CTV also confirmed today that a broadcast deal has been secured with U.S. cablecaster The N, the nighttime network for teens. The N will add Whistler, their first ever o­ne-hour drama, to its schedule that already features CTV original programs Instant Star and Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Whistler will present the story of the seemingly perfect world-class mountain resort that is the Mecca to elite athletes from all over the world. But when a local snowboarding legend returns from the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics with a gold medal, o­nly to be found dead o­n the slopes, it sends shockwaves through the community. Beck's mysterious accident sets the stage for the series and forever changes the lives of his friends and family - all of whom have their stories to tell - and their secrets to keep.

With today's announcement, Whistler joins CTV's upcoming series Alice I Think and the renewed Robson Arms as the third B.C.-based production for CTV. In total, Whistler is CTV's 7th scripted Canadian series either broadcast or in production since January 2005. Others o­n the list include Corner Gas (Canada's Most Watched Comedy), Degrassi: TNG (Canada's Most Watched Drama), Instant Star (set to return in 2006) and newcomer Jeff Ltd.

Whistler features an exciting, multigenerational ensemble cast that boastsCanada's newest break-out stars - such as David Paetkau (CSI:Miami, Final Destination 2, LAX)  as the doomed Olympic Gold Medalist Beck Mckaye - along with established veterans such as TV fan favorite Nicholas Lea (X-Files, CSI, Chaos ) as Beck's father and manager Ethan McKaye.

Additional rising stars in the Whistler cast include Jesse Moss (The Outer Limits, Final Destination 3) as Quinn, Beck's shy, introspective brother; Amanda Crew (Smallville, John Tucker Must Die) as Beck's heartbreakingly beautiful girlfriend Carrie Miller; Brendan Penny (The L Word) as A.J. Varland, the local bad boy, thrill-seeker and sometimes-friend to Quinn; Haley Beauchamp (Smallville) as Feeney, Quinn's best friend; Holly Dignard (The L Word, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1) as Nicole Miller, Carrie's older sister and surrogate mom; and Adam J. Harrington (Da Vinci's Inquest, Show Me Yours, The Dead Zone) as Quinn's uncle Ryan.

Established veteran Ingrid Kavelaars (Dreamcatcher, Final Run) is Quinn's beautiful mom Jen while Chris Shyer (Monk, Traffic) rounds out the talented cast as the powerful Adrien Varland, owner of the Varland Resort Complex.

"Show-runner and series creator Kelly Senecal has fashioned an engaging and intriguing window into the world hidden beneath behind the glitter of Whistler," said Susanne Boyce, CTV's President of Programming and Chair of the Media Group. "With its compelling story arc, appealing cast and dramatic setting, Whistler has enormous potential for addictive television."

"The ambition of Whistler is to create a primetime drama series with multi-generational audience appeal," said Bill Mustos, CTV's Senior Vice President of Dramatic Programming. "With our biggest budget ever, the ingredients are in place to deliver o­ne fantastic television series."

"The scope and ambition of Whistler is a thrilling challenge that we are all up for," said Janet York, executive producer for Boardwatch Productions. "We have a spectacular cast and riveting stories to tell against o­ne of the most beautiful backdrops o­n the planet."

Whistler was created by Executive Producer and Show Runner Kelly Senecal (Going the Distance, ReGenesis, Just Deal), who also wrote the first two episodes. "For years I've wanted to write a drama with a dark side - a show that was part mystery, part family drama and part night-time soap," said Senecal. "Whistler is such a fascinating place. You've got this
tourist-friendly facade and pristine mountain environment, yet when the sun goes down there lurks a dark underbelly to resort-town society."

Senecal is joined o­n the creative front by the Writer/Executive Producer team of Tony Blake and Paul Jackson (She Spies, Pretender, Sliders) as well as Writer/Co-Producers Russ Cochrane (Last Exit, MTV's Undressed) and Alison Bingeman (CSI-Miami, FX:The Series).

Acclaimed director John Fawcett (Ginger Snaps, Lucky Girl, The Dark) helms the pilot and the second episode. Further episodes will be directed by an exciting array of talent including Grant Harvey (2030 CE, Ginger Snaps 3) and Rachel Talalay (Terminal City, The Dead Zone, Ally McBeal).

Blueprint Entertainment and Boardwatch Productions are the production entities for Whistler with Noreen Halpern (Playing House, Crazy for Christmas) and John Morayniss (Playing House, Crazy for Christmas) from Blueprint and Sam Feldman (Rare Birds) and Janet York (Rare Birds) from Boardwatch acting as Executive Producers for their respective companies.
Louise Clark is CTV's production executive overseeing the series. Bill Mustos is Senior Vice-President, Dramatic Programming for CTV. Susanne Boyce is President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group.

Whistler is a co-production between Vancouver-based Boardwatch Productions and Toronto-based Blueprint Entertainment in association with CTV. Funding is also made available through Canadian Television Fund, created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, CTF: Licence Fee Program, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, CanWest Western Independent Producers Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, and is also produced with the participation of Rogers Telefund.