Most of the time when Canadians think about nature, we think about far off places - wilderness areas, untouched by humans. But the reality is, those places don’t exist. People have been a part of nearly every Canadian landscape for thousands of years, so what if our concept of nature included people? UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are a way to think about nature that includes people as part of the environment. For those living in Canada’s Biosphere Reserves, the environment is only healthy if human communities and the ecosystems that sustain them are both thriving - today, and for hundreds of years to come. Narrated by Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy, Striking Balance is an 8x50 minute documentary series that goes coast to coast in cinematic 4K - combining aerial, motion capture time-lapse, and nature photography to create a stunning picture of Canada’s Biosphere Reserves. Join us on this epic journey and it just might change the way you think about the natural world, and our place in it.
Once surrounded by desert, Ontario’s Long Point – the world’s longest freshwater sand spit, is today lush with forests and wetlands. Ironically, an invasive plant, phragmites, is now its biggest threat.
Watch the Long Point episode of Striking Balance for a limited time on TVO.org!
After years of conflict over logging in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, communities look to the past to learn how the environment, cultures, and economies can thrive for hundreds of years to come.
Watch the Clayoquot Sound episode of Striking Balance for a limited time on TVO.org!
The old-growth forest and pristine glacial lake of Quebec’s towering Mont Saint-Hilaire are cherished by the communities that surround it, but unchecked – their growth threatens the very mountain they love.
Watch the Mont Saint-Hilaire episode of Striking Balance for a limited time on TVO.org!
On the Bras d’Or Lake in Cape Breton, oyster farming was seen as a sustainable alternative to working in coal and steel. After a parasite ravages the oyster population, both traditional Mi’kmaq knowledge and western science are being used to bring the oyster back.
The people of Georgian Bay, Ontario, struggle to mitigate the impact of increasing numbers of cottagers and a new 4-lane highway on the region’s endangered species.
Watch the Georgian Bay episode of Striking Balance for a limited time on TVO.org!
Students conduct both social and scientific experiments at Redberry – a salt lake at the heart of a shrinking Saskatchewan community that’s determined to thrive in the face of industrial agriculture.
Watch the Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve episode of Striking Balance for a limited time on TVO.org!
The Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon is teetering on the edge of extinction, but the people of the Fundy Biosphere Reserve are determined to bring it back.
Watch the Fundy Biosphere Reserve episode of Striking Balance for a limited time on TVO.org!
Grizzly bears have been increasingly protected in Alberta since 2006, challenging the ranchers of the Waterton Biosphere Reserve to find new ways to coexist with this powerful animal.
Watch the Waterton Biosphere Reserve episode of Striking Balance for a limited time on TVO.org!
Looking for a copy of Striking Balance? The following Biosphere Reserve organizations are currently selling DVD and Blu-ray copies of the entire 8-episode “Season One” of Striking Balance. At least $10 from each sale goes to support the Biosphere Reserve organization you purchase from.
IMPORTANT NOTE: As of now, only the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve has the capability of shipping DVD or Blu-ray discs. The other Biosphere Reserves listed below either sell copies directly or at a retail location local to them. Please contact them to find out where!
If you enjoy Striking Balance, then you’re going to love Sustaining Home, an interactive e-book written by Dr. Maureen Reed and edited by Peter Kingsmill as a companion to the series. The 180-page e-book is full of high-resolution photos, interactive maps and video clips exploring the story of Canada’s Biosphere Reserves.
Sustaining Home is available now from the Apple iBooks store worldwide for $14.99 CDN. $1 from the sale of each purchase goes to support the Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association.
Latest news
You are invited to the FREE launch event for Striking Balance. Presented in partnership with the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, we will be screening two episodes from the series on the big screen - Georgian Bay, Ontario and Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia. The filmmakers will be in attendance for questions. The evening starts at 7:00pm and each episode is 50 minutes in length. Come a...
Mark your calendars, set your PVRs, and give your neighbours, cousins, and grandparents a call to let them know about the broadcast premiere of Striking Balance! Beginning Tuesday, October 4th at 9:00pm, with the Long Point Ontario episode – Striking Balance will be coming to small screens on TVO! You can catch the rest of the series for the following seven weeks on Tuesdays at 9:00pm. Can...
We are happy to announce the release of the trailer for Striking Balance! It’s quite difficult to condense all of the amazing stories from the eight biospheres we visited across the country into less than two minutes, but thanks to our eloquent interview subjects, we think we’ve been able to get the gist of what biosphere reserves are all about. Have a watch and let us know what you think....
On Saturday, May 28th, we were pleased to be asked to be a part of the Long Point Biosphere Reserve’s 30th anniversary celebrations. A special sneak-peak screening of the Long Point episode of Striking Balance finished out the night and was warmly received. It was our first time screening an episode of Striking Balance (beyond an audience of our parents!), so we were happy for the positive re...
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