Canadian content creators need to more access to capital to help the country compete on the worldwide digital stage. That was one of the messages that rang out loud and clear at the recent OMDC Digital Dialogue conference, held in Toronto.

The OMDC is in the process of preparing its recommendations to Industry Canada’s public consultation on a digital economic strategy for Canada, and the conference’s aim was to help inform the government body’s submission.

‘We need to update systems so we can take Canada to the world and make them a success story,’ said John Barrack, COO of the newly named Canadian Media Producers Association, also stressing the importance of fostering the country’s talent pool. ‘We have to close the digital divide [and] educate the next generation because if we don’t, they’ll be left behind.’

Barrack was one of several participants in the panel Canada’s National Digital Strategy to discuss issues for the province to consider.

His thoughts were echoed by marblemedia co-founder and Interactive Ontario chair Mark Bishop, who noted that access to talent is key within the system.

‘We need to have a dialogue with the educational institutions and work on attracting talent to keep them working in the interactive content space in Ontario and Canada,’ he said.

Bishop added that the province needs to open up interactive-related tax credits, which are currently too exclusionary. He uses the example of webisodes, which sit outside the funding mechanisms currently set in place, as they don’t qualify for film, TV or new media.

Access to capital was a sentiment strongly echoed by several of the panelists, including Michael Carter. The president of the Computer Animation Studios of Ontario feels that such access will help expand studios and invent new technologies which will help put Canada on the map. ‘There’s no fiscal way of transferring information back and forth, and VFX studios are going gangbusters,’ he said. ‘We need to come up with new capacity building infrastructures.’

Niel Hiscox, VP of media for CLB Media, also reminded attendees that the growing digital universe will not destroy current media and that there will be a way for them to co-exist.

‘TV did not make radio extinct. We should be prepared to support this multi-channel universe without a bias,’ he said. ‘Audiences are not an ‘either or.’ People are information super users. We have to be able to track the best and brightest,’ he said.