Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Film And Television Industry In B.C.
MLA Statements

Today I would like to talk about an important industry in my community — the film industry. Last Saturday I attended the 2007 Hollywood China Film Festival, which was held in Vancouver before touring Los Angeles. Metro Vancouver has become Hollywood North.

British Columbia is the third-largest film production centre in North America, following Los Angeles and New York. Burnaby is home to two-thirds of the region's total studio space, including some of the oldest and largest studios in the province. Bridge Studios was created with the assistance of the provincial government in the late '80s, and it's the first dedicated studio facility in Metro Vancouver.

Canadian Motion Picture Park in Burnaby has grown to become one of the largest studio campuses in Canada, with nine sound stages completed. Two more stages will be completed next year. An additional plan calls for ten more.

We also have production facilities like First Avenue Studio, which cater to small and medium-sized productions. In 2006 the film and television industry in our province generated $1.2 billion in production expenditures and 230 productions.

Last week was proclaimed Motion Picture Industry Week in B.C. It was announced by the Premier that film tax credits that were set to expire next year are planned to be extended for another five years through to 2013. This extension will hopefully continue to drive growth in the industry in Burnaby and all over the province.

It's my hope that the film industry in Burnaby continues to spread the word across North America and around the world that this is the best place on earth.