Season two of the hit television show, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent starring actress Karen Robinson, premiered on Thursday, February 20, and the Mail had the opportunity to catch up with Ms. Robinson ahead of the season premiere.
Ms. Robinson, who stars as Inspector Vivienne Holness in the hit crime drama, is known for many film and television roles and has longstanding connections to Drumheller.
“I feel extremely fortunate to get to do this for a living,” Ms. Robinson tells the Mail, adding her fellow cast members are a “dream team of people” to work with. “We have a lot of fun and learn from each other, though I think I learn more from them than they do from me–they’re so talented.”
Ms. Robinson was born in London, England and moved with her family to Jamaica shortly after her birth. She spent most of her adolescence in Jamaica before the family moved to the Drumheller Valley when she was a teen.
Ms. Robinson attended Drumheller Composite High School (DCHS) for her Grade 12 year. She took Drama as one of her elective classes that year, and while she enjoyed the class, she says auditioning for and landing the lead role in the school play left an indelible mark on her.
Not only was she the new girl in school, having recently immigrated from Jamaica, but she was also one of fewer than a handful of Black girls attending DCHS. She says she is grateful to have had the opportunity to star in the school play, adding she felt truly seen by staff during the auditions and appreciates the chance they took by giving her the lead role.
She fondly remembers at 17 years old signing her name on the wall as part of the graduating class and says, “I didn’t know (at the time) how big the dreams could possibly get.”
Touching upon her time starring as Ronnie Lee on Schitt’s Creek, Ms. Robinson says she is glad to have worked alongside fellow Canadian stars Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, who she says are “heroes” of hers.
“Eugene and Catherine taught me about generosity. They showed up on set kind, open, collaborative, funny, and focused on doing the best job they could,” she says.
Although Ms. Robinson now lives in Toronto, she still has connections to Drumheller as her brother, Marcel, still lives in the community. She shares her appreciation for the people of Drumheller who not only look out for Marcel but also make him feel at home in the community.
“Drumheller is home to him, and the people there make him feel at home,” she says.
She says getting to work on Law & Order Toronto has been a phenomenal experience. There is a sense of pride seeing where she now calls home on the screen, not just as a stand-in for American cities. While she enjoys the experience of filming in remote locations, there is a certain luxury to living and working in the same city and going home at the end of the filming day to sleep in her own bed and cook in her own kitchen.
“The creators (of Law & Order Toronto) knew Canada responded so strongly to the first season, so the pressure was on. We have great stories to tell in Canada…our stories matter, all our stories matter,” she says.
Season two of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent premiered on Thursday, February 20, and Ms. Robinson says filming for season three is already underway. Season two airs Thursdays at 10/9 Central on Citytv or stream it on Citytv+.

On February 22nd, 2025 at approximately 10:00 p.m., Drumheller RCMP officers were working in conjunction with Airdrie RCMP officers to locate and intercept a stolen white 2023 Tesla Model Y sport utility vehicle that was being tracked and was stolen from Cross Iron Mills Mall in Balzac earlier in the evening.
Officers believed the stolen vehicle to be on Highway 575 near Range Road 215 at the time.
While en route, Drumheller officers received a complaint of a vehicle on fire on Highway 575 near Range Road 215. Drumheller RCMP Officers and Carbon Fire Department attended the location and found a fully engulfed, abandoned, Tesla sport utility vehicle on the side of the road. Firefighters worked an extensive amount of time to extinguish/control the fire. Traffic was affected/re-directed during the response.
Drumheller RCMP advised that no suspects were located and believed the fire was intentionally set. RCMP are asking for anyone who may have been witness to this stolen vehicle being driven, abandoned, and/or set on fire to come forward.
If you have any information regarding this matter please contact Drumheller RCMP at 403.823.2630 or contact your local Police Service. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the "P3 Tips" app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.