One man’s poison can be another man’s tonic. And so it goes in the business of producing film and television in Canada, where one province’s shortcomings have proven to be another territory’s advantage.

The film and television industry in b.c., through no malintent, is reaping the benefits of some inopportune moments in the recent history of Ontario and Quebec’s production business, building on an already thriving West Coast industry and defying, for now, an increasingly strong Canadian dollar which threatens some of the substantial service production in-province (reportedly, about 80% of b.c.’s overall production).

The summertime freeze on Ontario’s provincial funding agency, and the late-summer threat of an actra strike in Ontario and Quebec, although now resolved, have meant more demand on b.c. to take up the slack.

Word is Ontario producers are bankrolling one fine dining experience after another in an effort to woo their Western counterparts. One producer from Ontario says she heard quite bluntly from Wayne Sterloff, head of British Columbia Film, that if Ontario producers think they can just move in while it is convenient, they are mistaken.

Yet the need to find a home for displaced projects means more than just idle chat continues to take place between Ontario and b.c. producers.

Things are looking up on the distribution front as well, with TSC Film moving along nicely in its first year of operation, with investment in well over a dozen films.

Also, there are signs that a b.c. film investment program may get the go-ahead later this year, thanks to ongoing lobby efforts by the Canadian Film and Television Production Association.

The good news persists in spite of an increasingly difficult national environment for production and some persistent in-province problems.

While the futures of Telefilm Canada, the cbc and the National Film Board are being measured by a review triumvirate appointed by the government, producers fear the worst: less public money to subsidize Canadian film and television projects. Their fears, while not confirmed until later this fall, are given credence throughout the industry and by way of the overall fiscal climate.

Also, the terms of the impending tax credit are still being settled in Ottawa government offices, leaving certain issues of financing both domestic and coventure productions up in the air and some productions in a vulnerable position.

Finally, b.c.’s version of the labor disputes that affected production in Ontario and Quebec this fall continues to scare off producers from south of the border.

Nonetheless, it’s a booming year on the West Coast, with a hefty fall lineup on the slates and promises of many more features, series, animation and documentaries – both indigenous and foreign – to come.