As if a strong Canadian dollar, a potential Screen Actors Guild strike stateside and increased competition from U.S. tax-rebate states wasn’t a big enough challenge for the Canadian film and TV industry, the unfolding Wall Street crisis has added another unknown dimension, making it even trickier to predict production volume levels in upcoming months.

‘We are doing well in a difficult time for the industry,’ says B.C. film commissioner Susan Croome. ‘There is a lot of uncertainty out there with the American actor issue and the bank and world market troubles. We don’t know what the effect will be.’

Croome notes that the number of TV shows shooting in Vancouver – both domestic and foreign – is substantially lower than last year.

So far this year, nine TV series have shot in B.C., as compared to 16 at this point in 2007.

Croome suggests a wide number of factors could be the cause: from the long-term effect of the Writers Guild of America strike, which resulted in some shows being cancelled early, as well as less drama on American TV this summer due to Olympics and election coverage.

On the domestic side, several Canadian series that shot in Vancouver last year – including jPod, Robson Arms and Intelligence – were cancelled.

‘The dollar makes competing in an already competitive environment even tougher,’ says Croome. ‘We have seen shows choose to go to Michigan and other tax-incentive states in the U.S.’

However, Croome says American producers have told her that shooting in these new jurisdictions isn’t necessarily worth the savings. In particular, they note that bringing in crew from other cities who have never worked together before has caused difficulties.

‘They say our crews are very efficient and reliable because they have worked numerous times as a team,’ explains Croome. ‘This, combined with our studios and infrastructure, and the fact that this is a very livable city to put up cast and crew, helps us stay competitive. So while we may not always be the least expensive place to shoot, we are providing the best value for a producer’s dollar.’

American TV series currently in production in Vancouver include Sci-Fi Channel’s Eureka, USA Network’s Psych, CBS’ Harper’s Island and The CW’s Reaper, Supernatural and Smallville. Season two of Logo/Showcase’s Exes & Ohs starts mid-October.

And while several domestic series were not renewed, other Vancouver-based shows are taking their place. Sanctuary, a 13 x 60 science fiction series for The Movie Network/Movie Central in Canada, Sci-Fi in the U.S., and ITV in the U.K., recently wrapped production with an all-Canadian cast, crew and creative team.

Produced by Stargate alumni Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping and Martin Wood, the 10-out-of-10 Cancon show is breaking new ground. It began as a web series, garnered online buzz, and was then picked up by broadcasters, making it the first made-for-the-web program to cross over to TV. It’s also one of the first series to shoot using the ultra high-resolution Red One camera. Another innovation: up to 80% of each episode is shot using green-screen technology to create elaborate virtual sets.

In addition to broadcast sales and tax credits, Sanctuary is financed by the Beedie Group, a Vancouver-based real estate and construction company.

‘Our budget is far lower than a Stargate but higher than your average Canadian production,’ points out Kindler. Although he won’t reveal the exact figure, it is estimated to be in the $1.5-million per episode range.

‘In fact, the president of the Sci-Fi Channel says that what we have achieved with our budget is astonishing,’ adds Kindler. ‘The special effects are mind-blowing – what you would expect to see in a $100-million feature will be showing up weekly on a TV series.’

Vancouver is busy with monster-size movies such as Roland Emmerich’s (Independence Day) $200-million Farewell Atlantis, starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. Other big-budget movies shooting include Warner Bros.’ Cats & Dogs 2, starring Chris O’Donnell, and the Fox comedy Tooth Fairy, with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (The Game Plan) and Ashley Judd. Also in production is psychological thriller The Tortured, starring Erika Christensen (Six Degrees), Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives) and Bill Moseley (Halloween).

However, the impact of the ongoing SAG troubles is being felt on the feature front. Small pictures are going ahead because they know they can wrap before any potential strike takes place, says Croome. And large movies with a long prep time are starting because they estimate that they will still be in the construction phase if there is an actors strike.

‘But pictures in the $10-million to $20-million range – without a long prep and a mid-sized number of shoot days – are in a more precarious position and are choosing to wait it out,’ says Croome.

Saskatchewan is on track to meet last year’s volume of production, according to SaskFilm CEO Susanne Bell.

‘Inquiries have really picked up in the last month for service features,’ she says. ‘I am receiving a lot more winter-specific inquires from Americans.’

Bell says Saskatchewan remains competitive.

‘It is a cost-effective place to shoot and you can get a lot of value on screen here,’ she points out. ‘Our studios have an excellent reputation and are very competitive in terms of price.’

However, she admits the fallout from the American economic crisis may have an impact.

‘A lot of the films we do are financed by private equity investors,’ she says.

Regina’s Minds Eye Entertainment shot three movies this past spring/summer: Grace, with L.A.’s Leomax Entertainment; The Shortcut, with Leomax and Scary Madison (Adam Sandler’s production arm); and Dolan’s Cadillac, starring Christian Slater (Bobby), with L.A.’s Film Bridge International.

Up next for Minds Eye is Lullaby for Pi, which begins prep in November. The $9.2-million love story is a France/Canada treaty copro with Forecast Pictures of Paris under French director Benoit Philippon.

Regina-based Stephen Onda Productions has two movies it expects to shoot in February and March in Regina – one is a U.K./Canada copro and the second is a U.S./Canada co-venture.

On the domestic TV front, series that shot this summer in Saskatchewan include the final season of CTV’s Corner Gas, APTN’s Rabbit Fall, the APTN/SCN series Wapos Bay and parts of CBC’s Little Mosque on the Prairie.

Alberta film commissioner Jeff Brinton is also fielding lots of scouting calls.

‘We have eight projects pending for the fall and winter, two of which are foreign,’ says Brinton. ‘Inquiries are way up, both domestic and foreign.’

However, he notes that overall production volume in the province is down by about 10% from last year.

The key problem is that the Alberta Film Development Program grant system is not competitive when it comes to attracting big-budget features and series, because of the per project funding caps.

However, Minister of Culture Lindsay Blackett says he is committed to having a new program – ideally a tax credit – in place as early as April to ensure the province’s industry can attract more production. In the meantime, the Alberta Film Development Program’s funding has been increased to $34 million for this year, an increase of $14 million.

Alberta’s in-production list includes the TV movie When Calls the Heart, with Edmonton company Jordan Films, and the Lifetime movie High Noon, which shoots in Calgary.

Calgary-based Nomadic Pictures’ feature The Last Rites of Ransom Pride, starring Scott Speedman and coproduced with Lock and Load Pictures of Texas, wraps Oct. 14.

The CBC series The Wild Roses is in production in Calgary, as is season two of Heartland. And NBC’s big-budget horror anthology series Fear Itself, produced by Lionsgate Entertainment, which shot last winter/spring in Edmonton, is expected to return for another season.

Manitoba had a dry summer with no dramas shooting.

‘It was slower than normal,’ admits Manitoba Film and Sound CEO Carole Vivier, who blames the combination of the SAG issue, the high dollar and U.S. tax incentives for the slowdown.

‘We just aren’t as competitive on the bigger-budget U.S. shows,’ she says.

Vivier also suggests that Americans pushed a lot of production through the pipleine last winter before the SAG strike deadline.

But activity is picking up in Winnipeg, with the Lifetime MOW The Taking of Anne currently shooting with Two Lagoons Productions. Inspired by the true story of a kidnapped teen, the film stars Kelli Garner (Lars and the Real Girl) and Vivica A. Fox (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and is directed by Winnipegger Gary Yates (Niagara Motel).

Winnipeg’s Original Pictures just wrapped the CBC pilot Throwing Stones, while a second season of the Citytv series Less Than Kind from Winnipeg’s Buffalo Gal Pictures and Toronto’s Breakthrough Films & Television begins shooting after Christmas.