Film industry insiders say tax breaks in Ontario and Quebec have producers yelling "CUT!" in B.C. and taking their projects east.
At the Brightlight Pictures film lot in Burnaby, local film professionals and members of the NDP banded together on Saturday to call for better incentives.
Producer Shawn Williamson says his new film, an untitled cancer comedy starring Vancouver-born Seth Rogen, may not continue production in B.C. if the province doesn't get more competitive.
While B.C. and Ontario offer the same 35 per cent basic labour expenditure tax credit, that's where the bulk of benefits end for projects in the Pacific Province.
But in Ontario productions can also write off studio rentals, sound equipment and more – and the difference could be a deal breaker.
"You'll likely see a movement of employees back to Ontario," Williamson said. "You will see an erosion over the long term of the infrastructure, the studios, the small businesses that have come up."
Four feature films and a TV series have recently opted to shoot in Ontario instead of B.C., Williamson said, which amounts to roughly 500 jobs.
NDP arts and culture critic Spencer Herbert says the province has to step up it's game fast if it wants to maintain it's billion-dollar film industry.
"We've lost about $200-million in recent months because our government hasn't taken action," Herbert said.
The NDP has proposed enhancing the Digital Animation credit to include video games and new media, providing bonuses for pilots and new TV series shot in B.C., and to help local filmmakers retain ownership of their work.
A government staffer for Finance Minister Colin Hansen said the Liberals were committed to finding solutions -- but they would not be matching the Ontario's tax credits.
In the mean time Hollywood North, and the mass of annual revenue it generates, remains split down the centre.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid
