Nearing the end of this month’s f&t dramas, it’s good to be Vancouver. It’s good to be one of the nine-odd new Canadian specialties. It’s not particularly pleasant being a mid-sized theatrical distribution company or a filmmaker attached to Canada-branded mows.

The long-anticipated tax credit for b.c. takes effect April 1. Film Incentive b.c. rebates up to 20% of eligible labor costs. Bonuses for training opportunities and projects that shoot outside Greater Vancouver.

The numbers are healthy: the base credit is 20% of labor costs (capped at 48% of total production budget). Based on the total budget, the base credit maxes out at 9.6%; the regional bonus pays up to 12.5% of labor and, for the total budget, maxes out at 6%. The training bonus pays up to 3% of labor and, for the total budget, caps at 1.4%. The bctc’s potential overall rebate is up to 17% of a production’s overall budget. Government is a good thing, at least for today. Think of how difficult establishing a tax credit is in Alberta which got 7% of the ctcpf this year.

Heritage Minister Sheila Copps working, alongside the industry, to entrench year two of the ctcpf is another reality check on the role of government and regulation in the midst of prevalent free market and convergence rhetoric.

As attractive as the global marketplace is, particularly to producers doing 80%-plus of their sales outside Canada and broadcasters seeking increased foreign investment percentages, it can be convenient to forget the need for government support which takes into account the inequities of Canada’s demographics and geography north of the American juggernaut.

Telefilm Canada policies re mows are managing to irk a segment of the production community, and the tweaking necessary to maximize the ctcpf’s effectiveness aren’t necessarily comfortable places, but it beats contemplating accommodating production loads that come with new licences (private and specialty) in the absence of the fund.

The state of the film industry and the cable distribution situation are examples of the potential fallout when the political powers that be don’t act deliberately in the best interests of the Canadian contingent.

You can’t go back to holding hands. Shape-shifting the feature film support infrastructure long after Blockbuster, Viacom and PolyGram are firmly entrenched north of the 49th is no small task and won’t be accomplished without a fight. A fight in which the North Americans and/or multinationals may well have the support of the World Trade Organization and ‘global legislation’ vis-a-vis the Multilateral Agreement on Investment. nafta and its cultural exemption clause isn’t the only game in town.

In the same vein, the horse is out of the barn on specialty channel distribution. As per Mr. Znaimer, 1999 is Never-Never-Land. This particular launch may be the last chance for Canadian licensees to develop a viable business, no matter how many of the 71 applications are greenlit in the next round.

But, schizophrenia. A pack of Canadian services and all they bring to the party are in the air. Toons, comics, Canadian history, Pests Week, watching other people do outdoor type things from the comfort of the couch. Cheers. Schizophrenia to be continued.