WHEREAS film and television production are growing economic sectors on Vancouver Island and in other regions throughout British Columbia, offering a high economic return, low environmental impact industry, consistent with British Columbias increasing attention to sustainable economic initiatives; AND WHEREAS promotion through qualified regional film commissions, key to growth and development in this sector, requires consistent, stable and adequate funding to maintain professional international standards for film commissions and commissioners, yet provincial requirements to qualify for and receive core operating funding are beyond the scope of current funding provided by the Province: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia be requested to provide annual core operating funding matching funds granted from municipal and regional governments.
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Regional Film Commissions are valuable partners in the BC Film Commissions ongoing efforts to showcase the entire province to its best competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Through the BC Film Commission, the provincial government provides 275,000 to Regional Film Commissions with a Regional Film Commission Assistance Program. In fiscal 200607 the program funding was increased for three years by 75,000 above the 200506 funding levels. The Regional Film Commission Assistance funding is used to assist regional film commissions in their efforts to build and showcase BCs inventory of locations and to provide local expertise and support to assist visiting productions. The current funding agreement expires on March 31st 2009. The BC Film Commission will be conducting a review of the Regional Film Commission Assistance Program before the end of the 200809 fiscal year. In order to ensure that provincial funding continues to encourage and support film production in communities around the province, the BC Film Commission will engage in consultation with regional film commissions, local governments and industry stakeholders. In addition to providing funding for regional film commissions, in fiscal 200809, the Province enhanced the existing basic Regional Tax Credits 12.5 and 6 with an additional Distant Location Regional Tax Credit of 6. This was done to further stimulate production in areas of the province outside the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, WhistlerSea to Sky, and Greater Victoria geographic areas.