What was it that attracted the film industry Toronto, and more importantly, got them to stay? Thanks for sharing your insight btw!
As someone not in the industry........my knowledge may have some gaps..........but I think the following is representative.
1) There was a base industry here from CBC and to a lesser degree private broadcasting dating, dating back decades. CBC was doing scripted Canadian Drama at least as far back as the 1960s; that provided some base level employment and skills that would at least partially overlap w/the film industry.
2) As early as the 1970s there was interest in developing some type of film industry here. In theory, a domestic one for making Canadian films, but there was always an understanding that luring American productions north would offer enhanced employment and skills development and critical mass. The first big tax-shelter programs for making films here date from the 70s.
Details on that first program can be found here:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tax-shelter-films
3) As the 80s rolled on, Canadian content requirements for private TV began to rise, leading to more domestic production; the modern version of Canadian film tax credits also emerged both federally and in Ontario.
The Federal Tax Credit program started in 1995; and by the late 90s was helping drive U.S. producers northwards. Ontario would add its own credits on top of this.
You can see this primer from 1999 on the subject:
https://www.mondaq.com/canada/corpo...ummary-of-available-canadian-film-tax-credits
4) The Canadian Film Centre was founded in Toronto in 1988 and helped accelerate local skills development
Shaping the future of Canadian storytelling
cfccreates.com
5) The Canadian dollar also plummeted in the 1990s making the cost of producing in Canada vastly lower than in the U.S. By 2002 the CAD was down to under 62 cents USD. All other things being equal, that's a 35%++ price advantage before factoring in tax credits.
6) Toronto, in particular, was considered a good stand in for U.S. cities in the north-east and mid-west, notably Chicago and NYC. Chicago did not have an evolved film industry of size; and while NYC did, the challenges and costs of shooting there made Toronto seem attractive by comparison.
7) The City of Toronto corporately has been very kind to the film industry here. Ranging from no permit fees for location shoots to bending over backwards to close roads for same; the industry found the City very cooperative, moreso than might be the case in other jurisdictions at one point.
8) A more recent factor has been increasing U.S. interest in diverse casting. Both the base level of talent of diverse background, but also the ease of the Canadian immigration/visa system has served to make us an attractive shooting locale.
9) Until recently.....hard though it may be to believe.......lower real estate costs were also an advantage. SoCal/LA was an expensive place more than 20 years ago, so was NYC. That advantage is evaporating quickly, nonetheless it was a factor in studio expansion.
10) Momentum. All of the above facilitated a slow, but accelerating build in the size of the industry here to the point where it's merely a fact of North American life that Toronto is regularly mentioned in the U.S. trades for the industry (Variety, Hollywood Reporter) etc. and regularly in the conversation for projects, alongside the other big Centres, L.A., NY and Vancouver.
11) Finally, honourable mention goes to TIFF. They have helped raise Toronto's industry profile, with producers and talent alike.
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The City's sell to the industry can be found here:
Toronto’s screen production industry set a record with more than $2.5 billion in direct spending in 2021. See backgrounder report for details on the growth of this sector in Toronto. Toronto is one of the top five screen-based industries in North America with a full scope of industry...
www.toronto.ca
A report from March of this year, in THR on the Canadian industry's growth:
With no end in sight for the production surge north of the border, facilities from Vancouver to Toronto are scrambling to meet demand.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
