In 2015/2016, the Northern Ontario film industry contributed an estimated 1,530 full-time equivalent jobs and more than $100 million in total gross domestic product, according to a new OMDC report.

Sudbury-based non-profit Music & Film In Motion released “An Assessment of Northern Ontario’s Film & Television Production Infrastructure,” funded by the OMDC, last week. The report found that 36 film and television projects filmed in Northern Ontario in 2015, with an estimated production value of $55 million. All told, another 28 productions shot in the region in 2016, up from just one project in 2001.

The report attributes the growth to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation’s (NOHFC) film funding program, launched in 2005, which initially provided 50% of eligible costs, up to $1 million, with half of the funding in the form of a repayable loan. Today the NOHFC provides 50% of costs, up to $1 million, as a grant, which must be spent on local crew and services. In 2015/2016, 34 productions were drawn to the region because of NOHFC funding, according to the report. It also found that the NOHFC funding program tends to attract smaller-budget productions (under $3 million).

The five major centres of production in the region are Sudbury, which saw 15 productions in 2016; Sault Ste. Marie (2); North Bay (7); Thunder Bay (2) and Parry Sound (2). Notable productions that have filmed in the region include Andrew Cividino’s Sleeping Giant,  Atom Egoyan’s Remember, CraveTV series Letterkenny, and CTV’s Cardinal. 

According to the report, there are more than 600 crew members available in Northern Ontario, spread out across divisions.

While the region has seen considerable growth – including the launch of the digital cinematography program at North Bay’s Canadore College in 2012 and the opening of the Muskoka North Film Studios in Parry Sound District in 2013 – the report identified several challenges facing the industry.

First and foremost, it identified a lack of access to equipment in the region, particularly for productions with micro and very low budgets. “Unless a filmmaker has trusted contacts, who are willing to lend or share their equipment, the only alternatives are to rent from an equipment house in Toronto and travel or ship to Northern Ontario, to borrow from an existing Northern Ontario film school…or to own your own equipment, which is not always affordable when considering the combined costs of camera, sound, grip and lighting packages,” the report states.

While William F. Whites has a branch outlet and PS Production Services has a presence in Northern Ontario, inventory is stretched, according to those surveyed for the reports.

Training was also identified as a challenge, with the report finding there aren’t enough regular training opportunities or pathways to certification for specialized trades.

Read the full report here.