''True North Calling'' is a Canadian documentary television series, which debuted on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

on February 17, 2017. Produced by Proper Television, the six-part series profiles several young Canadians living in the

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories and N ...

territories of

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

, Yukon and

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

Production

''True North Calling'' was produced by Proper Television with executive producer Allison Grace. According to Grace, they sought to show "a cross-section of Northerners, each doing different things directly connected to the land and culture". They wanted to cover each of the three territories –

, Yukon and

– to show the differing landscapes and cultures. The series was filmed over ten months in the Canadian territories. The shoot was expensive due to the remote locations, availability of local film crews, and effects of the climate on equipment and schedules. On some days of the shoot, there were fewer than three hours of daylight.

Subjects

The series focuses on six people and their livelihoods in Canada's far north: *Franco Buscemi, the general manager of a fuel depot in Iqaluit, Nunavut, who hunts, performs stand-up comedy, and plans to run for public office *Kylik Kisoun Taylor, a tour operator in

Inuvik Inuvik (''place of man'') is the only town in the Inuvik Region, and the third largest community in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Region, it serves as its administrative and service cen ...

, Northwest Territories, who mixes cultural traditions with shrewd marketing *Shawn Buckley, a third-generation fisherman and single parent in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories *Kate Mechan and Bart Bounds, sustainable farmers outside of Whitehorse, Yukon, starting their family off the grid *Stacey Aglok MacDonald, a television producer in Iqaluit, who seeks to make a comedy series in the

Inuktitut Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...

language.

Episodes

Release

''True North Calling'' was announced as part of

's "most ambitious, diverse programming" schedule for the

150th anniversary of Canada The 150th anniversary of Canada, also known as the 150th anniversary of Confederation and promoted by the Canadian government as Canada 150, occurred in 2017 as Canada marked the sesquicentennial of Canadian Confederation. Planning Major pl ...

in 2017.

Reception

Greg David of found that the series succeeded in showing the difficulties of living in the arctic and the people who take on the challenge, with "glorious views" of the arctic landscape. Writing for ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', David Korb felt the series provided "fascinating insight" into how people live in Canada's north. Chris Lackner of the ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

'' wrote that the series provided "a candid look at inspiring lives". McGill University Professor Marianne Stenbaek, an expert in Nunavik literature and the northern regions, felt that the series showed "northerners' ingenuity and diversity" in the modern north. She felt that the series was overdue, and provided an optimistic view to balance news coverage which focused on social problems such as alcoholism, suicide, and housing shortages.

References

External links

Remarks on the show
from participant Kylik Kisoun Taylor, at Tundra North Tours {{CBC Television Shows (current and upcoming) CBC Television original programming 2017 Canadian television series debuts 2017 Canadian television series endings 2010s Canadian documentary television series