Lionsgate Entertainment has secured a cool $8.9 million in Canadian government incentives to shoot a U.S. TV series in Edmonton. That’s a whopping 45% of its $20-million budget.

The unique deal was initiated by the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, which brought Lionsgate and the Alberta Film Commission to the table. The City of Edmonton kicked in $3.5 million in grants, and the province of Alberta ponied up $5.4 million. Officials are talking up the job opportunities.

‘A TV series like the Lionsgate production creates long-term, ongoing employment,’ says Ron Gilbertson, EEDC president and CEO. ‘While movies generate high-profile attention, they employ crews for a comparatively short period – several weeks or a couple of months.’

The 13 x 60 Lionsgate project will join the aboriginal TV series Mixed Blessings, shooting in the city until Aug. 10 for the Aboriginal People’s Television Network.

Mixed Blessings is a low-budget 6 x 30 comedy series set to air in November.

Producer Ron E. Scott laughs about the ‘other’ Edmonton series’ mega-budget, and points out that he’s making a series about ‘culturally diverse Canadian people.’

‘It’s a Ukranian plumber meets a Cree waitress,’ explains Scott. ‘Both are widowed. Both have kids. They fall in love. It’s set in the ultimate Alberta oil boomtown, Fort McMurray.’

Scott says the Telefilm Canada Spark Plug Program was ‘instrumental’ to developing Mixed Blessings. ‘I’m a Metis, and the program is for culturally diverse scripts,’ he says. ‘The program helps culturally diverse mid-level producers develop their series or their project and lets them become showrunners.’

Meanwhile, the Lionsgate series remains unnamed, and production details were unavailable at press time. In a release, the prodco hinted that the deal may extend past one year, stating that 13 hour-longs ‘per season’ will be ‘filmed both in-studio and throughout various locations in the city.’

Lionsgate has not yet said if the show is new to its slate, or if it will relocate one of its existing series – such as The Dresden Files, which shoots in Toronto.

The Santa Monica-based company also declined to name the broadcaster, saying an announcement would be made at a later date. However, Mark Manuel, EVP of structured finance, said: ‘We hope it is the first of many projects we can bring to the city and province.’

The Government of Alberta’s support for the production is part of a two-year pilot project that will help determine future changes to the current provincial funding model for film and television production.

The pilot project will also provide support for a second dramatic series, one with a high degree of Alberta ownership.

With files from James Careless