2026 Canadian Screen Awards: ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘North of North’ win big; Mike Myers name-checks the TTC

The Canadian Screen Awards (CSAs) reached a boiling point Sunday as hockey romance “Heated Rivalry” faced off against Arctic comedy “North of North” to become this year’s biggest winner.

The two leading TV nominees this year had already won sizable audiences and international acclaim, it was just a question of how many trophies each would pocket by the end of the night.

The CSAs are Canada’s biggest celebration of the local film and TV industry, and Sunday’s main televised awards show was hosted by “Run the Burbs” and “Kim’s Convenience” actor and comedian Andrew Phung.

While the awards are typically aren’t a major viewership draw, the breakout success of Crave’s “Heated Rivalry” and the CBC and Netflix co-production of “North of North” seemed primed to draw many curious new onlookers.

It helps that the show was screened in a first-of-its-kind simulcast across several major networks: Global, StackTV, CBC, CBC Gem, Crave and CTV, plus streaming worldwide on CBC’s YouTube channel.

Here are the highlights from the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards.

‘Heated Rivalry’ came out on top

Heading into this year’s awards, “North of North” was the front-runner with 20 nominations. “Heated Rivalry” followed closely with 18 nods.

By the end, the hockey romance had taken home a historic 16 awards, the most for any CSA nominee, ahead of nine for “North of North.” Each show won its respective main category of best series: drama, for “Heated Rivalry,” and comedy for “North of North.”

Breakout star Hudson Williams won best lead performer in a drama, closing his speech by mentioning his U.S. co-star Connor Storrie.

“If I could cut this award down the middle, I would,” he said.

Storrie was ineligible for a CSA nomination due to recent rule changes intended to keep the awards focused on Canadian talent.

“If these gay-yearning little bottom eyes didn’t have a big sexy Russian to feast upon, my performance wouldn’t be as good. So to the honorary Canadian, Connor Storrie, I share this award with you.”

Williams arrived on the red carpet in a dark brown tuxedo and unbuttoned cream satin shirt, reuniting with his castmates including Robbie G.K., Sophie Nélisse and Nadine Bhabha, as well as creator Jacob Tierney and Rachel Reid, the author of the books the show is based on. Nélisse received this year’s Radius Award.

An emotional Anna Lambe spoke about ‘North of North’

Actor Anna Lambe held back tears as she accepted best lead performer in a comedy, crediting the women behind the CBC-Netflix co-production, creators Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, for first casting her in their Inuit lacrosse drama “The Grizzlies” when she was 15 years old.

Lambe said their working partnership has become even more meaningful, with “North of North” proving that “Inuit do not just exist within a historical context, that we are real, that we are here, and that we are thriving, beautiful communities.”

“North of North” won nine awards total, including best ensemble performance, best comedy direction for Zoe Hopkins and best comedy writing for Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Stacey Aglok MacDonald.

‘40 Acres’ producer basked in film’s success, on crutches

Most of the cinema awards were handed out at a ceremony on Thursday, and “40 Acres” led, winning nine statuettes.

Producer Jennifer Holness didn’t let a serious injury keep her from Sunday’s big show. Her post-apocalyptic sci-fi film won best motion picture, and despite being hit by a car earlier this year, she showed up to Sunday’s ceremony to bask in the glory.

“I’m a survivor,” she proclaimed after walking the red carpet with a pair of crutches. “I’m on a lot of pain medication but I just felt like I had to be here.”

Holness said “40 Acres” stood as a rare example of a Black and Indigenous family portrayed in cinema.

“It was such a hard-fought film to make,” she said. “I did everything I could to get it made, so I felt like I should face the Academy, face the people in the media, and say: ‘I’m proud of this work.’”

Among the film’s other trophies, director R.T. Thorne took home best first feature, direction, and shared a screenplay win.

Mike Myers thanked the TTC

Mike Myers was the recipient of the Academy Icon Award, which was presented by Dave Foley; the pair arrived at the awards together.

The Scarborough-raised comedian’s trademark goofy swagger was on full display as his brothers, Peter and Paul, bowed down before him from the audience in a nod to “Wayne’s World.” (Co-star Tia Carrere was also on hand to celebrate him.)

Myers then explained to the audience that he’d left his speech in his hotel room.

That didn’t stop him from going deep into Canada’s cultural history, name-checking among his influences an array of cultural institutions from MuchMusic to the TTC (“It’s the better way!” he said.).

He also gave a big shout-out to Canadian taxpayers for financially supporting his early work through government grants. “I always say to my American friends, I had a big ally,” he said. “I had 40 million people behind me.”

Eugene Levy gave a heartfelt tribute to Catherine O’Hara

Eugene Levy led the “In Memoriam” segment, paying tribute to his late onscreen wife and longtime friend Catherine O’Hara. The “Schitt’s Creek” star called O’Hara one of the country’s greatest exports, pointing to her eclectic career of Hollywood hits, including “Home Alone” and “Beetlejuice,” as well as their frequent shared screen time.

O’Hara died unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism in January.

Levy described the Toronto comic as being unwavering in her loyalty to Canada. He said her email handle was “Sorry, Eh?” and that “there was no place she loved as much as her idyllic cottage in Muskoka.”

The characters she created stand the test of time and will “continue to make people laugh for generations to come,” he said.

‘Nirvanna’ collected an armful of trophies

“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” took home six awards by the time the dust settled, including two acting awards for its creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol.

Johnson picked up best performance in a supporting role in a comedy at an earlier ceremony, while McCarrol won best leading performance. It was a surprising split since both share the screen for most of the film.

“We gamed the system,” Johnson half-joked, saying they knew that if they both went for the main acting award, it wouldn’t work in their favour.

The time-travelling comedy also won best motion picture, capping off earlier wins for visual effects (for that incredible CN Tower skydive), sound mixing and, puzzlingly, best original song for “The Alphabet Song.”

That win raised some eyebrows — including those of the filmmakers themselves. The song is a scattershot 30-second moment in the film where Johnson’s character bangs out a freestyle rap with a sprinkle of a Bill Cosby impersonation.

“Has anybody in here seen our movie?” a stunned Johnson said during the best song acceptance speech on Thursday.

“I would say this is a first, and last, that this would happen in our country. It’s a national embarrassment.”

Going in, “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” had eight film nominations, as did the French-Canadian comedy “Follies” and horror-thriller “Honey Bunch.”

The Oscar-winning stop-motion film “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” added a CSA for best animated short to its awards haul for filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski.

Correction — June 1, 2026

This article has been updated. “The Grizzlies” is an Inuit drama about lacrosse, not hockey as previously stated incorrectly.