TELEVISION BUSINESS: TV production booms again in Canadian cities

Vancouver, Toronto and even Halifax are booming as TV production centres again, after a decade-long slump due to everything from a higher Canadian dollar to aggressive U.S. state tax incentives to SARS.
Rob LaBelle, executive producer of the upcoming CTV show Motive, says the success of Flashpointhelped reignite Canada as a base of production for North American dramas.
Beyond the co-production craze, a new go-it-alone boom is generating some buzz. While both Motive and Citytv’s upcoming comedy Seed have international distribution deals, they are stand-alone Canadian shows produced without a U.S. network partnership.
For Canadian actors, writers, directors, producers and crew, this finally means more opportunities to work in Canada.
Toronto is home to many big budget TV productions, including the upcoming HBO Canada co-production Transporter, the Showcase/BBC America’s Copper, renewed for a second season, and the sci-fi series Defiance, coming next spring to Showcase.
CTV’s Saving Hope and Global’s Rookie Blue are shot in the same nearby Mississauga, Ont., warehouse. Beauty and the Beast, Covert Affairs and Lost Girl (Showcase), Bomb Girls (Global), Nikita (CTV) and Suits (Bravo) all call Toronto home, as does the upcoming CBC drama Cracked.
Vancouver is still home to U.S. network productions such as Supernatural, Arrow and Once Upon a Time. Besides Motive, new Canadian shows include the Citytv comedy Package Deal and Rogue, a Canada/U.K. co-production coming to The Movie Network/Movie Central.
Halifax is not just the home of 22 Minutes anymore, it is also where Call Me Fitz, Mr. D, Haven and the third Trailer Park Boys movie are all being shot, as well as Seed.

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Manuel Canales
Managing Director
The Media Group Inc.
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