Mr. Matthew Almeida reports

SEASON 4 OF CTV'S HIT ORIGINAL DRAMA SAVING HOPE STARTS PRODUCTION ON JUNE 1

BCE Inc.'s CTV, in association with Ilana Frank's ICF Films and Entertainment One (eOne), will begin production Monday, June 1, 2015, on season 4 of its hit original drama Saving Hope. The start of production announcement comes ahead of CTV's 2015 Upfront presentation taking place June 4, 2015, in Toronto, where the 18-episode fourth season will shoot until December, 2015. A finalist for a Golden Screen Award at the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards, Saving Hope stars Erica Durance as Dr. Alex Reid.

Saving Hope ranked in the Top 30 of Canada's most-watched programs in key adult age-18-to-49 and age-25-to-54 demographics last fall and ended its third season in February as the No. 1 Canadian drama series in the key adult demographics as 1.7 million viewers watched the shocking season 3 finale. All past episodes of Saving Hope are streaming now on CraveTV.

"The season 3 finale was shocking and gripping and left fans wanting more. We can't wait to begin a new season of engaging twists and turns and emotional highs and lows, featuring both our exceptional returning cast and intriguing new characters," said Corrie Coe, senior vice-president, independent production, Bell Media. "With such a talented team, led by ICF Films and eOne, season 4 is looking to be another remarkable season for Saving Hope."

Saving Hope's emotional season 3 finale saw life and death collide as Dr. Alex Reid (Erica Durance) became a new mom, delivering a healthy baby boy named Luke Reid. In a shocking turn of events, the episode culminated in a devastating accident at an off-site army base, which saw the death of one of Hope Zion's own. Season 4 picks up nine months after the devastating accident, as the Hope Zion staff continue to deal with the aftermath of the death of their colleague and friend, Dr. Joel Goran. Dr. Reid is back at work following maternity leave, trying to balance motherhood and a busy operating room. Meanwhile, Dr. Charlie Harris (Michael Shanks) continues to be haunted by his ghost-seeing abilities and the looming question of whether or not he is Luke's biological father.

Joining the cast this season in recurring roles are Kim Shaw (The Good Wife) as Dr. Cassie Williams, a book-smart intern learning how to practise medicine, not just read about it, and Max Bennett (Anna Karenina) as Dr. Patrick Curtis, a surgical fellow who has been filling in during Dr. Reid's maternity leave. Travis Milne (Rookie Blue) will also appear in a four-episode arc. Canadian Screen Award winner Jason Priestley (Call Me Fitz), series star Michael Shanks and Peter Stebbings (The Listener) return to direct episodes this season.

Saving Hope stars 2013 Canadian Screen Award nominee Erica Durance (Smallville), Michael Shanks (Stargate Atlantis), 2013 Canadian Screen Award winner Wendy Crewson (Revenge), Michelle Nolden (Republic of Doyle), Benjamin Ayres (Less Than Kind), Julia Taylor Ross (Rookie Blue) and Huse Madhavji (Call Me Fitz).

Saving Hope is produced by ICF Films with eOne, in association with CTV, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. The series is executive produced by Ilana Frank, John Morayniss and Margaret O'Brien for eOne. Adam Pettle is executive producer and showrunner. All distribution rights are handled by eOne. For Bell Media, Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy is production executive, drama, independent production; Tom Hastings is director, drama, independent production; Corrie Coe is senior vice-president, independent production; Mike Cosentino is senior vice-president, programming, CTV Networks and CraveTV; Phil King is president, CTV, sports and entertainment programming.