New film and TV studio to be built in Toronto, Canada

Real estate company Hackman Capital Partners is planning to build a major film and TV production studio complex at the Downsview Airport Lands in northwest Toronto.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), one of Canada's largest pension investment managers, and HCP for a long-term ground lease to build the studios.

Located in the North York district of Toronto, the site spans about 370 acres and will include sound stages ranging from 20,000 square feet to 80,000 square feet.

Conveniently, it is surrounded by world-class research and innovation centers and benefits from proximity and connectivity to public transportation and highways. 

"We are proud to continue our partnership with PSP Investments as we expand our Canadian footprint; this new state-of-the-art film and television production facility will create thousands of new direct and indirect jobs through an investment of approximately CAD$200M," said Michael Hackman, CEO of Hackman Capital Partners.

"Subject to approval by City officials, our long-term plan envisions more than 1 million square feet of production and support space, with soundstages ranging from 20,000 sq ft to 80,000 sq ft, with the goal of creating jobs and bolstering local and inward creative sector investment while reaffirming the city's stature as one of the world's leading destinations for film and television production."

PSP formed a joint venture in 2019 with HCP, Square Mile Capital Management, USAA and Teacher Retirement System of Texas for an investment in Amazon Studios' new HCP-developed campus in Culver City, California and The MBS Media Campus in Manhattan Beach, California. The partnership also acquired a minority stake in Television City Studios in Los Angeles and invested in The MBS Group, the largest studio-based equipment and production vendor in North America and the United Kingdom.