The government of British Columbia has provided a boost to its creative sector with a three-year investment of $42 million across the province’s motion picture, digital media, music and publishing industries.

The investment was announced Wednesday (April 19), during the province’s Creative Industries Week, and was described as “the largest-ever single investment in the creative sector,” in a statement from Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham.

Of the $42 million committed, $15.9 will be allocated to “support B.C.’s domestic motion picture productions, workforce and creators.” Within that, $900,000 will go to programs dedicated to “developing workers skills, recruiting more workers from underrepresented groups, and supporting practices that are environmentally-friendly,” according to a news release.

Another $3 million will go toward “a new program to support innovation and growth for independent B.C.-owned interactive digital media companies.”

The funds will be distributed by Creative BC. Details on how they will be allocated were not available as of press time.

A large portion of the investment – $22.5 million – has been committed to the Amplify BC program, to help the province’s music industry. Another $600,000 will go toward the publishing industry’s supply chain challenges.

“We know the pandemic has been especially hard on the people in this area and that not every business has fully recovered,” said Minister Popham. “We want to help them recover, move forward with success and strength, and continue to create the content we all love.”

Creative BC CEO Prem Gill said the “multi-year strategic funding could not come at a better time to help elevate the province’s creative sector.”

“With this crucial investment, independent producers can focus on entrepreneurial activities with greater impact: supporting diverse workforce development, advancing sustainable production practices, and leveraging increased federal and international financing to B.C.-owned projects,” added Tracey Friesen, managing VP of the Canadian Media Producers Association’s BC Producers Branch.

Image: Unsplash