the Canada Media Fund (CMF)

Aboriginal Program in July 2016.

• Anaana’s Tent is another children

and youth series produced by

APTN in partnership with Nunavut

Independent Television that was

also successful in securing the

CMF Aboriginal Program Fund in

July 2016.

In addition, the network continued

its previously successful

partnerships, including APTN and

Shaw co-broadcasting the 23rd

Annual Indspire Awards on June 24,

2016. Accessible Media Inc. once

again joined APTN to co-broadcast

the very successful 10th annual

Aboriginal Day Live concert on

June 25, 2016. This past summer,

the network also started principal

photography with Rogers Cable’s

Viceland channel on the Rise

documentary series.

TERMS OF TRADE

The network has continued to

abide by the Terms of Trade that

were signed between APTN and

the Alliance of Aboriginal Media

Professionals on August 28, 2014.

The agreement came into effect

as of September 1, 2014 and will

expire with the network’s next

licence renewal.

PROGRAMMING COMMITMENTS

In the fiscal year 2015-2016, APTN

Programming committed to 40

television productions and 25

original digital media components.

This represented 318.25 hours

of original programming in

English, French and nine

Aboriginal languages.

This fiscal year, APTN Acquisitions

secured 184 hours of programming,

including eight premieres and 10

titles exclusive to APTN. Highlights

include the following series: season

four of Longmire, the critically

acclaimed U.S. contemporary drama;

seasons four and five of Wentworth,

an award-winning and internationally

lauded Australian prison drama; and

two seasons of The Cleaner, a U.S.

drama starring Benjamin Bratt as a

recovering addict transforming and

helping the lives of others. As well as

the popular U.S. blockbusters, Avatar

and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn,

APTN acquired several Canadian

features, including the upcoming

eOne Films International title Iqaluit;

the futuristic sci-fi and Perspective

Canada at Cannes 2016 selection

The Northlander; and the powerful

indie drama Fire Song, one of the

first films by a First Nations director

to deal with two-spirited people and

an Official Selection at last year’s

Inuktitut 37%

Cree 26%

Dene 9%

Innu 7%

Méchif 5%

Plains Cree 5%

Syilx 4%

Ojibway 4%

Mohawk 3%

Aboriginal Language Commitments 2015-2016


Toronto International Film Festival.

The network continued to support

documentary films on relevant

Aboriginal issues and themes with

five acquisitions, four one-hour and

one feature-length, including This

Changes Everything, based on the

international bestseller by Naomi

Klein on climate change, featuring

Crystal Lameman of Beaver Lake

Cree First Nation.

CANADA MEDIA FUND (CMF) |

PERFORMANCE ENVELOPES (PE)

As always, APTN depends heavily

on CMF funding to meet the

Canadian Radio-television and

Communications Commission’s

(CRTC) expectations on the

different genres of programming

and languages of broadcast. APTN’s

PE again decreased in 2015-2016.

APTN’s English PE decreased by

2.8% and its French decreased

by 0.1%. Overall the CMF budget

decreased by four million dollars for

the 2016-2017 CMF fiscal year. The

average loss for English broadcasters

was -12% and French broadcasters

was -11.9%. APTN is presently in the

process of allocating its PE funds

among several productions.

Being a small independent

broadcaster, APTN faces many

challenges each fiscal year and is

constantly battling against larger

broadcasters for a share of the

PE funding.

APTN is fully committed to delivering

superior programming. Despite the

challenges the network faces with

ratings and having smaller marketing

and licensing budgets, and

compared to the average decrease

in envelopes among all broadcasters,

APTN performed quite well.

The network was able to trigger

the totality of its envelopes

and still attain 107 hours of new

programming during the CMF’s

2015-2016 fiscal year, including

English, French and Aboriginal-

language versions.

Budget Hours Budget Hours Budget Hours

2014-2015 2014-2015 2014-20152015-2016 2015-2016 2015-2016

$4

,515

,63

0

$6

11,15

0

$5

,12

6,7

80

73

37

110

82

.5

25

107.

5

$5

,719

,49

0

$5

52

,36

8

$6

,27

1,8

58

APTN – CMF English Performance

Envelope Comparison

Budget – English and Aboriginal-

Language Hours

APTN – CMF French Performance

Envelope Comparison

Budget – French and Aboriginal-

Language Hours

APTN – CMF French and

English Performance Envelope

Total Comparison

Budget – English, French and

Aboriginal-Language Hours

Summary of APTN’s 2015-2016 CMF

Performance Envelopes:

• 100% of English PE triggered:

82.5 hours of programming to

be produced;

• 100% of French PE triggered:

25 hours of programming to

be produced;

• $31,157,968 total production

budgets to be triggered

(English, French and

Aboriginal Languages);

• APTN also triggered 100% of

its CMF English and French

development funds for 2015-2016.

CANADA MEDIA FUND (CMF) |

ABORIGINAL PROGRAM (AP)

The CMF’s AP has grown in response

to producer demand and APTN’s

commitment to broadcasting

Aboriginal-language content. The

AP budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal

year was $7 million ($6,120,000

for production and $880,000 for

development). The network is the

main broadcaster triggering the

funding. APTN is the only regulated

broadcaster that has a specific

Condition of Licence (COL) to

broadcast a minimum of 35 hours of

Aboriginal-language programming

each week. The network strives to

provide new and engaging content

each broadcast season by

presenting programs in a variety of


Summary of APTN’s 2015-2016 AP

(Production):

• 76% of projects supported by the

AP were licenced by APTN;

• 79.25 hours of Aboriginal-

language programming to be

produced for APTN;

• 9.75 hours of French-language

programming to be produced

for APTN;

• 66.25 hours of English-language

programming to be produced

for APTN;

• $15,244,604 total production

budgets to be triggered by APTN.

Summary of APTN’s 2015-2016 AP

(Development):

• APTN supported eight TV projects

through the AP development fund.

Six of these projects included

digital media components.

MOVING FORWARD

APTN will continue to develop,

commission and acquire distinctive

and compelling series and digital

media components that appeal to its

distinct and overlapping audiences:

Aboriginal Peoples and Canadians of

all ages. Moreover, the network will

offer enhanced viewing experiences

on multiple platforms and diverse

programs through strategic

industry partnerships.

In the fiscal year 2016-2017, APTN

will once again launch its second

screen experience with season four

of Mohawk Girls, and an app will

accompany season three of The

Other Side. TVOntario (TVO), CBC,

Corus Kids, Family Channel and

APTN will continue working together

on the children’s series Giver 150

season five in preparation for

Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.

APTN also renewed its partnership

with TVO for the final season of the

popular drama series Hard Rock

Medical in the summer of 2016, along

with continued support from the

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. The

network looks forward to premiering

this series in 2017.

Aboriginal languages programming

HRS* HRS*54.5 20.5French-language programming

*Average hours per week

APTN OFFERS PROGRESSIVE employee programs and an

exceptional workplace

through the empowerment

of its workforce.

OUR PEOPLE

Creating a collaborative culture makes a more productive, enjoyable and rewarding workplace. Leveraging learning and encouraging employees to give back can benefit an entire community.


ENGAGING AND EMPOWERING

EMPLOYEES

APTN developed initiatives

to encourage organizational

involvement, employee excellence

and recognition of each other’s

achievements that met the

organization’s mandates and

strategic goals this fiscal year.

The Employee Engagement

Committee was formed with the

purpose to foster a culture of

engaged employees in a manner

that is collaborative, which involves

participative decision-making.

The responsibilities of this committee

include analyzing employee survey

results, developing action plans,

providing recommendations to

the senior management team and

implementing ideas for improved

employee engagement.

Another new initiative, the

Recognize Appreciate Praise

(RAP) Program, was introduced

to help encourage and motivate

employees to continue meeting

APTN’s strategic goals and allow

them to recognize their peers’

contributions and successes along

the way. Peer-to-peer recognition

is the genuine expression of

appreciation exchanged between

co-workers. Research shows that

empowering employees to give and

receive formal recognition yields

better results.

To further develop employee

engagement, a high-definition

corporate screen was installed in the

lobby of the Winnipeg headquarters,

featuring employee-driven

content that is regularly updated.

This initiative was designed to

proudly display the many faces

of employees, to celebrate their

accomplishments and share aspects

of their lives. It also contributes to

a supportive work environment

and proudly displays APTN as fun,

innovative, progressive and friendly.

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

APTN is committed to creating

a nurturing work environment

and provide exciting career

opportunities. Ultimately this

contributes to the ongoing

success of attracting and

retaining employees at all levels

of the organization.

Being designated with notable

honours as one of Canada’s Top 100

Employers for the fourth consecutive

year and as one of Manitoba’s

Top Employers for the eighth

consecutive year demonstrates

how APTN maintains its lead in the

Canadian broadcast industry.

8 4Manitoba’s Top Employers Canada’s Top 100 Employers

YEARS RUNNING

YEARS RUNNING


Once again, APTN was one of

15 companies across Canada

recognized by The Learning

Partnership for its involvement in the

Take Our Kids to Work™ initiative.

For the third consecutive year, the

network received the Canada’s

Outstanding Employers Award as a

symbol of its commitment to youth.

Students toured the organization to

gain insight into the development of

Aboriginal television programming

and careers in broadcasting.

TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE

The network offers unprecedented

opportunities for First Nations, Inuit

and Métis media professionals. APTN

strongly encourages and supports

career development that grows its

employees’ professional status within

the broadcasting industry. Training

and development are encouraged

and have created positive results for

the organization.

This fiscal year, APTN made it a

priority to continue committing

to employees’ personal and

professional growth by providing its

managers with a subscription-based

online management training tool.

New employees to APTN received

training in Understanding

Aboriginal and Treaty Rights,

Harassment in the Workplace and

Workplace Hazardous Materials

Information System (WHMIS). In

addition, APTN’s Health and Safety

Committee received first aid, CPR

and defibrillator training.

LEVERAGING LEARNING

APTN believes in providing

vocational school and post-

secondary students with

apprenticeships, internships and

practical work experience that will

expose them to the real world of

television broadcasting. Through

the network’s Apprenticeship and

Internship Programs, APTN has

continued to build its talent pool

by providing work experience

to students. Further, several

current APTN employees who

successfully completed the

network’s work experience programs

are now progressing within the

broadcasting industry.

The Apprenticeship Program has

continued to collaborate with

educators at post-secondary

institutions and recruit suitable

Aboriginal students for enrolment

in this program. Students who have


2015-2016 APPRENTICESHIPS | INTERNSHIPS | WORK EXPERIENCES

Institution Program Department # of Students

Tech Voc High School Broadcast Technology News/Studio 1

Journalists for Human Rights Broadcast Journalism News 4

Carleton University Bachelor of Journalism News 1

Conestoga College Broadcast Television News/Studio 1

Herzing College Television & Radio Broadcasting News/Studio 1

Glenlawn Collegiate Broadcast Technology News/Studio 1

Confederation College Broadcasting News/Studio 1

CDI CollegeAccounting & Payroll

Administrator DiplomaFinance 1

University of Winnipeg Business & Administration Finance 1

APTN Internship ProgramMulti-departmental Internal

Internship ProgramMarketing and News 4

successfully completed the program

are eligible to apply for a paid

internship position. This fiscal year,

four students successfully completed

an unpaid apprenticeship through

Journalists for Human Rights (JHR)

and APTN’s own program.

The Internship Program has also

provided participants an opportunity

to advance their skills and achieve

significant practical experience.

During the 2015-2016 fiscal year,

eight students experienced firsthand

what it would be like to be a

journalist, video journalist, technician,

finance clerk or online media

marketer. Of these eight interns,

one received a casual contract, one

received a permanent contract, and

one had his internship extended

at APTN.

Although the network has not

established a formal work experience

program, APTN continues to

collaborate with vocational schools

and community colleges to support

their work experience programs.

This year, the network hosted eight

students who acquired valuable

work experience relevant to

their studies.

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

APTN acknowledges its employees

for their invaluable contributions and

accomplishments made in support

of the organization’s business

objectives and goals. Recognition

also creates a supportive work

environment and prepares the

organization’s potential future

leaders, attracting and retaining

APTN’s workforce.


90%

56%

44%

65%61%

49%51%

39%

63%

APTN’S GENDER COMPARISON

As at August 9, 2016, 51% of employees are female and 49% are male.

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Employees who reached service

milestones are recognized through

APTN’s Rewards & Recognition

Program. A service award is given

to employees, starting at five years

and up to a maximum of 25 years

of continuous years of service. In

this fiscal year, the organization

presented seven employees with

five-year gifts, four employees with

10-year gifts and 11 employees with

15-year gifts.

REACHING OUT TO COMMUNITIES

APTN encourages its employees to

volunteer and support Aboriginal

initiatives, a testimony that a

progressive approach can benefit

an entire community. Charitable

and community organizations

supported include: the Christmas

Cheer Board, United Way, Broadway

Neighbourhood Centre, Ma Mawi

Wi Chi Itata Centre, Habitat for

Humanity Manitoba, Resource

Assistance for Youth and Scotiabank

AIDS Walk for Life. These are

some examples of how employee

volunteering supports other

organizations, and APTN is proud of

their association to the Aboriginal

community. Employees received paid

time off to volunteer for charitable

organizations of their choice.


MOVING FORWARD

APTN continues to successfully

partner with Journalists for

Human Rights (JHR) as part of its

Indigenous Reporters Program,

which assists with the advancement

of Aboriginal leadership

opportunities in journalism. APTN’s

commitment to this program is

to accept five interns per year

who are dedicated to reporting

on Indigenous content online and

on-air. In addition, the network

is exploring the possibility of

employees training JHR members in

their home communities in northern

Manitoba. This would support JHR

reporters’ learning and development,

and provide the opportunity

for them to contribute to APTN

online and/or on-air content upon

course completion.

The network has also accepted a

partnership with Mid-Ocean School

of Media Arts. Work is underway to

develop an internship program for

students studying audio sound and

media production.

Within the next fiscal year, APTN will

incorporate enhanced training for

mid-level management and senior

management employees, with the

purpose of developing their skills

as the organization’s objectives

and goals align with a digital

transformation strategy.

First Nations – Status

First Nations – Non-Status

Métis

Inuit

Visible Minority

Non-Aboriginal Ancestry

Undeclared

27%

6%4%

30%

27%

1%

5%

APTN’S WORKFORCE UPFRONT

As at August 9, 2016, 65% of employees are of Aboriginal ancestry.

APTN HAS LOOKED INTERNALLY to better serve its audience.

UNDERSTANDINGOUR AUDIENCE


As a television broadcaster that offers specialized programming to a diverse audience, APTN knows each region, cultural group, community and individual represent a unique set of needs. Similarly to all television networks, APTN must compete to capture viewers’ attention that is increasingly migrating to Over-The-Top content (OTT).


BACKING IT UP WITH RESEARCH

To gain a greater understanding of

viewers’ preferences and impressions

of APTN programming, the network

engages with them through

many research tools. Research

findings provided to APTN internal

stakeholders continue to improve

marketing strategies and the

effectiveness of campaigns.

CUSTOMIZED NATIONAL

ABORIGINAL SURVEY

Due to the Numeris data providing

an incomplete picture of APTN’s

diverse Aboriginal audience, the

marketing department has found

alternatives to complete the

puzzle. In 2010, the network began

commissioning a national telephone

survey to help mirror the Numeris

data, only surveying Aboriginal

Peoples. The national survey has

provided insights into Aboriginal

Peoples’ television viewing habits,

their opinions of APTN, and how

they use the internet for their media

consumption. This fiscal year, the

national survey was expanded from

an annual initiative to a three-wave

study to obtain findings on OTT,

mobile media technology and online

streaming behaviour.

APTN INSIDERS

This online survey panel has existed

since 2009, though has gone through

two cycles in focus. The panel was

created to build a relationship with

core audience members across

Canada via two-way communication.

Panel members are emailed monthly

questionnaires which provide APTN

management with valuable, timely

and cost-efficient insights into the

audience’s needs and perceptions.

APTN Insiders also receive a

monthly e-newsletter on exciting

new initiatives and shows. This fiscal

year, APTN implemented software

to create a more user-friendly and

aesthetically pleasing template in an

effort to increase membership across

the country. The highly successful

recruitment campaign increased

panel membership by 84% in four

months, including a 364% increase

in the ever-challenging millennial

demographic. APTN Insiders continue

to be a useful tool to gain insight into

how the network is perceived across

Canada, and this fiscal year was the

most successful to date.

DISCOVERING NEW WAYS TO

REACH OUR AUDIENCE

Communicating with the network’s

audience about its wide range of

programming continues to be a

complex strategy. This requires

thoughtfully targeted campaigns

and creative and a thorough analysis

of an advertising budget that is

dwarfed by other conventional

networks. There are three pillars

within the marketing plan on which

the department focuses:

1. Communicating directly with

targeted audiences about

APTN programming;

2. Communicating with customer

service agents and affiliates, both

of whom provide APTN with their

customer base via subscription;

3. Communicating with advertisers

to build APTN brand equity and

promote sales activity.

Below are some of the department’s

proud accomplishments for this

fiscal year.

BRAND REFRESH

Working with Loop Media and NRG

Research Inc., internal and external

reviews of APTN brand elements

were collected and analyzed. This

fiscal year, APTN has continued to

roll out a brand refresh initiative

based on key insights from a

national multicultural focus group.


The result is a refreshed look and

feel for APTN’s primary audience

on all touchpoints: on-air, online and

social media.

SOURCED NEW AGENCY

OF RECORD (AOR)

After a lengthy and highly

competitive national request for

proposal, Think Shift was selected

to work with APTN. Through this

process, the network’s AOR learned

that today’s urban Aboriginal

Peoples want to see modern

depictions of their culture and

traditions in the mainstream media

while using relevant tools and

technologies such as apps and social

media. The new AOR coincides

with the organization launching

a refreshed brand that reflects

its evolution. With new, modern

and relevant primetime content,

APTN will strive to see higher levels

of engagement with a younger

demographic across Canada.

DEVELOPED NEW

COMMUNICATION PLAN

WITH AOR

The marketing department also

held discovery sessions with key

members of the network’s AOR.

Both organizations will work to

present APTN as a modern and

relevant network with high-quality

programming that provides a

form of media to which First

Nations, Inuit, Métis Peoples and all

Canadians can connect on multi-

platforms. Ultimately, the network

is looking to establish itself within

a younger Aboriginal demographic

and increase overall viewership.

INTERNAL SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT

Working toward enhancing APTN’s

social media strategy, the network

conducted this report to ensure

the organization’s social media

presence and practices online

are current with industry trends.

Moreover, APTN aimed to improve

on communicating with its audience

across all touchpoints.

FALL PROGRAMMING CAMPAIGN

To launch the network’s fall

programming season, an in-house

team produced an on-air and social

media campaign. The focus was on

the APTN award-winning drama

series Blackstone. This was its fifth

and final season. The digital media

components enhanced viewers’

experience of the comedy series

Delmer & Marta (season one) and

the hit dramedy Mohawk Girls

(season three). Delmer & Marta, the

web series, launched in November

2015, featuring four episodes of the

series’s nine episodes as an exclusive

sneak peek on the Delmer & Marta

YouTube channel. Mohawk Girls

featured a web application Second

Screen Experience (SSEX) and

interactive content.

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

ABORIGINAL DAY LIVE CAMPAIGN

To coincide with this historic

milestone of Aboriginal Day Live,

APTN worked with its AOR to

develop a new campaign to boost

attendance and attract viewers using

the influence of social media. The

network’s AOR provided the creative

concept for Aboriginal Day Live’s

out-of-home, radio, print, digital and

on-air campaigns. The AOR also

developed and executed the media

buy, social media strategy and the

Aboriginal Day Live website for the

launch to market. In addition, the

AOR’s team worked with marketing’s

internal members to achieve a

seamless execution throughout

APTN’s owned media platforms,

including social media, online and

on-air promotions.

VIVEMENT LUNDI! AND APTN

KIDS CAMPAIGNS

The campaign of Vivement lundi!

was continued to increase awareness

via social media. The campaign also

included a website update aimed at

Quebec markets to communicate

Mondays are dedicated to French-

language programming on the

APTN e channel.

The APTN Kids campaign was

updated on-air and on social media.

Among adults with children aged

two to six, they indicated that APTN

Kids is a great option for parents and

their young ones.

MOVING FORWARD

To continue increasing the scope

of APTN’s reach to its diverse

audiences, the upcoming year will

focus on aligning communication

and brand consistency. Key areas

will be to increase viewership, grow

audiences and elevate APTN as

an industry partner. To grow the

network’s audiences, APTN will

build brand loyalty internally and

externally by increasing:

• APTN National News viewership;

• Awareness and viewership of

French programming on Mondays;

• Primetime viewership;

• Viewership and support for APTN

Kids, APTN Movies and Aboriginal-

language programming.

Elevating APTN as an industry

partner will involve:

• Increasing news-to-news

collaboration to make the network

a go-to source for Aboriginal

perspectives;

• Increasing advertising revenue on

digital and broadcast platforms.

1 10at Aboriginal Day Live 2016

Reached an audience of

of Aboriginal Day Live,

the largest celebration of

Aboriginal culture in Canada

YEARSMILLIONMORE

THAN

CONNECTIVE EXPRESSION Digital Drum continues its evolution

as an online community where

Aboriginal youth can connect and

engage with content that contributes

to and celebrates their cultural pride.

DIGITAL DRUM

The platform also sustains a focus on Aboriginal music. Moreover, it is a marketing tool for APTN to grow its continually emerging youth audience. With the organization’s ongoing commitment to reach a younger audience, Digital Drum provides a unique opportunity to engage with the target audience where they communicate.


DEVELOPING CONTENT FOR THE

ABORIGINAL YOUTH AUDIENCE

This fiscal year, a full-time social

media specialist joined the team to

help grow this platform’s audience,

thereby increasing APTN’s social

media presence and engaging with

followers in real time.

With continued production of

original video content, Digital Drum

provided live social media coverage

of award shows and concerts (The

JUNO Awards, the Indigenous

Music Awards, Aboriginal Day Live

and more). New partnerships were

also formed with major events,

including the Winnipeg Folk Festival

and Pride Toronto. In addition,

Digital Drum’s reach was expanded

through building relationships

with influencers, activations at key

industry events and connecting

with numerous Aboriginal

youth programs.

From a content perspective, more

was produced than in the past and

coverage was expanded to artists,

festivals and programs worldwide.

The launch of a blog also provided

new content for followers and a way

for them to connect.

Vision

To be a mirror for Aboriginal

youth and a window on diversity

that connects the audience, both

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, to

Aboriginal music; delivering the

inspirational stories, interviews,

coverage and musical content

that speak to self-expression,

perseverance, pride and identity

from their perspective.

Mission

To be a live and connective space

for Aboriginal youth that leverages

social media integration to engage

with the audience and focuses on a

key topic areas that everyone can

celebrate – Aboriginal music and its

related themes. The long-term goal

is to build concrete relationships

with these audiences in a first step

toward their continued journey

with APTN.

MOVING FORWARD

Digital Drum will continue to

be developed with plans for a

revamped website, streaming of

live studio sessions, a how-to series,

a podcast and online media buys.

An analysis of industry trends and

the prevalence of social media

indicates that the website will no

longer serve as a primary point

of contact and engagement, but

as a supplementary tool to house

content. Digital Drum’s growth

will result from its social media,

where most of its target audience

consumes, shares and engages. As

this platform evolves as a marketing

tool, it will explore new ways of

introducing Aboriginal youth to

APTN programming.


ADVERTISING

THIS FISCAL YEAR proved to be challenging

with persistent headwinds.


The media landscape is more competitive than ever for television broadcasters, as advertisers seek opportunities across mobile and non-traditional forms including Over-The-Top options. APTN must continue to strengthen its existing relationships with advertisers and offer new appealing content to maintain revenue growth. Digital has long surpassed television in terms of advertising dollars spent, and viewership is quickly migrating away from

APTN secured significant

advertising opportunities

this fiscal year. Notable new

advertisers for television

and aptn.ca included:

• Canada Bread

• Sara Lee

• Expedia, Inc.

• General Mills

• Philips Lifeline®

• Drive Medical

• World Vision Canada

• Loan Express

• MedicAlert®

• Operation Smile

• Weight Watchers

• Canadian Museum for

Human Rights

• Canadian Mortgage and

Housing Corporation

• Elections Canada

• Statistics Canada

television. Clients’ appetite in advertising with APTN is directly correlated to the number of people tuning in for specialized programming. To increase its audience and advertising revenue, APTN must deliver content on multi-platforms.


REVITALIZED SALES STRATEGY

APTN successfully re-worked

its sales strategy and secured a

partnership with AIRTIME Television

Sales Inc. (Airtime), which represents

21 other stations. Here are some of

the new clients this partnership has

brought during this year.

MOVING FORWARD

It is imperative that APTN continues

its efforts to diversify its sources of

revenue. Therefore, the network will:

• Stay Current – Continue to update

APTN’s highlight reel, media kit

and website regularly to keep

clients and advertisers aware of

its programming.

• Market Initiatives – Create

targeted account lists that will

expand the national advertising

base of the network. Showcasing

suitable programming genres

and/or specialized sponsorship

opportunities should strengthen

APTN’s message.

• Leverage Data – Offer the latest

data as it pertains to primetime

programming, especially for

established programs, as well as

those newly acquired.

• Increase Awareness – Promote

APTN’s new commercial

availability of non-standard

platforms among advertisers,

including snipes and lower thirds.

• Use New Audience Tracking

Tools – Employ website audience

demographic data to assist in

selling aptn.ca for advertising.

• Focus on Continuous

Engagement – Share information

with media buyers and industry

personnel through presentations,

bulletins and events about

Aboriginal Peoples and their

culture. In addition, highlight

APTN’s role, successes and

strength in the Canadian

broadcast landscape.

292,36415unique visitors to aptn.ca per month

(on average)

secured for TV and aptn.ca

NEW ADVERTISERS

APTN CONTINUES ITS TRANSFORMATION into a multi-platform broadcaster through

enhancements to its software architecture

and the integration of social media

in news programming.

SETTING THE TECHNOLOGICAL

PACE

Building on recent capital investments, the organization has continued to improve efficiency and workflow, including the expansion of APTN headquarters and building capacity at its other bureaus.


EFFICIENCY FOR THE FUTURE

This fiscal year, areas of focus

included building tapeless,

automated workflows which result in

less duplication, eliminating manual

and redundant tasks, and increasing

cross-departmental collaboration.

Traffic, engineering and master

control have worked diligently to

continue optimizing workflow of

the new integrated playout system

to help effectively distribute the

network’s four linear broadcast

channels: APTN w, APTN e, APTN hd

and APTN n. Moreover, this software

platform will allow for growth at

minimal cost and effort, enabling

APTN to respond quickly to industry

trends, audience viewing shifts and

new business opportunities.

In addition, the organization has

added social media and touchscreen

modules to its enterprise graphics

and multi-channel branding system.

The new Social TV software allows

the news team to moderate, locate

and generate interactions on

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

during live broadcasts of APTN

National News. This software also

enhances the viewers’ experience as

their generated content is displayed

live on-screen.

BUILDING FOR GROWTH

APTN also launched new studio

spaces and broadcast sets in Ottawa

and Winnipeg. In addition, an

expansion at headquarters included

the creation of an integrated

newsroom, studio and production

space at 339 Portage Avenue.

One of the key success factors of

this initiative is that the editorial,

production and management teams

can share a centralized production

space. The latest in production

and camera equipment, set design

and furniture, communications

infrastructure and display

technologies were also installed,

creating a new on-air look.

MOVING FORWARD

With enhancements in technological

infrastructure, APTN can effectively

offer Over-The-Top content. The

network has also invested capital

funds in building production

capacity at its Montreal, Ottawa,

Vancouver and Winnipeg bureaus.

These regional studios will help

the organization and its Aboriginal

production partners to create new

forms of programming distribution

on TV and online. With new cameras

and production equipment available

at these bureaus, an emphasis on

automated workflows will also help

minimize crew and production costs.

Priorities in the short term

include: strengthening information

management processes, building

automation and efficiencies into

all areas, reinforcing collaboration,

ensuring content is accessible to

internal and external stakeholders

and developing digital skills.

In addition, the development

and implementation of a digital

transformation strategy will

ensure that APTN content is

accessible, innovative and ready

for digital distribution.


APTN NATIONAL NEWS reports on more stories that

focus on the sensitive Aboriginal

issues that are either ignored,

under-reported or misunderstood by

mainstream news organizations.

UNCOVERING THE STORIES THAT

OTHERS WON’T


With five stand-alone news shows, the national news team provides an exceptional newscast for all Canadians.


DEVELOPED MULTI-PLATFORM

COVERAGE

APTN National News has continued

to grow its online presence with

streaming news stories. This fiscal

year, the news team built upon

its multi-platform strategy in the

following ways:

• APTN National News online

underwent a redesign to feature

trending stories, as well as

implementing regional pages to

appeal to its audiences;

• The Connie Oakes story and

coverage of the Prime Minister’s

visit to Shoal Lake 40 First Nation

caused APTN to trend on Twitter

for several hours on April 28;

• Hosted a series of live streams

as part of APTN’s Decision 2015

federal election coverage;

• APTN National News online

featured French-language news

stories of special relevance

to Quebec.

SPECIAL NEWS PROGRAMMING

Reporters remained focused on

special news programming from

bureaus across the country to ensure

the regional representation of First

Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples,

including political and social issues.

APTN National News provided

in-depth, unprecedented coverage

of the federal election, bringing

issues from grassroots people

directly to candidates in the weeks

leading up to the election.

In October, a week prior to the

election, APTN National News

broadcasted Virtual Town Halls with

Party Leaders, which were one-

hour interviews with three out of

four national party leaders, where

they answered questions from First

Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples from

all regions of Canada. Of this series of

specials, the broadcast on October 15

at 11:30 p.m. performed higher than

the daily average minute audience

for that same week – on the APTN

hd, APTN e and APTN w channels.

Following the virtual town halls

broadcast, APTN National News

featured an All National Indigenous

Leaders Forum. Guests included:

Assembly of First Nations (AFN)

National Chief Perry Bellegarde,

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples

National Chief Dwight Dorey, Inuit

Tapiriit Kanatami President, Nathan

Obed, Métis National Council

President, Clément Chartier and

former Native Women’s Association

of Canada President, Dawn

Lavell-Harvard.

For the first time, APTN National

News produced a televised French-

language election debate on

Décision 2015 – broadcast on the

APTN e channel on October 5. Four

of the five political parties sent

candidates to this debate.

On October 19, federal election

night, a change to the Canada

Elections Act allowed APTN National

News to broadcast the election

results live. The news team had

special live coverage from each

federal political party’s campaign

headquarters, a panel discussion and

live hits from influential Aboriginal

electoral districts.

According to Environics Analytics,

nearly one in three Aboriginal

Peoples watched the October 19

federal election coverage or one of

three virtual town hall interviews.

In June 2016, APTN National News

made history by securing the first

in-depth interview between a sitting

Prime Minister and Aboriginal-

owned media. The live show

featured call-in and social media

interaction between the Prime

Minister and viewers.

APTN National News also

featured nine episodes of its mini-

documentary series Perspectives.

It included the story of Connie

Oakes: The Quest for Innocence, a

Cree woman wrongfully imprisoned

for murder with no evidence in


Medicine Hat, AB. APTN National

News followed her story for two and

a half years. In April 2016, after in-

depth coverage of her case helped

lead to a new trial, a judge ordered

her release after the Crown entered

a stay of proceedings.

Other special news coverage

included:

• July 2016: The AFN Annual

General Assembly at Six Nations

of the Grand River in Niagara

Falls, ON.

• December 2016: Live coverage

of the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission of Canada Final

Report in Ottawa, along with a

special edition of APTN InFocus

recorded at the event.

• June 2016: Sixties Scoop apology

in Manitoba.

• March 2016: Federal budget

coverage tracked specific

promises from the election.

Key stories were the promised

inquiry on Missing and Murdered

Indigenous Women and Girls

(MMIWG), positive and negative

outcomes on K to 12 education

and a broken promise to post-

secondary students.

• April 2016: Ongoing reporting of

mental health issues and solutions

at the Attawapiskat First Nation.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

• May 2016: APTN National News

and APTN Investigates received an

unprecedented four nominations

at the Canadian Association of

Journalism (CAJ) Awards. The

resulting two awards compared

well to other national news

broadcasters. The CAJs are

prestigious awards where the

juries consist of some of the top

journalists in Canada.

• May 2016: APTN Investigates was

presented the Communications

Workers of America Canada/

CAJ Award for Labour Reporting.

Hurting for Work reported on how

temporary Aboriginal labourers

were at risk while loading trash

bins by hand into waste collection

trucks. This award-winning story

also scored notable ratings during

its initial broadcast. It was in

the top five APTN hd channel

programs, ranking at number two

with 32,500 viewers on the late

night repeat broadcast.

• APTN National News was

presented the Journalists for

Human Rights/CAJ Award for

Human Rights Reporting for

A Soldier Scorned. This was the

story of Inuit soldier Esther Wolki

whose time in the military was so

marred by racial discrimination

and sexual harassment, that she

nearly succeeded in taking her

own life.

• APTN Investigates was nominated

for the Open Broadcast Feature

For the Love of Matty about

a status Indian with serious

disabilities who was unable to

receive foster care due to his age.

• APTN National News was

nominated in the Daily Excellence

award category for its coverage

of evacuees from Lac La Ronge

Indian Band reserve and the

town of La Ronge, SK, where two

communities were threatened by

a fire that had already decimated

wide swaths of forests.

#CAJ16

Team members of APTN National

News presented at #CAJ16, the

annual CAJ conference. #MMIW: You

don’t know what it’s like was a panel

sponsored by APTN and moderated

by our BC correspondent, which

allowed three families to share their

side of the story. They discussed

what the media is doing right

and how to improve coverage of

this issue. Following the money in

Indian Country featured two APTN

reporters who hosted a watchdog

workshop, demonstrating how

they exposed corruption and

misspending in a series of stories.

MOVING FORWARD

APTN National News will continue

to grow its multi-platform presence.

The news team is collaborating with

the marketing department to

migrate APTN National News from its

current microsite to its own website

and also to create a complementary

app. Moreover, during the next two

years, streaming services and new

platforms will be implemented to

enhance viewers’ access to breaking

news and up-to-the-minute issues

that are relevant to Aboriginal

Peoples and all Canadians.

CAJ and APTN announced the

creation of a new Aboriginal

Investigative Journalism Fellowship,

a program that will provide a

12-week, paid placement with the

APTN Investigates team based in

Winnipeg, MB. The goal is to have

the recipient produce a full-length

piece of original, investigative

journalism that would air on

APTN Investigates.

2APTN Investigates – Communications

Workers of America Canada/Canadian

Association of Journalists (CAJ)

Award for Labour Reporting

JOURNALISM AWARDS

APTN National News –

Journalists for Human Rights/

CAJ Award for Human

Rights Reporting

On August 8, 2013, the Canadian

Radio-television and Telecommunications

Commission (CRTC) renewed APTN’s

mandatory carriage licence for a five-year

term (September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2018).

CONDITIONS OF LICENCE


The network is pleased to report APTN met all the mandated conditions for a specialty channel in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

APTN CONDITIONS OF LICENCE

STATUS REPORT BROADCAST

YEAR: SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 –

AUGUST 31, 2016

Condition of Licence 1 [CRTC 2013-

383] The licensee shall adhere to the

conditions of licence for specialty

Category A services set out in

Appendix I to Standard conditions

of license, expectations and

encouragements for specialty and

pay television category A services,

broadcasting regulatory policy CRTC

2011-443, 27 July 2011, as amended

from time to time.

Specialty Channel Conditions

of Licence

1. The licensee shall adhere to the

Equitable Portrayal Code, as

amended from time to time and

approved by the Commission.

However, the application of the

foregoing condition of licence

will be suspended if the licensee

is a member in good standing

of the Canadian Broadcast

Standards Council.

APTN is a member in good

standing with the Canadian

Broadcast Standards Council

(CBSC), and network employees

have continued to donate

their time as CBSC’s Panel

Adjudicators when selected.


Broadcast Code for Advertising

to Children, as amended from

time to time and approved by

the Commission.

APTN abided by the Broadcast

Code for Advertising to

Children and continued to air

commercial-free programming

in its children’s block.


Violence Code, as amended

from time to time and approved

by the Commission. However,

the application of the foregoing

condition of licence will be

suspended if the licensee is

a member in good standing

of the Canadian Broadcast

Standards Council.

APTN is a member in good

standing with the CBSC, and

network employees have

continued to donate their time

as CBSC’s Panel Adjudicators

when selected.

4. The licensee shall caption 100% of

the English and French-language

programs broadcast over the

broadcast day, consistent with the

approach set out in A new policy

with respect to closed captioning,

Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC

2007-54, 17 May 2007.

APTN captioned 100% of its

English and French-language

content.

5. Consistent with Accessibility

of telecommunications

and broadcasting services,

Broadcasting and Telecom

Regulatory Policy CRTC 2009-

430, 21 July 2009, as subsequently

amended by the Commission, [3]

the licensee shall:

• ensure that advertising,

sponsorship messages and

promos in the English and

French languages are closed

captioned by no later than the

fourth year of the licence term;

• adhere to the quality standards

on closed captioning developed

by television industry working

groups, as amended from time

to time and approved by the

Commission; and

• implement a monitoring system

to ensure that, for any signal

that is closed captioned, the

correct signal is captioned,

the captioning is included

in its broadcast signal, and

this captioning reaches the

distributor of that signal in its

original form. “Original form”


means, at a minimum, that the

captioning provided by the

licensee reaches the distributor

unaltered, whether it is passed

through in analog or in digital,

including in high definition.

APTN continued to caption all

in-house content in advance

of the required fourth year

of the license term, and all

advertising content is also

closed-captioned.

APTN continued to adhere to

the quality standards on all

closed captioning that was

developed by the industry

working group. To ensure this

COL is met, various monitoring

methods are in place.

They include:

Playback: APTN monitors

during playback using multiple

banks of monitors for all four

channels (APTN e, APTN w,

APTN n and APTN hd). One

bank shows what is on-air,

and the other shows what

viewers see at home. The

network has a backup caption

encoder in the event of

equipment failure during live

captioned programming.

Post-Playback: To ensure the

caption information is passing

through its infrastructure in

unaltered form, APTN regularly

monitors its captioning from

a variety of sources including

satellite, cable and internet

protocol television providers.

Live Monitoring: Every

month, two live programs are

randomly chosen for review of

closed captioned monitoring.

The network compares what

is captioned with what is

spoken, and an accuracy rate

is calculated using the formula

determined by the Commission.

6. The licensee shall provide

audio description for all the key

elements of Canadian information

programs, including news

programming. For the purposes

of this condition of licence, “audio

description” refers to announcers

reading aloud the key textual

and graphic information that is

displayed on the screen during

information programs.

Audio description was provided

via a narrator or voice-over for

all APTN information programs,

including news programming.

7. If the service devotes 50% or

more of its program schedule

to programming drawn from

program categories 7 Drama

and comedy or 2(b) Long-form

documentary, set out in item 6

of Schedule I to the Specialty

Service Regulations, 1990 (the

Regulations), and/or to children’s

programming, the licensee shall

provide described video for

a minimum of four hours per

broadcast week, of which two

hours must be broadcast in

described video for the first time

on the service. The minimum

four hours of described video

programming broadcast during

each broadcast week may be

drawn from the following program

categories, set out in item 6 of

Schedule I to the Regulations:

2(b) Long-form documentary; 7

Drama and comedy; 9 Variety;

11(a) General entertainment

and human interest; and 11(b)

Reality television, and/or may be

programming targeting children.

APTN provided 1,618 hours of

Described Video (DV), including

104 hours of new content this

fiscal year. This averages out to

more than 31 hours of DV per

week, including two hours of

new content.

APTN continues to meet this

COL and closely monitors DV

content to ensure there are new

DV hours each week.

8. In regard to the broadcast of

advertising material:

a) Except as otherwise provided

in subparagraphs b) and c), the


licensee shall not broadcast

more than 12 minutes of

advertising material during

each clock hour.

b) Where a program occupies

time in two or more

consecutive clock hours,

the licensee may exceed the

maximum number of minutes

of advertising material allowed

in those clock hours if the

average number of minutes of

advertising material allowed in

the clock hours occupied by

the program does not exceed

the maximum number of

minutes that would otherwise

be allowed per clock hour.

c) In addition to the 12 minutes of

advertising material referred to

in subparagraph a), the licensee

may broadcast partisan

political advertising during an

election period.

d) The licensee shall not

broadcast any paid advertising

material other than paid

national advertising.

For the purposes of this condition

of licence:

The expression “clock hour” shall

have the same meaning as that set

out in the Television Broadcasting

Regulations, 1987. The expression

“paid national advertising” shall

mean advertising material as

defined under the Specialty

Services Regulations, 1990, and

that is purchased at a national rate

and receives national distribution

on the service.

APTN did not exceed the

12 minutes per hour of

paid advertising.

9. The licensee is authorized to

make available for distribution

both a standard definition and

a high-definition version of its

service, provided that not less

than 95% of the video and audio

components of the high-definition

and standard definition versions of

the service are the same, exclusive

of commercial messages and of

any part of the service carried on

a subsidiary signal. Further, all of

the programming making up the

5% allowance shall be provided in

high definition.

APTN abided by the 5%

variation rule. The annual

average was 1.66%.

Condition of Licence 2 [CRTC

2013-383] The licensee shall

provide a high-quality, general-

interest television service

offering a broad range of

programming that reflects the

diverse perspectives of Aboriginal

Peoples, their lives and their

cultures. The service will provide a

positive window on Aboriginal life

for all Canadians, whether living in

northern or southern Canada. The

schedule will include programming

in English, French and various


APTN has continued to

uphold this COL as a national

Aboriginal television network

with programming by, for and

about Aboriginal Peoples to

share with all Canadians. This is

evident in APTN’s mandate to

reflect the issues and points of

view of Aboriginal Peoples and

to act as a bridge to the broader

Canadian society.



devote at least 75% of the

broadcast year and at least

75% of the evening broadcast

period to the broadcast

of Canadian programs.

Measuring Canadian Content

Results from the most recently

completed broadcast year

are shown in the table on the

following page. APTN exceeded

the CRTC’s Canadian content

expectations that came into

effect September 1, 2013, both

over the broadcast day and

broadcast evening.



2013-383] The Licensee shall

broadcast a minimum of 35 hours

of programming in Aboriginal

languages each broadcast week.

In this fiscal year, APTN

broadcast an average of 54.5

hours of programming in

Aboriginal languages each

broadcast week, based on

APTN n. That amounts to 2,835

hours annually in 20 different

Aboriginal languages. It is also

important to note that the

hours of Aboriginal languages

programming fluctuates each

season as a result of inventory

levels. The following statistics

illustrate the total annual hours

of programming in the various

Aboriginal languages offered

this broadcast year.

Canadian Content Results: Sep. 1, 2015 – Aug. 31, 2016 Yearly Regulatory Expectations

Broadcast Day

(Mon. – Sun., 6 a.m. – 12 a.m.)89.09% 75%

Primetime

(Mon. – Sun., 6 p.m. – 12 a.m.)84.31% 75%

Language Total Annual Hours

Algonquin 14

Atikamekw 12

Blackfoot 10

Chipewyan 10

Coast Salish (Salish/Squamish) 42.5

Cree 568

Innu 130.5

Inuktitut 1,152.5

Inuvialuktun 58

Kwak’wala 12

Maliseet 98.5

Méchif 47

Mi’kmaq 47

Mohawk 272

Ojibway 191

Ojicree 68

Saulteaux 10

Syilx 70

Tahaltan 12

Tsilhqot’in 10

Total 2,835



broadcast a minimum of 20 hours

of French-language programming

each broadcast year.

APTN broadcast an average of

20.5 hours of French-language

programming per week in this

fiscal year. The average hours

were based on the content

aired on APTN e – the channel

reaching the highest French

population in Canada.


2013-383] In addition to the 12

minutes of advertising material

permitted by subparagraph a: to

condition of licence 8 set out in

Standard Conditions of licence,

expectations and encouragements

for specialty and pay television

Category A services, broadcasting

policy CRTC 2011-443, 27 July

2011, as amended from time to

time, the licensee may broadcast

infomercials (program category

14 set out in item 6 of Schedule

I to the Specialty Services

Regulations 1990).

In regard to advertising material,

APTN abided and continues

to abide by the 12 minutes of

advertising per hour condition.

In this fiscal year, the network

aired infomercials daily between

4 a.m. and 6 a.m. In addition,

a one-hour block during

weekends was offered to

infomercial advertisers for part

of the broadcast year.



broadcast at a minimum, an

average of eight hours of

Canadian programs between

7 p.m. and 11 p.m. in each

broadcast week that are drawn

from the following program

categories set out in item 6

of Schedule I to the Specialty

Services Regulations, 1990: 2(b)

Long-form documentary, 7 Drama

and comedy, 8(a) Music and

dance, 9 Variety and 11(a) General

entertainment and human

interest, or that are Canadian

regional Productions.

For the purpose of this condition

of licence, “regional” productions

shall have the meaning set out

in Group-based licence renewals

for English language television

groups – Introductory decision,

Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011-

441, 27 July 2011.

APTN’s weekly broadcast

average of Canadian programs

between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. in

this fiscal year was 13 hours;

this is five hours more than the

minimum requirement. It should

be noted that each season

the category levels fluctuate

based on broadcast schedules

and available inventory, but

never drops below the required

eight hours.

MORE THAN

MORE THAN84% 95%

Canadian programming content Canadian programming broadcast

was independently produced



2013-383] At least 80% of

all Canadian programming

broadcast on the service, other

than news (program category

1), current affairs (program

categories 2(a) and 3) sports

(program category 6) (see item

6 of Schedule I to the Specialty

Services Regulations, 1990), shall

be produced by independent

production companies not related

to the licensee. An “independent

production company” is defined

as a Canadian company that is

carrying on business in Canada

with a Canadian business address,

that is owned and controlled by

Canadians, whose business is in

the production of film, videotape

or live programs for distribution,

and in which the licensee and any

company related to the licensee

owns or controls, directly or

indirectly in the aggregate, less

than 30% of the equity.

In this fiscal year, 95.86% of

the Canadian programming

broadcast on APTN was

independently produced.


2013-383] The licensee shall have

an adequate number of members

on its Board of Directors, to

represent northern and southern

Canada, and at least one member

who is selected by the Aboriginal

broadcasting societies that make

up the Northern Native Broadcast

Access Program.

APTN is governed by a

21-member volunteer Aboriginal

board of directors with

representation from all regions

of Canada. Ten members

represent northern Canada, 10

members represent southern

Canada, and one member

represents non-member

communications societies. The

members, jointly with the board

of directors, are conducting an

in-depth review of its bylaws

and structure to determine

which composition would be the

most effective and best suited

for APTN.


2013-383] The licensee shall file,

by no later than November 30 in

each year, a report signed by a

senior officer of the corporation

attesting that APTN has met the

requirements set out in conditions

of licence 5 and 6 above, as well

as the requirements relating to

the closed captioning of English-

and French-language programs

during the previous broadcast

year. This report shall include the

following information:

• Weekly amount (time) of

programming in Aboriginal

languages:

• Weekly and annual amount of

French-language programs

broadcast;

• Annual amount of English-

language programming

broadcast; and

• Annual amount of closed

captioning of the French-language

and the English-language

programming broadcast.

APTN continues to file monthly

logs to the Commission, as well

as the annual report.

Below are the fiscal year

2015-2016 statistics:

• Weekly amount (time) of

programming in Aboriginal

languages:

54.5 hours (based on the APTN n)

• Weekly and annual amount of

French-language programs

broadcast:

20.5 hours per week (based

on APTN e and broadcast day

reporting hours – Monday –

Sunday, 6 a.m. – 12 a.m.)

A total of 1,248 hours is

broadcast annually based

upon a 24-hour period.

• Annual amount of English-


broadcast:

6,318 hours

• Annual amount of closed

captioning of the French-

language and the English-


broadcast. (Annual amount

of hours based on a 24-hour

reporting period.)

French: 100% or 1,248 hours

English: 100% or 6,318 hours


2013-383] The licensee shall file,

by no later than November 30 in

each year, a report relating to its

independent production activity

that shall include:

• the name of the production for

which APTN has entered into a

new production commitment;

• the name of the production

company;

• whether it is “related”;

• the region of production;

• the length of production

(episodes and program running

time); and

• the budget of production (to

be filed in confidence with

the Commission).

To view APTN’s Independent

Production Activity (Original

Productions) for this fiscal

year, with the exemption of

the production budget that

will be filed in confidence with

the Commission, please refer

to Attachment Independent

Production Activity (Original

Production) 2015-2016

Fiscal Year.


2013-383] The broadcasting

undertaking licenced hereby

is designated as a Category A

service. For the purposes of these

conditions of licence:

• All time periods shall be

calculated according to Eastern

Standard Time. Further, the

terms “broadcast year” and

“evening broadcast period” shall

have the same meanings as

those set out in the Television

Broadcasting Regulations, 1987.

• “Paid national advertising” shall

mean advertising material as

defined under the Television

Broadcasting Regulations,

1987, and that is purchased at

a national rate and receives

national distribution on

the service.

• The term “broadcast week”

shall have the same meaning

as that set out in the Radio

Regulations, 1990.

APTN abided by the Category

A service regulations under

Condition of Licence 12.


PROGRAMMING

WHAT’S ONHere is a sample of some of

the series from the 2015-2016

broadcast season, including

world and network premieres.

SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER

FALL


BLACKSTONE, SEASON 5

blackstonetheseries.com

Launched:

November 3, 2015

(World Premiere – English)

8 x 60-minute episodes

Drama Series

Set in the fictional Blackstone First

Nations territory, the final season

of APTN’s edgy original series

continues to offer a searing look at

modern-day life on a reserve rife

with corruption and addiction.

GUARDIANS II: EVOLUTION

guardiansevolution.com

Launched:

September 12, 2015


January 8, 2016

(World Premiere – Cree)


Children & Youth Drama Series

In the year 2078, life as we know

it ceased to exist. As scientists

predicted, environmental devastation

resulted in nature striking a critical

point and led to a Great Extinction

Event. Only a handful of children

survived to explore the exotic

new Earth.

LES INDIENS, L’AIGLE

ET LE DINDON

Launched:

September 14, 2015

(World Premiere – French)

October 1, 2015

(World Premiere – Innu)

January 7, 2016

(World Premiere – Atikamekw)

1 x 60-minute episode

Documentary One-Off

Samian, Melissa Mollen Dupuis,

Marie-Pier Ottawa, Kevin Papatie

and Raymond Caplin have redefined

what it is to be an “Indian” today,

between tradition and modernity,

with the Wapikoni Mobile.

MOHAWK GIRLS, SEASON 3

mohawkgirls.com

Launched:

September 14, 2015

(World Premiere – Mohawk)

October 27, 2015



Drama Series

What does it mean to be modern

Mohawk women? Sashay with four

young women on their comedic

and drama filled adventures. Always

light-hearted, sexy and fun!

DREAM BIG

dreambigtv.ca

Launched:

September 8, 2015


September 9, 2015



Youth Documentary Series

Aboriginal teens who dream big of

their futures with successful mentors

to experience a “day-in-the-life” and

the thrill of doing what they love.


NSI ABORIGINAL

DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 2013

Launched:

October 28, 2015



Documentary One-Off

Shows the breadth and talent of

emerging Canadian filmmakers from

across Canada, featuring four short

films: An Ecstatic Professional, Alica

and Kevin (Bath Day), Finding Sgt.

Partridge and Traditional Beats.

RING OF FIRE/CERCLE DE FEU

ringoffiretv.ca

Launched:

September 10, 2015


January 4, 2016


January 8, 2016

(World Premiere – Oji-Cree)


Documentary Series

A six-part documentary series

that follows the First Nations

communities of Marten Falls and

Webequie, as they try to deal with

the complex issues surrounding a

very large mining project.

SAMAQAN: WATER STORIES,

SEASON 4

samaqan.ca

Launched:

September 10, 2015


January 6, 2015

(World Premiere – Maliseet)


Documentary Series

Take a close look at what the water

rights of Aboriginal Peoples in

Canada are and how these rights

differ from the water rights of other

Indigenous Peoples.

THE OTHER SIDE, SEASON 2

theothersidetv.ca

Launched:

October 31, 2015



Documentary Series

Led by intuitive Jeff Richards,

along with his team of researchers,

this thrilling series seeks to find

the most haunted corners of the

Canadian Prairies.

QUEST OUT WEST: WILD FOOD,

SEASON 1

wildfoodwest.com

Launched:

September 9, 2015


January 13, 2016

(World Premiere – Syilx)


Documentary Series

Syilx storyteller Tracey Kim Bonneau

goes on the hunt for a truly healthy

meal, armed only with a love of good

food and a sense of humour.

NIQITSIAT, SEASON 10

aptn.ca/Niqitsiat

Launched:

September 7, 2015 (World Premiere –

Inuktitut with English Subtitles)


Informal Education Series

Featuring the preparation of Inuit

traditional foods of the Laughing

Chef from Nunavut, Rebecca Veevee.


LE SENTIER ROUGE/THE RED

ROAD, SEASONS 1 AND 2

aptn.ca/sentierrouge

sundance.tv/series/the-red-road

Launched:

September 7, 2015 – Season One

September 28, 2015 – Season Two

(Network Premiere – French)

February 28, 2016 – Season One

April 10, 2016 – Season Two

(Network Premiere – English)


Drama Series

A gripping series portraying the

forming of a dangerous alliance

between a local sheriff and a

member of an American Indigenous

community who has a troubled past.

WILLY’S GARAGE

aptn.ca/willysgarage

Launched:

September 9, 2015



Documentary Series

Willy’s Garage delves into the

science of unique vehicles. What

makes it move? How is it all

put together?

SEX SPIRIT STRENGTH

sexspiritstrength.ca

Launched:

September 9, 2015


November 23, 2015



Documentary One-Off

Aboriginal Peoples face some of the

highest rates of sexual and physical

violence, substance abuse, HIV and

suicide in all of Canada. But statistics

never tell the whole story.

WENTWORTH, SEASONS 1 TO 3

aptn.ca/wentworth

Launched:

September 13, 2015 – Season One


October 18, 2015 – Season Two


November 29, 2015 – Season Three



Drama Series

Award-winning women’s prison

drama series from Australia;

observe an intriguing and intricate

environment of relationships ruled

without men.

DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY

WINTER


ASKI BOYZ

askiboyz.com

Launched:

January 6, 2016



Documentary Series

A wild rush style documentary series

that takes two urban Cree teens to

rural locations.

CHASING LEAR

chasinglear.com

Launched:

December 4, 2015



Documentary One-Off

Ground-breaking production of

Shakespeare’s King Lear, featuring

an all-Aboriginal cast.

LOUIS SAYS, SEASON 2

louissaystv.com

Launched:

January 9, 2016



Children & Youth Series

Follow the adventures of six-year-old

boy Randy as he joins Louis, an

Elder, on his mission to help people

in his community. Completing

meaningful tasks together, Louis

reinforces important values while

teaching Randy new words in Cree.

NUNAVIK SECRETS, SEASON 3

Launched:

January 5, 2016

(World Premiere – Inuktitut)


Documentary Series

Audiences travel across this beautiful

land located in the northern part

of Quebec, and take the time to

discover its people, communities

and secrets.

LE RYTHME, SEASON 2

lerythme.ca

Launched:

January 4, 2016


May 13, 2016 (World Premiere – Innu)


Documentary Series

Follow the quest of eight young

Indigenous musicians, singers,

composers and performers through

an artistic journey that will lead them

to the recording of their first album

as a group.


LA VIE EST HOCKEY

lavieesthockey.ca

Launched:

February 1, 2016



Documentary Series

Eight minor hockey players from

Aboriginal communities in Quebec

are followed in their quest to

make it to the National Aboriginal

Hockey Championship, a major

pan-Canadian event that annually

closes the hockey season.

UNDEREXPOSED, SEASON 3

underexposed.tv

Launched:

January 5, 2016


May 23, 2016



Documentary Series

Grace Dove returns with more

eye-popping travels across Canada

featuring adventure sports and

what it takes to be a notable

photographer in the industry.

LES SIOUI BACON, SEASON 4

siouibacon.tv

Launched:

February 29, 2016



Comedy Series

A blended family, the big city,

new adventures and roller-coaster

relationships. This makes for great

TV! Fun, upbeat, touching and

witty series.

TAMÂNEVUGUT, SEASON 4

Launched:

January 4, 2016

(World Premiere – Inuktitut)


Documentary Series

Tamânevugut (We Are Here) covers

everything from cultural events to

showcasing outstanding Aboriginal

youth or role models.

MARCH TO MAY

SPRING


DELMER & MARTA, SEASON 1

delmerandmarta.com

Launched:

March 9, 2016



Drama Series

Everyone’s favourite couple, Delmer

and Marta, have moved from the

rez to the “big city” of Morningside,

Alberta – and Morningside will never

be the same.

EMBARGO COLLECTIVE

Launched:

May 4, 2016



Documentary One-Off

Five Canadian Aboriginal female

filmmakers challenge one

another with creative restrictions

pushing their artistic form, with

genre-defying results, featuring

the five short films: Aviliaq,

Bihttos, Intemperance, Roberta

and Skyworld.

FACE THE MUSIC

facethemusictv.com

Launched:

May 13, 2016


May 16, 2016



Documentary Series

Take a look behind the closed

doors of the music industry. Watch

Kristi Lane Sinclair’s roller-coaster

journey to record a seminal CD and

sing her way onto the Canadian

folk/rock landscape.

HIT THE ICE, SEASON 4

hittheice.tv

Launched:

March 15, 2016



Youth Series

NHL-player-turned-coach John

Chabot guides young players

through the ups and downs of an

elite all-Aboriginal hockey team.

Along the way, the hopefuls will

grow not only as skilled players

but as men.

THE PASS SYSTEM

Launched:

April 13, 2016



One-Off Documentary

From the Northwest Resistance of

1885 and for more than 60 years, the

Canadian Government denied many

Aboriginal Peoples of the Prairies the

basic freedom to leave their reserves.

This investigative documentary

features Cree, Saulteaux, Dene,

Ojibway and Blackfoot Elders and

their stories of resisting the system,

revealing an unpainted picture of life

under segregation in Canada.

OUR SONGS

Launched:

May 12, 2016



Variety Series

Take a trip around the world to

showcase Indigenous music! Each

week the panel views and discusses

various music videos produced by

musicians from eight regions of

the world.

TOUT COURT

Launched:

March 28, 2016



Short Documentary Strand

Captivating short documentaries,

dramas and experimental films from

French Canada.


JUNE TO AUGUST

SUMMER

ABORIGINAL DAY LIVE 2016

aboriginaldaylive.ca

Launched:

June 25, 2016


1 x 4-hour Live Event

Variety and Performing Arts

Live Event

Aboriginal Day Live celebrates

National Aboriginal Day and

the summer solstice with the

biggest names in Aboriginal music

and television.

URBAN NATIVE GIRL

urbannativegirl.tv

Launched:

June 7, 2016



Documentary Series

Follow Lisa Charleyboy, an

Aboriginal fashionista, who builds

her team and follows her dream

to transform her online blog into a

glossy print magazine.

PRINCESSES, SEASON ONE

nativeprincesses.ca/en

Launched:

June 7, 2016



Documentary Series

Standards of beauty are truly

subjective issues! An interesting

subject which undoubtedly deserves

attention, if only to debunk some

myths that have lingered on for far

too long.

2016 INDSPIRE AWARDS

indspire.ca

Launched:

June 24, 2016



Special Event

Indspire Awards recognize

Indigenous professionals and youth

who demonstrate outstanding

achievement and serve as

invaluable role models for all

Indigenous Peoples.


ABORIGINALDAY LIVE

ABORIGINAL DAY LIVE is held annually since 2007

and is the largest celebration

of National Aboriginal Day

and the summer solstice

in Canada.


APTN presented a day-long program of free activities and an evening concert in Winnipeg, MB, on June 25.


HISTORY-MAKING CELEBRATION

The 10-year anniversary of Aboriginal

Day Live was the most successful

in the history of all celebrations

in Winnipeg, MB. The attendance

was more than 45,000, and the

multi-platform delivery reached an

audience of more than one million.

Aboriginal Day Live links all

Canadians to celebrate opportunities

and learn more about Aboriginal

Peoples’ past national history and

dream of future achievements. It is a

wonderful way for First Nations, Inuit

and Métis Peoples to express their

pride in their unique cultures across

Canada. Since its launch in Winnipeg,

the event has benefited from the

support and collaboration from local,

regional and national groups and

communities wherever it has set

foot. This past year, the Province of

Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg

truly embraced the event, with the

production receiving funding for

the first time from the province and

its first Community Grant from The

Winnipeg Foundation. One area of

consideration for the Foundation’s

grant is to be an organization that

demonstrates impact on arts and

culture for the benefit of the citizens

of Winnipeg. Moreover, Mayor

Brian Bowman represented the

City by bringing greetings at the

Celebration Stage.

Programming included the APTN

Kids Zone along with the day-long

celebration stage, powwow, skate

park competitions, an Aboriginal

artist conference and an IBM Ignite

Camp. New to the celebration

was a collaboration with Child and

Family Services to host a breakfast

for community organizations and

Aboriginal youth. New this year was

the Manitoba Music Stage and the

Instrument Petting Zoo, presented

in partnership with MusiCounts and

Long & McQuade.

The live evening concert lineup

featured A Tribe Called Red, Buffy

Sainte-Marie with The Winnipeg

Symphony Orchestra, Dragonette,

Elisapie, Genevieve Fisher,

Ghostkeeper, Joey Stylez and

Kristi Lane Sinclair.

The event debuted in a park outside

APTN headquarters in downtown

Winnipeg, MB, and moved just

a few blocks away to The Forks.

The celebration has evolved to

include twin stage performances

from different locations across

the country. Although Aboriginal

Day Live was held exclusively in

Winnipeg this fiscal year, the event

is still growing.

MOVING FORWARD

In honour of the 150th anniversary

of the Canadian Confederation, the

2017 edition of Aboriginal Day Live

will expand its grassroots reach to

Aboriginal communities even further.

APTN studios in Winnipeg, MB 2007

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB and Yellowknife, NWT 2008

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB and Whitehorse, YT 2009

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB and Ottawa, ON 2010

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB (no twin stage) 2011

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB and Regina, SK 2012

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB and Iqaluit, NT 2013

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB and Halifax, NS 2014

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB and Edmonton, AB 2015

The Forks, Winnipeg, MB (no twin stage) 2016

Broadcast live from:


Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

339 Portage Avenue

Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2C3

Canada

P: 204.947.9331

F: 204.947.9307

Toll-Free: 1.888.278.8862

aptn.ca

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