On-location filming in Toronto by the NBC Universal studio is picking up, fueled by five TV series supported by Ontario’s all-spend 25% tax credit.

The American TV shows – including the latest cycles of Alphas, Covert Affairs and Warehouse 13 (pictured) and the Defiance pilot – underline Ontario’s case for continuing to offer generous film tax credits as rival locales in North America reduce or scrap their own.

And Toronto’s gain is apparently Vancouver’s loss, as production continues to slow in British Columbia due to the province’s tax credit program and the pending elimination of the HST tax.

A few years ago, a slate of SyFy series like Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Eureka and Sanctuary were shot in Vancouver, as were NBC dramas like Bionic Woman.

Currently, the west coast city has only one NBCU series in production, the first season of Fairly Legal, the legal dramedy for USA Networks shooting to March 21.

NBCU series on their way to Toronto include the second season of Suits for USA Networks – the first season of the legal drama was also shot there – the second cycle of Alphas, to shoot from mid-March and the third season of Covert Affairs, set for a March to October 2012 shoot.

SyFy’s Warehouse 13, now in its fourth season, has always shot in Toronto, and NBCU is bringing to Toronto the Syfy video game-linked pilot shoot for Defiance, to shoot in April.