Every month, kawarthaNOW is the only local media source to bring you a list of what’s coming to Netflix Canada.

Depending on what floats your boat, Netflix’s offerings in March may either make you happy to spend more time on the couch or prompt you to cancel your subscription and spend more time outdoors.

One highlight is the new Netflix original series The One, based on the book of the same name by British writer John Marrs. It’s a psychological sci-fi thriller starring Hannah Ware and Dimitri Leonidas that takes the concept of soulmates to the extreme.

In the near future, a scientist discovers a DNA test can find your perfect partner — the one person you’re genetically predisposed to fall passionately in love with. The discovery leads to the creation of the MatchDNA service, but the consequences are more complicated than you might imagine. The One premieres on Netflix on Friday, March 12th.

For lighter fare, there’s the Netflix film Moxie (Mar. 3), based on the novel by Jennifer Mathieu and directed by Amy Poehler. Fed up with the sexist and toxic status quo at her high school, a shy 16-year-old finds inspiration from her mother’s rebellious past and anonymously publishes a zine that sparks a school-wide, coming-of-rage revolution.

If you prefer reality, there’s the docu-series Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (Mar. 1), that tells the origin story of the late hip-hop icon Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G., renowned for his distinctive flow and autobiographical lyrics. There’s also the docu-series The Lost Pirate Kingdom (Mar. 15), which tells the story of the real-life pirates of the Caribbean.

Other Netflix films in March include: Dogwashers and Sentinelle (Mar. 5); Bombay Rose (Mar. 8); Coven of Sisters (Mar. 11); Paper Lives and Yes Day (Mar. 12); Caught by a Wave (Mar. 25); A Week Away (Mar. 26); and Bad Trip (Mar. 27).

VIDEO: The Lost Pirate Kingdom trailer

Other Netflix documentaries include Murder Among the Mormons (Mar. 3); Last Chance U: Basketball (Mar. 10); Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (Mar. 17); and Seaspiracy (Mar. 24).

Other Netflix originals include: Bombay Begums (Mar. 8); The Houseboat (Mar. 9); Dealer (Mar. 10); Marriage or Mortgage (Mar. 10); season two of Love Alarm, The One, and part three of Paradise PD (Mar. 12); The Lost Pirate Kingdom (Mar. 15);, Under Suspicion: Uncovering the Wesphael Case (Mar. 17); season two of Alien TV, Country Comfort, One Small Problem, and Sky Rojo (Mar. 19); Who Killed Sara? (Mar. 24); The Irregulars, Magic for Humans by Mago Pop, and Nailed It!: Double Trouble (Mar. 26); and Haunted: Latin America (Mar. 31).

Other series coming to Netflix in March include: seasons one and two of Coroner, season one of Trickster, and season five of When Calls The Heart (Mar. 1); season seven of The Flash (Mar. 4); season one of Rainbow High (Mar. 29).

VIDEO: New to Netflix Canada in March 2021

Theatrically released films include: The American, Happy Feet Two, Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2, Serendipity, Shazam!, The Karate Kid Part II and Part III, The Mask of Zorro, The Pianist, U.S. Marshals, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (Mar. 1); Being John Malkovich, Blue Crush, Fletch, Friday Night Lights, Oblivion, Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, and Scarface (Mar. 3); Vice (Mar. 5); Ladies in Black (Mar. 6), The Guest (Mar. 9), and The Last Blockbuster (Mar. 15); The Wedding Guest (Mar. 17); Croupier (Mar. 26); and Bill & Ted Face The Music (Mar. 28).

Here’s the complete list of everything coming to Netflix Canada in March along with what’s leaving.

Coming in March (no release date specified)

• Abla Fahita: Drama Queen (Netflix original) – An innocent fugitive, Abla Fahita gets separated from her children. The illustrious diva will stop at nothing to clear her name and reunite with them.
• Arashi’s Diary Voyage – Episode 24 (Netflix documentary) – As the voyage comes to an end, the guys reflect on their final moments as a group before their hiatus, capping off an amazing 21-year run with one last live stream concert. This is the finale episode of this series started in December 2019.
• The Yin Yang Master (Netflix film) – A feud erupts between realms, and Yin Yang master Qing Ming teams up with disgraced guard Yuan Boya to vanquish a demonic threat as a conspiracy looms.

Monday, March 1

• Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (Netflix documentary) – Featuring rare footage and in-depth interviews, this documentary celebrates the life of The Notorious B.I.G. on his journey from hustler to rap king.
• 10 Years
• Blanche Gardin: Bonne Nuit Blanche
• Coroner: Seasons 1-2
• Diana
• Happy Feet Two
• Hit & Run
• How to Be a Latin Lover
• Jonah Hex
• Just One of the Guys
• Mary, Queen of Scots
• Power Rangers Beast Morphers: S2
• RocknRolla
• Rush Hour
• Rush Hour 2
• S.W.A.T.
• Serendipity
• Shazam!
• The American
• The Bucket List
• The Karate Kid Part II
• The Karate Kid Part III
• The Mask of Zorro
• The Pianist
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
• Thomas & Friends: Marvelous Machinery: A New Arrival
• Thomas & Friends: Marvelous Machinery: World of Tomorrow
• Trickster: Season 1
• U.S. Marshals
• Welcome to Marwen
• When Calls the Heart: Season 5
• You Don’t Mess with the Zohan

Tuesday, March 2

• Word Party: Season 5 (Netflix family) – Party with animal babies Franny, Bailey, Kip, Lulu and Tilly as they learn new words and life lessons in English and Mandarin through song and dance!

Wednesday, March 3

• Moxie (Netflix film) – Inspired by her mom’s rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy 16-year-old publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.
• Murder Among the Mormons (Netflix documentary) – Salt Lake City, 1985. A series of pipe bombs kills two people and severely injures another, jolting the epicenter of the LDS Church. The murders send further shockwaves through the community when a trove of early Mormon letters and diaries are found destroyed in the vehicle of the third victim, Mark Hofmann, a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous White Salamander Letter — an artifact whose contents threatened to shake the very foundations of Mormonism. As Hofmann fights for his life, investigators race to uncover the truth. Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and Tyler Measom (An Honest Liar), Murder Among the Mormons is the first comprehensive look at one of the most shocking crimes to have ever taken place among the Mormon community and the criminal mastermind behind it all.
• Being John Malkovich
• Blue Crush
• Fletch
• Friday Night Lights
• How To Build A Girl
• Oblivion
• Pitch Perfect
• Pitch Perfect 2
• Scarface
• Take Me Home Tonight
• The Tale of Despereaux

Thursday, March 4

• The Flash: Season 7 (New episodes weekly)
• Pacific Rim: The Black (Netflix anime) – After Kaiju ravages Australia, two siblings pilot a Jaeger to search for their parents, encountering new creatures, seedy characters and chance allies.

Friday, March 5

• City of Ghosts (Netflix family) – Meet the Ghost Club! Their adventures take them all around Los Angeles as they interview ghosts, solve problems and learn about their city’s history.
• Dogwashers (Netflix film) – When a narco past his prime refuses to pay a debt to an upstart, only a secret stash of money can save his men. But guess what the gardener just found?
• Nevenka: Breaking the Silence (Netflix documentary) – This docuseries examines Spain’s historic 2001 lawsuit, in which city councilor Nevenka Fernández accused Mayor Ismael Álvarez of sexual harassment.
• Sentinelle (Netflix film) – Transferred home after a traumatizing combat mission, a highly trained French soldier uses her lethal skills to hunt down the man who hurt her sister.
• Vice
• Yes, God, Yes

Saturday, March 6

• Ladies in Black

Monday, March 8

• Bombay Begums (Netflix original) – From boardrooms to society’s margins, five ambitious women from various walks of life navigate dreams, desires and disappointments in modern Mumbai.
• Bombay Rose (Netflix film) – Escaping from child marriage, a young club dancer living in the streets of Bombay, must choose between fending for her family and finding love with a boy orphaned by the militancy. Painted frame by frame and woven delicately through music, a red rose brings together three tales of impossible loves. Love between two dreamers tested by duty and religious divides. Love between two women. Love of an entire city for its Bollywood stars. Based on true events, the film, in documentary fashion, explores the ruthlessness of a society where the love and life that reigns on the big screen can crush you in its mean streets. Bombay Rose is directed by Gitanjali Rao and produced by Cinestaan Film Company/Les Films d’ici. An award-winning festival favorite, it was the first Indian animated film ever selected to open Venice Critics Week; it was also selected by the Toronto International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival, and an award winner at the Chicago and Mumbai Film Festivals.

Tuesday, March 9

• The Guest
• The Houseboat (Netflix original) – Musicians and friends Fynn Kliemann and Olli Schulz spend two difficult years trying to restore the home of singer Gunter Gabriel to its former glory.
• StarBeam: Season 3 (Netflix family) – StarBeam is back with her family and favorite sidekicks to defend Somerset from all the wacky villains trying to stir up trouble and spoil the fun!

Wednesday, March 10

• Dealer (Netflix original) – Tensions erupt when two filmmakers infiltrate an area ruled by gangs to shoot a music video for a rapper in this gritty found-footage series.
• Last Chance U: Basketball (Netflix documentary) – From Greg Whiteley (Cheer) and the team behind Emmy-winning Last Chance U comes Last Chance U: Basketball, an honest, gritty look inside the world of community college basketball. Over the course of eight episodes, viewers will follow the East Los Angeles College Huskies (ELAC) in their high stakes chase to an unprecedented California state basketball championship. Led by passionate head coach John Mosley, the ELAC team is made up of former D1 recruits and powerhouse athletes hustling to prove themselves for a last chance to fulfill their dreams of playing at the next level. But the team is tested as the players battle adversity, inner demons, and emotions on and off the court.
• Marriage or Mortgage (Netflix original) – A wedding planner and a real estate agent compete to win the hearts and budgets of spouses-to-be. Will they pick fairy-tale nuptials or a dream home?

Thursday, March 11

• The Block Island Sound
• Coven of Sisters (Netflix film) – Basque Country, 1609. To postpone their execution, a group of women accused of witchcraft lure their inquisitor into witnessing the witches’ Sabbath.

Friday, March 12

• Love Alarm: Season 2 (Netflix original) – Longing for resounding proof of her feelings, Jojo sets out to uninstall the shield and make the app ring for her one true love.
• The One (Netflix original) – Love — and lies — spiral when a DNA researcher helps discover a way to find the perfect partner, and creates a bold new matchmaking service.
• Paper Lives (Netflix film) – In the streets of Istanbul, ailing waste warehouse worker Mehmet takes a small boy under his wing and must soon confront his own traumatic childhood.
• Paradise PD: Part 3 (Netflix original) – The not-so-honorable police officers of Paradise engage in dog blackmail, sperm theft, doughnut shop intimidation and many more unspeakable crimes.
• YES DAY (Netflix film) – Always feeling like they have to say NO to their kids and co-workers, Allison and Carlos decide to give their three kids a YES DAY — where for 24 hours the kids make the rules. Little did they know that they’d be going on a whirlwind adventure around Los Angeles, that would bring the family closer to each other than ever before.

Sunday, March 14

• The Curse of La Llorona

Monday, March 15

• A Call to Spy
• Bakugan: Armored Alliance
• The Last Blockbuster (2020)
• The Lost Pirate Kingdom (Netflix original) – The real-life pirates of the Caribbean violently plunder the world’s riches and form a surprisingly egalitarian republic in this documentary series.
• Shithouse
• Zero Chill (Netflix family) – Talented teen figure skater Kayla is forced to leave everything behind when her family follows her twin brother, Mac, to a prestigious hockey academy.

Tuesday, March 16

• RebellComedy: Straight Outta the Zoo (Netflix comedy special) – The comics of RebellComedy take the stage and tackle topics including mistaken identities, being the “funny” kid and anatomically interesting starfish.
• Waffles + Mochi (Netflix family) – Curious puppet pals Waffles and Mochi travel the world exploring the wonders of food and culture while learning how to cook with fresh ingredients.

Wednesday, March 17

• Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (Netflix documentary) – Reenactments drive this documentary investigating the mastermind behind a scam to sneak the kids of rich and famous families into top US universities.
• Under Suspicion: Uncovering the Wesphael Case (Netflix original) – This true-crime series follows the high-profile court case of Belgian politician Bernard Wesphael, who was accused of murdering his wife in 2013.
• The Wedding Guest

Thursday, March 18

• B: The Beginning Succession (Netflix anime) – When Keith is abducted and a friend from Koku’s past resurfaces, Killer B returns and everyone is pulled into a conspiracy involving the crown.
• Cabras da Peste (Netflix film) – Two wildly mismatched cops from different Brazilian states are forced to work together to take on a gang operating in both of their homelands.
• Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (Netflix comedy special) – Tennessee-born comedian, actor, and podcast host Nate Bargatze is back with his second hour-long Netflix original comedy special, Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American. Nate reflects on being part of the Oregon Trail generation, meeting his wife while working at Applebee’s and the hilariously relatable moments of being a father and husband. Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American premieres globally on Netflix on March 18, 2021. The special is directed by Troy Miller, who also serves as Executive Producer alongside Alex Murray, Tim Sarkes and Bargatze.
• Skylines (2020)

Friday, March 19

• Alien TV: Season 2 (Netflix family) – Alien reporters Ixbee, Pixbee and Squee return to Earth, where they learn about more odd human customs and inventions like trains and fashion.
• Country Comfort (Netflix family) – An aspiring young country singer finds the band she’s been missing when she takes a job as a nanny for a musically talented family.
• Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Season 3 (Netflix original) – During a shortened 2020 season, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and other top drivers pursue checkered flags as COVID-19 turns the world upside down.
• One Small Problem (Netflix original) – The love of his life hates kids. So when his 9-year-old daughter suggests she pretend to be his sister… what could go wrong?
• Sky Rojo (Netflix original) – On the run from their pimp and his henchmen, three women embark on a wild and crazy journey in search of freedom. From the creators of “Money Heist.”

Monday, March 22

• Navillera (Netflix original) – A 70-year-old with a dream and a 23-year-old with a gift lift each other out of harsh realities and rise to the challenge of becoming ballerinos.

Tuesday, March 23

• Loyiso Gola: Unlearning (Netflix comedy special) – South African comedian Loyiso Gola serves up practical philosophy and filter-free humor as he tackles topics like race, identity and world politics.
• Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Wednesday, March 24

• Seaspiracy (Netflix documentary) – Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species — and uncovers a sinister global conspiracy.
• Who Killed Sara? (Netflix original) – After 18 years in prison, Álex takes his revenge on the Lazcano family, who framed him for the murder of his sister Sara to save their reputation.

Thursday, March 25

• Caught by a Wave (Netflix film) – After falling in love at a beachside summer camp in Sicily, a painful truth inspires two teenage sailing enthusiasts to live their lives to the fullest.
• DOTA: Dragon’s Blood (Netflix anime) – After encounters with a dragon and a princess on her own mission, a Dragon Knight becomes embroiled in events larger than he could have ever imagined.
• Secret Magic Control Agency (Netflix family) – Hansel and Gretel of fairy tale fame — now acting as secret agents — must use magic, clever thinking and teamwork on a mission to find a missing king.

Friday, March 26

• A Week Away (Netflix film) -Troubled teen Will Hawkins (Kevin Quinn) has a run-in with the law that puts him at an important crossroad: go to juvenile detention or attend a Christian summer camp. At first a fish-out-of-water, Will opens his heart, discovers love with a camp regular (Bailee Madison), and sense of belonging in the last place he expected to find it.
• Bad Trip (Netflix film) – In a hidden-camera comedy from the producer of “Bad Grandpa,” two pals embark on a road trip full of funny pranks that pull real people into the mayhem.
• Croupier (1998)
• Honest Thief
• The Irregulars (Netflix original) – In 19th-century London, a group of misfits works to solve supernatural crimes at the behest of Dr. Watson and his elusive partner, Sherlock Holmes.
• Magic for Humans by Mago Pop (Netflix original) – Illusionist Mago Pop takes to the streets of Barcelona, where he amazes folks of all ages and walks of life with tricks that inspire delight and wonder.
• Nailed It!: Double Trouble (Netflix original) – When two clueless cake “artists” team up, the reveals are even more ridiculous. From best buds to brothers and sisters, these bakers are twice as bad.

Sunday, March 28

• Bill & Ted Face The Music

Monday, March 29

• Gods of Egypt
• Rainbow High: Season 1

Tuesday, March 30

• Octonauts & the Ring of Fire (Netflix family) – When lava-spewing volcanoes start a chain reaction of disasters across the ocean, the Octonauts must work together to save their sea creature friends.

Wednesday, March 31

• Haunted: Latin America (Netflix original) – Real people’s terrifying tales of the chilling, unexplained and paranormal come to life with dramatic reenactments in this reality series.

Leaving Netflix Canada in March

Monday, March 1

• Jaws
• Jaws 2
• Jaws 3
• Jaws: The Revenge
• The Bourne Identity
• The Bourne Legacy
• The Bourne Supremacy
• The Bourne Ultimatum

Wednesday, March 3

• Rectify: Seasons 1-4

Sunday, March 7

• A Star Is Born

Tuesday, March 30

• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
• Madagascar
• Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
• Spy Kids
• Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
• Spy Kids 3: Game Over
• Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

Wednesday, March 31

• Peppa Pig: Seasons 1-5

All titles and dates are subject to change.

The pandemic has laid bare the ever-widening wealth and income inequality that exists in Canada.

Though flawed, emergency response benefits such as CERB and CRB — the closest thing the country has ever seen to a basic income — have provided an income floor, preventing or alleviating poverty for many Canadians (for those able to access the programs, that is), while also stimulating and stabilizing the broader economy.

In terms of pandemic recovery, basic income has increasingly been a subject of discussion across the political spectrum. As such, support for basic income is growing among parliamentarians and the wider Canadian public.

Much advocacy work continues to be done, and Canadian artists and arts workers — many of whom face unreliable incomes and precarious labour conditions — are proving to be leading voices in ongoing basic income conversations.

In July 2020, over 300 Canadian artists, arts workers, and organizations (including Peterborough-Nogojiwanong’s Electric City Culture Council) published an open letter, signed by organizations representing 75,000 artists, asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to create a permanent Basic Income Guarantee.

Recently, the Media Arts Network of Ontario hosted two full-day panels called “Basic Income: An Artists’ Commission”, which will inform a report authored by the commissioners for advocacy work ahead of a possible federal election this year.

More than 20 artists from across the country, working within all disciplines, delivered testimonies regarding the impact a steady, fixed income (or lack thereof) has had on their lives and artistic practices during the pandemic.

One of the testifiers, writer and publisher Elisha Rubacha from Peterborough-Nogojiwanong, also happens to be an expert on basic income.

In addition to being a practising artist, Rubacha, who works as a knowledge transfer specialist and civic engagement coordinator for local not-for-profit Nourish Peterborough, advocates for a national Basic Income Guarantee program.

Rubacha has also participated, as both an artist and a panellist, in Precarious: Peterborough ArtsWORK festival (2017) and Precarious2: Peterborough ArtsWORK Festival (2019). Co-presented by Public Energy and Fleshy Flud, both of the month-long multi-arts festivals investigated precarious labour through artistic works, workshops, and community-based panel discussions. The next Precarious festival is slated to occur later this year, with a mix of online and in-person events.

As discourse surrounding basic income becomes mainstream, Rubacha stresses the need for linguistic clarity to distinguish the many nuances to various approaches to basic income programs.

“People use UBI [Universal Basic Income], which is an American import, as an umbrella term, but that’s not what many Canadian advocates are looking for,” Rubacha says.

Instead of a UBI, which would be given to every citizen and then taxed back from those who don’t need it, most Canadian experts are calling for a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) — a needs-based, means-tested income support program.

For advocates like Rubacha, a UBI model is not feasible for pandemic recovery for artists or others living on a low income, as it would be too slow and too expensive to implement.

“The problem with UBI is that it costs too much up-front,” explains Rubacha. “It’s going everywhere instead of where it’s most needed. Whereas a BIG is income-tested for people living in poverty and then it tapers off, much like the Canada Child Benefit.”

Since the tax system infrastructure already exists, tax-rate increases would not necessarily be required to fund a negative income tax-style Basic Income Guarantee program; in fact, a BIG could actually result in savings for the state.

“We’re currently spending billions of dollars on poverty every year, especially on health care and the criminal justice system,” says Rubacha. “All kinds of health problems are directly related to food insecurity, and so many people are criminalized because they’re living in poverty. Lifting people out of poverty frees up so much money that we’re currently wasting.”

“People want to work. In the Mincome [Manitoba] pilot project, the only demographics that saw a dip in workforce participation were mothers choosing to stay home with their kids and young people choosing to stay in school so they could get better jobs.”

“In the Ontario pilot project, we saw a lot of entrepreneurs,” Rubacha says, referring to the basic income pilot project announced by the previous Liberal government in 2017. The three-year pilot was cancelled prematurely by Doug Ford’s PC government in July 2018, a month after it was elected, citing the program’s high cost as one factor.

“The people who did leave their jobs actually went on to start new businesses and create even more jobs in their community,” she points out.

For artists who face unreliable incomes, a BIG would provide an income floor to help cover the costs of living, freeing their time and energy to create artwork on their own terms. It would give them leverage when faced with unsafe or underpaid work.

A BIG could put an end to the romanticized trope of the “starving artist”, an exploitative framework that currently sees cultural production — a massive economic driver — subsidized by the unpaid work of artists.

The arts and culture sector accounted for $56.02 billion of Canada’s total GDP in 2018. That’s twice as much as the forestry sector at $21.8 billion and nearly 10 times as much as sports at $5.9 billion.

“Artists have been living precariously for generations — we always have — and that’s not something I have a romantic, fuzzy feeling about at all,” says Kate Story, founder and artistic director of the Precarious festivals.

“I don’t create better when I’m miserable and I can’t eat or pay my rent,” continues Story. “Those periods in my life have not been conducive for creative output.”

As Rubacha so eloquently stated to close her testimony on the national stage, “If we continue to accept ourselves as starving artists, we will be doomed to try to create under those conditions.”

This story has been corrected to clarify the difference between Universal Basic Income and a Basic Income Guarantee.