While awaiting the Ontario provincial mini-budget, the ofdc is investigating alternatives for funding and operative measures that will be effective despite a possible reduced allocation.

ofdc head Alexandra Raffe says it is not a Premier Mike Harris directive, but she and her staff are nonetheless exploring the benefits to the private and public sectors should, for example, ofip be turned into a tax credit.

With the introduction of the federal tax credit this year, Ontario coffers will be saving some of the $15 million to $25 million the shelter system has cost them in the past. Raffe wants to know whether turning the savings over to a credit would be a viable option.

In the meantime, the ofdc is also developing a handbook for low-budget filmmaking and, as Raffe says, ‘exploring everything from nuts to soup.’