A shortened, but very busy, fall session wrapped up at the Ontario Legislature on December 10th.
FilmOntario visited the Legislature on October 28th and 29th, holding a series of meetings with politicians and political staff from all parties. Members also attended Question Period on the 29th, where we were greeted by Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho and NDP Culture Critic MPP Jill Andrew. The FilmOntario Board also had a meeting with Minister Cho, as well as his Parliamentary Assistant Hardeep Grewal, MPP for Brampton East.
During our meetings, we talked about the importance of stable and competitive tax credits and in investing in workforce development to continue to make sure all our industry workers have access to the training they need, as well as training the next generation of film and television workers. Generally speaking, politicians from all parties continue to be supportive of our sector.
Film and television were also part of the conversation at the Legislature in November, when Minister Cho was asked about the industry and spoke about its importance, as well as the government’s continued support for film and television tax credits. You can see a video of this exchange to the right.
And then later in December, Minister Cho was asked specifically about support for arts and culture through the province’s Agencies, including Ontario Creates. You can see a video of this exchange to the right.
The Legislature will return on March 3rd, 2025, with the 2025 Provincial Budget being delivered some time before the end of that month. While MPPs are busy in their ridings, FilmOntario will take the opportunity to continue our government outreach, and of course, finalize our Budget Submission.