February 10, 2012, Toronto – TVO dives into Canada Water Week March 19 to 25 with a lineup of water-themed TV programs and online activities that will examine political, economic and environmental issues surrounding water quality and availability.
The week will kick off March 19 at 7:00 pm with the world premiere of The Water Brothers, an adventure-filled six-part, half-hour series produced by SK Films in association with TVO. In the first season, hosts Alex and Tyler Mifflin take viewers around the world from the massive coral reef system in Central America and Mexico, to the mighty Mekong River in South East Asia, to the frozen Arctic Circle, to the carp infested waters of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and back to a water processing facility in their home town of Toronto.
"We are at an amazing time in human history, where we can all initiate change in our daily lives, on a local level, to solve global problems and we hope through this series we can shed some light on the state of what's really happening with water issues around the world," said co-host Tyler.
Each episode of The Water Brothers will also be available online across Canada live-streamed at tvo.org/waterweek beginning at 7:00 pm. The Mifflins will also participate in live online chats March 19 to 21 in order to keep the conversation about water issues going.
"TVO is all about engaging people in dialogue about the issues that matter to our world through our multi-media educational resources," said Lisa de Wilde, chief executive officer of TVO. "TVO is uniquely positioned to go deep on issues like water and the environment and we're delighted to support filmmakers like Alex and Tyler Mifflin of The Water Brothers."
Other programming lined up for TVO's Water Week include:
- The Agenda with Steve Paikin (March 19 and 22 at 8:00 pm ET): TVO's flagship current affairs program will invite experts to discuss and debate water issues in special water week programs. Topics will include a debate on how best to protect water: make it a commodity or declare it a human right. The Agenda will also look at water conflict areas around the globe.
- The Refugees of the Blue Planet (March 20 at 9:00 pm ET): Each year, millions of people the world over are driven to forced displacement due to climate change. The Refugees of the Blue Planet sheds light on the little-known plight of a category of individuals who are suffering the repercussions of this reality: environmental refugees.
- Water on the Table (March 21 at 9:00 pm ET; repeated March 28 at 10:30 pm ET): Filmmaker Liz Marshall follows Canadian activist Maude Barlow as she campaigns against the privatization of water and tries to bring attention to how industry is polluting the water table.
- Toxic Trespass (March 22 at 7:00 pm ET): Filmmaker Barri Cohen investigates the effects of the chemicals in our water, focusing on Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario, identified as Canadian toxic hotspots.
- The Canadian premiere of White Water/Black Gold (March 22 at 10:00 pm ET): As a mountaineer and hiking guide with over 15 years in the Columbia Icefields, David Lavallee has witnessed profound changes in the mountains due to climate change. Over a three-year period he investigates the impact of developing the Alberta tar sands and asks: Is the cost to water and people worth the economic benefits?
- How the Earth Changed History: Water (March 22 at 9:00 pm ET): Professor Iain Stewart visits spectacular locations in Iceland, the Middle East and India to look at how control over water has been central to human existence.
- Wye: Voices from the Valley (March 23 at 7:00 pm ET): The Wye River in Wales has been the muse for artists, writers and painters and poets for centuries. Time lapse photography is used to explore the impact of passing time on the river and its surrounding environment.
- National Geographic: Extreme Ice (March 24 at 7:00 pm ET): Photojournalist James Balog conducts the largest time-lapse photographic study ever attempted of the parts of the Earth's surface where water exists in frozen form.
- Allan Gregg in Conversation Water Week Online Mini Series: View full episodes of water-themed interviews at tvo.org/allangregg. Guests include Maude Barlow on the battle for the right to water; Gwynne Dyer on the geopolitical battle over dwindling water resources; Michael Byers on Arctic sovereignty and the Northwest Passage; George Monbiot on global warming and sea levels; Tim Flannery on extreme weather; and Marq de Villiers on the global shortage of fresh water.
TVOKids will also celebrate Water Week in Gisèle's Big Backyard preschool programming block, The Space afterschool programming block, and tvokids.com with water-themed programs and online activities that teach kids about the importance of water. Kids will get tips on conserving water, be able to participate in an online water poll and quiz, and watch some of their favourite programs with water-themed episodes. And on March 22, the Mifflin brothers will be in The Space to answer kids' water questions.
TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a source of interactive educational content designed to inform, inspire and stimulate curiosity and thought. The organization is funded primarily by the province of Ontario and is a registered charity supported by sponsors and thousands of donors.
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