A high school program that has nurtured young creative minds and given them the confidence to pursue a career in the film industry is now coming to an end, but students are fighting back to try and save “Film Arts” at Earl Haig Secondary School.
“What went through my head when I first heard this news, I got sad for all of the me’s who won’t get an opportunity to do what I did,” said Toronto native and TV writer Daniel Gold.
Gold, who has worked on big projects including the Canadian series “Workin’ Moms, was one of the first graduates of Film Arts at Earl Haig in North York in 2009.
Film Arts is one of five creative streams offered in the Claude Watson Arts Program at the school, but as of this fall, it will no longer be accepting new students.
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is phasing it out.
“This is unconscionable and our film industry is bigger than ever. I think it brings in [around] $2.03 billion a year, so there is a need for skilled labour in all aspects of the film industry, and this to me seems like a perfect pipeline to begin that,” said Gold. “So it seems odd that we’d be cutting it
in one of the few hubs in North America.”
The news has sparked backlash from current students who have begun a campaign to try and save the program from the cutting room floor.
A student-created petition has garnered more than 1,000 signatures, including Gold’s. They’ve also created a campaign video.
In a statement to CityNews, the TDSB cites inconsistent enrollment over the years in the Claude Watson Arts Program as a driving factor.
A spokesperson said, while the cap for students is 400, that won’t be the case for the 2025-2026 school year.
“With approximately 100 Grade 9 students expected in the fall, it is not possible to maintain five separate streams which would have approximately 20 students in each,” read their statement.
As a result, the school decided to reduce the number of streams to four.
But the students refute the board’s statement. In an email to City News, student representatives claimed that the TDSB intentionally reduced the number of available spots from 125 down to 100 despite demand being high.
Gold said it’s more important than ever to teach young minds about content, adding ending the program would be a major loss to the city.
“I have a career thanks to this program, some of my favorite, my favorite memories of my young life,” added Gold.
Every year, the current crop of students holds their annual film arts gala where they showcase the projects they’ve been working on throughout
the year. This year’s gala takes place next Wednesday, June 4 in North York.
