Province looks to grease the wheels for content seen at ‘a movie theater or on a BlackBerry’

Ottawa and the provincial government are putting $2.5 million into the Manitoba film industry in a bid to bolster competitiveness

Dust off that pile of screenplays. The Ontario government is introducing a new fund that will rebate development costs for content creators in the film, television and digital media sector. As with the current labor- and production-based tax credit in the province, the new rebate will be administered by the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

Throughout September and October, a road show of sorts has been crossing the country. Though it offered up less flash than a U2 tour (and probably sold fewer T-shirts), the CTF’s 18-date CMF Industry Consultation tour nevertheless drew crowds of stakeholders. Here’s how things panned out in three regional centers.

‘The federal tax credit is laughable,’ says Arnie Gelbart, founder and president of Galafilm. The Montreal company has produced such features as Thom Fitzgerald’s The Hanging Garden and Lea Poole’s The Blue Butterfly as well as several major TV documentary series including The Great War and The Valour and the Horror.

Ontario is again tinkering with its tax credit for video game developers, proposing a 35% break for companies that rack up at least $1 million in labor expenses per year. The proposed changes, part of a fall economic outlook tabled by Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, fall under the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit which was reworked earlier this year – granting breaks of 35% and 40%, respectively, for service companies and those that develop their own products.

Ontario is spending another $605,000 to spur video game development and production. The provincial government is steering the dollars towards producers through three new training programs at Interactive Ontario, a not-for-profit trade group.

Province introducing stimulus for screen-based content

Former Telefilm exec has been confirmed as the new top man of the Quebec funding agency

Year-end numbers from Telefilm show dwindling market share in Quebec. English movies up 0.1%