Lead by Film London, the Film Incentive Coalition of Ontario is a consortium of municipalities, regions, and industry professionals working to grow the film and television industry by advocating for additional regional tax credits.
THE HISTORY
Studies connecting film production with economic growth and job creation are abundant, with Ontario Creates and the Motion Picture Association of Canada being amongst the most prolific. Businesses such as hotels, restaurants, gift shops, vendors, etc. all see the impact of visiting productions. As well as revenue for businesses, film & television productions create jobs for local artists and tradespeople, such as crew, stagehands, performers, musicians, make-up artists, sound designers, prop-makers, editors, VFX artists, animators, and more. Additionally, filming can drive tourism in communities that have hosted popular film & TV titles. Sources like Travel Courier and Champion Traveler report that film-tourism can generate growth up to 31%.
THE BARRIERS
Despite being home to a diverse landscape of film-friendly communities, financial incentives tether Ontario’s film & television industry to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). While Canadian-owned projects that film outside of Toronto can apply for the 10% Regional Bonus offered by the Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit (OFTTC), productions are inclined to stay within the designated “production zones” surrounding Toronto to avoid supplementary personnel costs and travel expenses.
Furthermore, the OFTTC is only available to domestically-owned productions, despite the fact that foreign-owned projects, many of which hire Ontario-based Service Production Companies, account for a majority of Ontario’s film & television industry revenue (60% in 2022). By not allowing Service Production companies to be eligible for the Regional Bonus, the province provides no financial incentive for foreign-based projects to film outside of the “production zones,“ restricting Ontario‘s biggest market to just the GTA.
THE SOLUTION
FICO will advocate for additional government incentives, like those being offered in other provinces, that will help make regional communities viable filming options.
