British Columbia, the home of blockbuster movie shoots such as 鈥淒eadpool 2鈥� and 鈥淪tar Trek Beyond,鈥� has surpassed Ontario as Canada鈥檚 top locale for film and television production for the first time.
A new report by the Canadian Media Producers Association says the 2016-2017 fiscal year was strong for Canada overall, with production volume in the country reaching an all-time high of $8.38 billion.
B.C. has always been in the top three provinces for film and TV shoots, but the report says last year its production volume hit $2.991 billion, just ahead of Ontario with $2.977 billion. Quebec, with its thriving French-language industry, placed third with $1.754 billion.
Robert Wong, vice president of Creative BC, the provincial agency that supports the artistic sector, said increased global demand for content and the recognition that B.C. is a world-class production centre are driving the growth.
He said streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, are the single biggest driver. Netflix鈥檚 鈥淎 Series of Unfortunate Events鈥� and 鈥淎ltered Carbon,鈥� premiering Friday, were shot in the province.
鈥淏lockbuster movies, we do get our fair share of them in British Columbia, that鈥檚 for sure, but really what we are known for is television production,鈥� Wong said.
鈥淭he amount of television production is really where the growth is and that includes the streaming service-type productions.鈥�
The report says the film and television industries generated 24,120 direct full-time jobs in B.C. 鈥� only 40 more than Ontario 鈥� while it created 14,540 such jobs in Quebec.
鈥淪tar Trek Beyond鈥� alone employed more than 3,900 British Columbians and contributed $69 million to the provincial economy during 78 days of shooting, the report adds.
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Film and television productions in B.C. receive a 28 per cent tax credit for labour costs. The credit was reduced five points from 33 per cent by the previous provincial Liberal government in 2016.
Wong said a stable and reliable tax policy is key to the success of the industry, but it鈥檚 also coupled with an abundance of talent, crews and variety of locations in B.C.
鈥淭he one thing that you can鈥檛 legislate is basically proximity to Los Angeles,鈥� he added. 鈥淏eing in the same time zone and two and a half hours away by flight does make a big difference.鈥�
The report does sound a note of caution about the surge in demand for content and the abundance of foreign productions in Canada. Though the country has policies to support local content, capturing more than three per cent of domestic box office for Canadian films remains elusive, it says.
鈥淲ith record growth across much of Canada鈥檚 production sector, there is much to celebrate this year, including the creation of jobs and a significant contribution to the country鈥檚 economy,鈥� said Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO of the association in a statement.
鈥淏ut, among these big numbers are some emerging trends that require attention. As our industry continues to adapt to evolving technologies and changing consumer behaviours, we must ensure that growth benefits our entire sector, including productions that showcase Canadian stories for audiences at home and around the world.鈥�
Laura Kane, The Canadian Press
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