REGINA ‑ The film and television industry in Saskatchewan got a major boost from the 2022 provincial budget Monday.
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer announced an increase to Creative Saskatchewan’s production program up from $2 million to $10 million.
The announcement is a major boost for an industry that was decimated by the elimination of the province’s film and TV tax credit a decade ago.
In speaking to reporters Harpauer cited the rising demand for creative and digital content, as well as an opportunity to help the province’s hospitality industry through increased production.
For its part Creative Saskatchewan welcomed the funding.
“We applaud the government for this investment,” says Erin Dean, CEO of Creative Saskatchewan, in a news release. “Productions are a multi-faceted endeavour, built around labour with the potential to create hundreds of new jobs, ranging from cinematographers, assistant directors, electricians, carpenters, sound engineers, composers, editors and more. This goes beyond contributing to Saskatchewan’s economic recovery, it’s truly improving the livelihoods of Saskatchewan residents.”
According to Creative Saskatchewan, the grant would cover 30 per cent of the total Saskatchewan budget. Investments from other sources would make up the other 70 per cent. In its news release Creative Saskatchewan cited an estimate from MNP LLP and Globalnomics that a $10 million investment will lead to $50 million in film and television, more than 900 new jobs created, and a total economic output of $93 million.
“The program encourages the development of co-productions with national and international partners, which generally have larger budgets, resulting in higher spends and job creation,” Dean said. “We expect a very busy 2022-23.”
“The program supports hiring local labour and incentivizes expenditures within Saskatchewan businesses, and not just in urban centres.” says Jason Zhao, Creative Saskatchewan chair, in a statement. “Productions result in a significant injection of revenue to our hospitality and tourism sectors, as well as other goods and services; hotel accommodations, restaurants, vehicle and equipment rentals, the list goes on.”
Creative Saskatchewan also notes an increase in productions can allow the province to tap into the millions of dollars available through federal funding agencies and tax incentives.
For their part, the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association (SMPIA) released a statement in support of the boost in funding to the production grant program, citing the launch of multiple online streaming platforms and the need for new and fresh content.
Lioz Bouganin, president of the SMPIA board of directors, said in a statement: “We want to say ‘thank you’ to the Saskatchewan government for expanding Creative Saskatchewan’s funds to cover more screen-based productions. This incremental release of provincial funds will be a catalyst providing greater opportunities for our producers to attract new private and federal investment dollars.”
The funding also comes at a key point in time when COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
“In the past two years, the COVID restrictions did not stop our Saskatchewan content creators from writing new scripts,” said Ken Alecxe, executive director of SMPIA, in a statement. “Now as restrictions are lifting, multiple projects have been developed and are shovel-ready to move into production. This funding increase will result in more Saskatchewan stories being told and sold, jobs being created, export value-added and economic benefits to hospitality industries. We will show what we can do for economic growth in our province.”
