British Columbia reduces filming incentive

Vancouver is a major production hub in western Canada due to a combination of British Columbia’s generous filming incentive support, experienced crews and world-class studio facilities, as well as the city’s proximity to Los Angeles.

The provincial government and production facilities including Vancouver Film Studios and North Shore Studios in fact consulted with their Hollywood contacts before making the change to the tax credit.

“Our objective here was to work with the industry to arrive at a reasonable place that recognizes the importance of the film-television production sector to BC, recognising the tens of thousands of jobs associated with the sector, but is fair to other sectors of the economy,” said Mike de Jong, British Columbia’s finance minister.

Vancouver's limited studio space is perhaps more of a challenge for British Columbia right now. Filming figures soared last year, partly as a result of the superhero action movie Deadpool (pictured), but production demand has become so high that shoots are increasingly having to convert existing warehouses and industrial buildings.

British Columbia also offers a 17.5% tax credit for visual effects work, which has helped turn Vancouver into a major North American post-production hub, as well as a centre for location filming.

For more on filming in British Columbia see our production guide.

Image: Joe Lederer / Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation