Dear FilmOntario Members,

As you all know, Ontario is facing a challenging year in terms of attracting service production and supporting domestic content creation.

At FilmOntario, we have been working all summer on delivering this message to the Government of Ontario – with the goal of improving our competitive position as a filming jurisdiction. We have asked the government to do two things in the Fall Economic Statement:

• Increase the film and television tax credit rates, from 21.5 to 25% in the Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) and from 35 to 40% in the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit (OFTTC); and
• Invest an additional $26 million in the Ontario Creates IP Fund, to be directed toward linear content.

These investments will strengthen Ontario’s competitive position and help stop the loss of jobs and economic activity to other jurisdictions. They will help retain and attract productions while supporting Ontario businesses and good jobs for Ontario workers across the province.

Now, we need your help. We are starting a letter-writing campaign to let the government know that immediate action is required to make these changes in this year’s Fall Economic Statement.

You can find a template for this letter here. Please complete it, on your organization’s letterhead, and fill out the highlighted areas as noted on the template. This will allow us to deliver a consistent message to the government about support for the industry.

Please then email the letter to the Premier, with a copy going to the Ministers of Finance and Tourism, Culture and Gaming (and Cynthia!). All email addresses have been provided.

We will also be launching an individual letter-writing campaign, should any of your employees or members of your organization want to send their own letter. Stay tuned to our social media and your member newsletter for more details on that letter.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to Cynthia if you have any questions.