Canadian Screen Awards Canceled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

From left: Eugene Levy, Karen Robinson, Jennifer Robertson, Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, Noah Reid, Dan Levy and Emily Hampshire at the Canadian Screen Awards in March.

Scrapping Canada's film and TV awards follows discussions with local health protection authorities.

The Canadian Screen Awards, the country's national film and TV awards, has been cancelled as a precaution in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television said the decision to scrap this year's event on March 29 was taken after consulting with local authorities working to control the virus outbreak.

"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Academy is deeply saddened to announce the cancellation of all Canadian Screen Week activities in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, including the national broadcast gala on Sunday March 29th," organizers said Thursday in a statement.

They added, "Following a thorough review of Canadian Screen Week events and an assessment of the potential risk to our attendees, we feel this is the only responsible decision at this time. We are committed to the celebration of our Canadian Screen Award nominees and special award honorees and will share an update in the coming weeks."

The outbreak has sparked deep falls in global financial markets and disrupted the entertainment industry with production and event cancellations.

Other entertainment events also scrapped or delayed include the Juno Awards in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; SXSW in Austin, Texas; MIPTV in Cannes; Disney's London launch event for Disney+ in Europe; and Hong Kong's Filmart content market.