THE province's 36,000 film workers can count on busier schedules if the New Democrats are elected and the party implements a new tax-credit regime for film work, the party announced Tuesday.
NDP leader Adrian Dix, flanked by industry members, announced the election platform piece in Vancouver on Tuesday.
If elected, Dix's party is pledging to increase tax credits to 40 per cent of labour costs for both foreign and domestic productions shot in B.C., up from the current 33 per cent for foreign and 35 per cent for domestic.
The move is designed to woo back film productions that have been fleeing to Ontario and Quebec where tax credits have been more robust in recent years.
The announcement is welcomed by North Shore studios president Peter Leitch.
"We're very appreciative of it. We think it's going to put people back to work that might not otherwise get back to work and we can continue to build on the industry and what we've got here," he said.
"We just need to get a little bit closer in the tax credits. We weren't trying to match Ontario or Quebec. We just wanted to get closer because we know we have other competitive advantages."
Those advantages include an established talent base, film infrastructure and shooting locations that make shooting in the province attractive, Leitch said.
"It's already resonated well in Los Angeles. Word spreads quickly," he said.
While the industry is gleeful at the news, it's not quite an endorsement of the NDP, Leitch clarified.
"We're very supportive of whatever we think is good policy with respect to our industry. We want to be responsible and we think this is a responsible reaction and the way to go to be competitive," he said. "We continue to talk to the government in power and get the Liberal side of things. I think they understand the value of the industry."
The B.C. Liberals have warned that giving more generous tax credits would result in too great a loss of revenues to the Crown. The B.C. Liberals announced the creation of Creative B.C. to promote the industry earlier this year.
North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP challenger Craig Keating has high hopes for what the tax credits could mean for the various studios, talent and equipment agencies that serve film predictions, many of which are North Shore-based.
"It may not go far enough in terms of some, but absolutely it's a good news story for everybody in the industry," he said. "Be it producers, be it agents, be it actors, be it anybody in the industry, they're very enthused about this and they see it a positive step in the right direction."
