Leading the Fight to Keep Canada on our Screens

Marie Kelly
ACTRA National Executive Director

Canada’s film and television industry is making a big impact on-screen and behind-the-scenes. Productions made here are delivering world-class entertainment while breaking economic records, employing thousands of cast and crew, and boosting businesses and communities. From coast-to-coast, here’s what production is looking like in 2022.

Starting on the Atlantic coast, Newfoundland is in the midst of an amazing production year with feature films and multiple series such as Hudson and Rex, Son of a Critch and Surrealestate. This year they entered their first venture into the world of movies-of-the-week (MOWs) with four produced in 2022 and 10 more planned for 2023. It’s all romances and thrillers on the horizon.

These last two years have also been banner production years for ACTRA Maritimes. This past spring, the provincial government announced an $8 million investment in Screen Nova Scotia’s sound stage project along with an additional $15 million over five years for the Content Creator Fund. There are several independent feature films and series in production including season three of Moonshine and the new series Sullivan’s Crossing. Disney’s Washington Black filmed the bulk of the limited series and the CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes was back for its 30^th season. Prince Edward Island’s provincial government announced an expansion of its production incentive, which places the province at a new competitive level with other regions in Canada. Season four of Diggstown was shot in PEI and more productions are coming.  

With over 30 MOWs this year, ACTRA Ottawa is experiencing an all-time high for the branch. Standing in for cities like New York and Philadelphia, from All I Didn’t Want For Christmas, Mistletoe Time Machine, Holiday Heritage, A Christmas Fumble, to the Great Holiday Bake War – these shows are airing now on streaming services and channels including Hallmark, discovery+, W Network and the Oprah Winfrey Network. The Ottawa Film Office reported that local production employed hundreds of people and contributed $28.5 million to the local economy. In addition to the high volume of production in the region, the branch has seen an increase in locally initiated indie productions under ACTRA’s low-budget MIP and AIP agreements.

ACTRA Montreal started the year off with a bang with Disney’s movie of the week The Naughty Nine and Netflix’s series The Recruit carrying over until March. The trend continued into the summer with season two of Ghosts and the U.S. feature film Scream 6. Recently, the branch has been experiencing an unexpected boom in Canadian series such as Pixcom’s Wong and Winchester, KOTV’s Plan B and various videogame projects.

ACTRA Toronto is experiencing the return of many popular television series for subsequent seasons, including the CBC shows Sort Of and Workin’ Moms and Bell Media’s Letterkenny. There have also been record volumes of new producers creating work opportunities for members under the Low Budget Guidelines. Film and television production is rising at an extraordinary rate, providing high-quality job opportunities with new film studios opening across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. In March, Toronto Mayor John Tory praised the city’s screen industry for experiencing historic momentum and expansion in 2021: “More than $2.5 billion in direct spending is a huge achievement and a testament to the strength of this sector. We have seen expansive growth and jobs over the past few years, and along with the continued investments we have made in the infrastructure and workforce I am confident that the growth will continue for years ahead.”

WestJet now has direct flights between Winnipeg and Hollywood, due to Manitoba’s production scene taking off in the last couple of years. New this year, E-One began producing the series The Spencer Sisters and Universal is distributing the locally produced Violent Night. With multiple series, including web series and animation, features and MOWs, ACTRA Manitoba recently relocated their office to a more accessible and efficient workspace to accommodate the increased production.

Thanks to the recent increase of provincial funding for film and television production in Saskatchewan – from $2 million up to $17.5 million in just one year – production is returning to the province. During the bad-old-days in 2013, the provincial government ripped away film and television tax credits. The short-sighted and destructive decision had devastating consequences for our members as it almost completely wiped-out production. This year we’re thrilled to see a new six-episode television series, an MOW and a short film being shot there. Production is expected to be further spurred by the building of the new LED Volume Stage for the series King of Killers set to start production in 2023. According to Creative Saskatchewan CEO Erin Dean, “An investment of this calibre is estimated to result in approximately $32 million in economic activity for Saskatchewan.”

Representing more than $200 million in revenue, Alberta towns Okotoks, High River and Fort Macleod were converted into post-apocalyptic, mutant-filled wastelands during the 11-month production of the HBO series, The Last of Us. Based on the video game with the same name, it is perhaps one of the most expensive series ever to be shot in Canada. Says Calgary film commissioner Luke Azevedo, “The series has been a windfall for Alberta communities”. Also being shot in Alberta are the series’ Ride, My Life with the Walter Boys and Tegan & Sara’s High School. CBC’s Heartland has galloped into it’s 16^th Season.

British Columbia shows no signs of slowing down with well over 60 productions currently filming, such as popular shows The Good Doctor, When Calls the Heart, Riverdale and The Flash. British Columbia’s film and TV production industry hit an all-time record of $4.8 billion in direct spending in the provincial economy in 2021, and in 2022 there is no sign of production slowing down.

Our new golden era of production is being recognized here and around the globe as a multi-billion-dollar screen industry. Part of what has been driving the production boom has been the demand for quality screen entertainment following the pandemic-related pauses. Increased provincial government support and private investments create increased work opportunities for everyone. These new victories reinforce the important role our film and television industry play in terms of financially boosting Canada’s economy.

For those of you who have been following ACTRA’s mission to Keep Canada on our Screens, we are also entering a new era for Canadian storytelling that needs the full attention of our ACTRA membership. While ACTRA welcomes foreign production investment, on the federal level we cannot lose sight of the current threat to Canadian storytelling.

At the time of writing, the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications is discussing amendments to the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11). Senators have a daunting task ahead of them as they consider almost 100 amendments to the Bill – more if Senators introduce changes during their meetings.

Time is running out to get this Bill passed this year. In all likelihood, Bill C-11 won’t receive Royal Assent (the last stage in the legislative process) until early next year.

But ACTRA has good reason to be proud of the work we have done on this file. We have been working tirelessly through government channels, alongside industry partners and with performers for many months to help modernize the Broadcasting Act. We remain supporters of this legislation, which while note perfect, represents a once-in-a-generation moment to update the Act.

We recently learned an amendment will be introduced by one of the Senators to correct the exclusion of online undertakings from the Status of the Artist Act. This represents an important amendment that is a testament to ACTRA’s efforts to protect our existing balance of rights and protections. Canadian creators. We have been leading the charge with government to have this amendment made and it appears the government has heard us and been responsive to our concerns.

There is still much work to be done, including our ongoing effort to remove a section of the Bill that weakens the requirement for broadcasters to use Canadian talent. The Bill currently creates two classes of broadcasters – Canadian broadcasting undertakings and foreign online undertakings – and places different requirements on them. Our concern is that this two-tier approach significantly reduces the requirement for foreign online undertakings to use Canadian creative talent. We continue to raise this issue and are urging Senators to strengthen Bill C-11 by maximizing the use of Canadian talent.

As the legislation moves towards Royal Assent, we will continue working alongside Canada’s screen industry stakeholders. The updated Broadcasting Act must ensure we see ourselves reflected on our screens – or our culture and identity may be lost. But let’s take a moment to be proud of the impact our union has had on a very significant change in the Bill.

As members of the strongest cultural union in Canada, for almost 80 years ACTRA members have fought to protect the ability of performers to make a living and build a career in Canada. We have survived and thrived because of you – our talented, committed and much sought-after performers. It’s also thanks to ACTRA’s collective agreements, public policy work and member solidarity, that we will continue to lead and win this fight. 

Please stay active with your union. Keep informed by reading your E-newsletters and bulletins, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and visit actra.ca.

In solidarity,
Marie Kelly