Canada’s film and television industry has no single production capital. Ontario and British Columbia are its two major hubs, competing for international projects while supporting different parts of the screen-production economy.
In fiscal 2024/25, Canada’s production volume reached approximately $10.17 billion, up 4.6% year over year, while foreign location and service production rose 9.5% to $5.3 billion. Ontario recorded the higher total production volume, at $3.84 billion, compared with $2.69 billion in B.C.
Yet British Columbia captured 40% of the country’s foreign location and service production, against Ontario’s 30%. These figures reveal two distinct competitive strengths. Understanding which province offers the better fit requires looking beyond headline totals to infrastructure, skilled crews, filming locations, and tax incentives.
Production Volume: What the Numbers Actually Show
Ontario: The larger overall production economy
Ontario recorded $3.84 billion in total film and television production volume in fiscal 2024/25, an 18.5% increase from the previous year. Its scale reflects a broad production ecosystem centred on Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, supported by studios, production companies, broadcasters, distributors and a substantial pool of experienced crew.
Other Ontario communities also offer locations and facilities that can accommodate productions with different creative and logistical requirements.
However, total production volume does not represent a single type of activity. It encompasses domestic Canadian-content production, foreign location and service (FLS) production, and other categories of screen production. These activities have different financing structures, ownership arrangements, and relationships with Canadian broadcasters and production companies. Ontario’s larger overall figure therefore indicates the scale of its production economy, but does not, by itself, establish that it leads in every segment of the industry.
British Columbia: A major destination for international service production
British Columbia generated $2.69 billion in total production volume in 2024/25, up 6.3% year over year. Metro Vancouver and its surrounding communities form the province’s principal production cluster, supported by established studios, experienced technical crews, diverse filming locations and services for international productions.
B.C.’s position becomes clearer when the comparison shifts from total production to foreign location and service (FLS) work. The province accounted for 40% of Canada’s FLS production in 2024/25, compared with Ontario’s 30%. FLS production typically involves foreign producers using Canadian locations, crews and service providers, including visual-effects companies. It can generate substantial local employment and spending even when the underlying intellectual property remains under foreign ownership.
The key numbers compared
| Indicator, 2024/25 | Ontario | British Columbia |
| Total production volume | $3.84 billion | $2.69 billion |
| Share of Canadian FLS production | 30% | 40% |
| Year-over-year growth in total production | 18.5% | 6.3% |
Source: Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Profile
One methodological distinction matters: CMPA’s provincial production-volume figures are based on the location of the lead producer, rather than a direct accounting of every dollar spent within each province. FLS shares, meanwhile, measure each province’s contribution to a specific production category, not its share of the entire screen industry.
The figures therefore tell two different stories. Ontario has the larger overall production economy, while B.C. has a stronger relative position in foreign service work. Comparing their domestic Canadian-content production separately would provide a more complete picture of how their production sectors differ.
Studios, Infrastructure and Technical Services
Ontario and British Columbia both offer established studio infrastructure and specialized production services, but the facilities available to a project matter more than the prominence of individual studio names. Soundstage capacity, scheduling, technical support, and proximity to filming locations can all influence a production’s choice of province.
Ontario’s production ecosystem
Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area anchor Ontario’s studio network. Cinespace Studios and Pinewood Toronto Studios are among the facilities serving film and television productions, offering soundstages and supporting production infrastructure.
The surrounding region also provides urban locations, industrial settings and access to experienced crews and post-production services. Hamilton and other Ontario communities can offer additional filming options, depending on a project’s visual requirements, logistical needs and access to suitable facilities.
Ontario’s broader production ecosystem includes Canadian production companies, broadcasters, distributors and talent agencies. For projects requiring coordination with Canadian commissioning partners, these relationships can be an important practical advantage, although their value depends on the production’s financing and distribution arrangements.
British Columbia’s production ecosystem
Metro Vancouver has a similarly extensive network. Vancouver Film Studios operates 13 purpose-built soundstages, while Canadian Motion Picture Park in Burnaby offers 18 stages across five complexes. The Bridge Studios also operates multiple production campuses in the region. Together, these facilities provide a range of stage sizes and support spaces for productions with different requirements.
B.C. also has a significant digital production presence. Companies such as ILM Vancouver, Sony Pictures Imageworks and DNEG contribute to the province’s visual-effects and post-production capabilities. For productions combining live-action filming with complex digital work, access to these specialist services can influence both scheduling and the choice of production base.
Practical capacity vs. reputation
The number of studios or stages alone does not establish which province offers greater usable capacity. Producers must assess whether appropriately sized stages are available for their dates, whether the facilities can accommodate particular sets or technical requirements, and how easily crews and equipment can move between studios and locations.
Virtual production facilities, construction workshops, production offices and specialist post-production vendors may also affect a project’s decision. Ultimately, the most useful comparison is project-specific: which province can provide the right combination of available stage space, experienced personnel and technical services at the right time and cost?
Locations, Logistics and Doubling for American Cities
British Columbia and Ontario offer different location advantages for productions seeking to recreate American settings.
B.C. combines Pacific coastline, forests, mountains, and urban environments, while Metro Vancouver can double for cities such as Seattle and Portland. Its Pacific Time alignment with Los Angeles can also simplify coordination with U.S. production offices, although location access and travel requirements still depend on the shoot.
Ontario offers Toronto’s adaptable streetscapes and architecture, alongside historic towns, industrial areas and northern landscapes. These settings can help productions recreate parts of New York, Chicago, Boston and other North American cities. Its Eastern Time alignment is also useful for productions coordinating with teams based in the eastern United States.
However, a convincing double depends on more than visual resemblance. Producers must consider permits, transport, accommodation, scouting costs, weather, crew access, and the production-design work required to transform a location.
A city that looks right on screen may still prove impractical if logistics are expensive or filming restrictions are difficult to manage. Ultimately, the best location is the one that meets the script’s visual requirements while keeping the production schedule and budget under control.
Tax Credits: Comparing the Real Economics
Tax incentives are a major consideration when producers choose between Ontario and British Columbia, but comparing headline percentages can be misleading. The provinces use different calculation bases, eligibility rules, and additional incentives. The best option depends on the production’s structure, eligible spending, and the work performed locally.
British Columbia: Production services incentives
B.C.’s Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC) offers a basic credit of 36% of accredited qualified B.C. labour expenditures for productions beginning principal photography after December 31, 2024. An additional 2% major production credit is available for qualifying completed productions with B.C. production costs exceeding $200 million, potentially raising the basic rate to 38% of the relevant labour base.
Additional incentives may apply. The regional credit provides 6% of eligible labour expenditures where the production meets the relevant out-of-area filming requirements. A further 6% distant-location credit may be available for qualifying filming in designated remote areas, subject to its own rules.
The Digital Animation, Visual Effects and Post-Production (DAVE) services credit provides a 16% credit on qualifying labour associated with prescribed digital activities. These incentives are conditional, not automatic additions available to every production.
Producers must also examine the rules governing the type of work performed in B.C. Productions undertaking only visual-effects or post-production services may face restrictions on the production-services credits they can claim. The location of the work, the applicant’s eligibility and the applicable statutory requirements all matter.
Ontario: Production services and Canadian-content incentives
Ontario’s Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) offers a 21.5% refundable credit on qualifying Ontario production expenditures. Its expenditure base can include eligible labour, service contracts and tangible-property costs, subject to program rules. The production must meet minimum-cost and other eligibility requirements, including a minimum proportion of qualifying labour expenditure.
For eligible Canadian-controlled productions, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit (OFTTC) generally provides 35% of qualifying Ontario labour expenditures. Qualifying first-time productions can receive a 40% rate on the first $240,000 of eligible labour, while eligible regional productions may qualify for an additional 10% bonus. The regional bonus can bring the effective provincial rate to 45% of eligible labour when its conditions are met. OPSTC and OFTTC are alternative credits for the same production, not credits that can simply be stacked together.
Ontario also offers the Computer Animation and Special Effects Tax Credit (OCASE), at 18% of qualifying Ontario labour for eligible digital animation and visual-effects activities. Unlike OPSTC and OFTTC, OCASE may be claimed in addition to either of those credits, provided its separate requirements are satisfied.
Federal credits and how they interact
At the federal level, the Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit provides a 16% credit on qualified Canadian labour expenditures for eligible service productions. The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) provides 25% of qualified labour expenditures for eligible Canadian-content productions. A production cannot claim both federal credits for the same production.
These federal incentives may interact with provincial programs, but the calculation is not simply a matter of adding percentages. Assistance can reduce eligible expenditure bases, and labour caps, residency rules, certification requirements, and program-specific restrictions affect the final claim.
For the CPTC, qualified labour expenditure is generally capped at 60% of production costs after assistance, making the maximum credit equivalent to 15% of those net costs.
What the rates mean in practice
| Feature | B.C. PSTC | Ontario OPSTC |
| Basic headline rate | 36% | 21.5% |
| Calculation base | Accredited qualified B.C. labour | Qualifying Ontario production expenditures |
| Main consideration | Eligible local labour and additional credits | Eligible labour, services and tangible-property costs |
| Best comparison method | Calculate the eligible labour base | Calculate the qualifying expenditure base |
The difference becomes clearer with a hypothetical production. Suppose a project has $10 million in qualifying provincial labour and another $10 million in qualifying non-labour expenditure. If the entire $10 million labour amount qualifies under B.C.’s basic PSTC, the indicative provincial credit would be $3.6 million. If the full $20 million qualifies under Ontario’s OPSTC, the indicative credit would be $4.3 million.
These figures illustrate the calculation bases, not a definitive comparison of the provinces’ overall financial benefits. Actual eligibility, expenditure definitions, assistance reductions, and other program rules must be assessed before budgeting. A producer should model the incentives against the project’s real costs and financing structure rather than choose a province based on its headline rate alone.
Talent, Crew Capacity and the Cost of Production
Both Ontario and British Columbia benefit from established production workforces spanning cinematography, camera operation, lighting, sound, construction, production design and post-production. Their labour networks include organizations such as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and ACTRA, which represents performers.
These organizations help shape working conditions, collective agreements and professional standards, although rates and requirements vary by agreement and production type.
However, a large workforce does not guarantee that every department will have sufficient personnel available when a production needs them. Ontario’s experience illustrates this challenge beyond the Greater Toronto Area: a workforce assessment of Northern Ontario identified gaps in skilled personnel, uneven crew availability, and seasonal employment patterns as barriers to expanding production activity.
Housing affordability, commuting distances and accommodation for visiting crew can also affect budgets and recruitment. These pressures should be evaluated alongside wages, experience, travel requirements and the availability of specialist skills rather than treated as decisive disadvantages for either province.
For producers, the practical question is whether the right crew can be assembled at the right time and cost. Training programs and apprenticeships may expand capacity over time, but current availability, departmental expertise and scheduling remain central to choosing a production location.
Industry Outlook: Recovery, Technology and Sustainability
Canada’s production industry returned to growth in 2024/25, but the recovery remains uneven. Total production volume reached $10.17 billion, up 4.6% year over year, while foreign location and service (FLS) production increased 9.5% to $5.3 billion.
The rebound followed a difficult 2023/24, when prolonged U.S. labour strikes and weaker commissioning activity reduced production. However, domestic Canadian film and television production declined a further 2.2% in 2024/25, highlighting the difference between attracting foreign projects and sustaining Canadian-content production.
For Ontario and B.C., the next challenge is turning renewed demand into sustained activity. Studio investments, production schedules, and commissioning decisions will influence how much work each province secures.
Virtual production may also change the equation by allowing filmmakers to combine physical sets with digital environments, potentially reducing the need for some location shoots while increasing demand for specialized facilities and technical expertise.
Digital production remains another competitive factor. B.C.’s DAVE credit and Ontario’s OCASE program support eligible animation and visual-effects work, making access to skilled digital artists and qualifying labour costs relevant to production planning. Yet incentives alone cannot guarantee growth: projects still require financing, clients and available specialists.
The outlook is therefore less about identifying a permanent winner than assessing which province can respond most effectively to changing demand, technology, workforce needs and production budgets.
Wrapping Up
Ontario and British Columbia remain central to Canada’s film and television industry, but their strengths differ. Ontario recorded $3.84 billion in production volume in 2024/25, compared with B.C.’s $2.69 billion.
Yet B.C. captured 40% of Canada’s foreign location and service production, ahead of Ontario’s 30%. These findings are not contradictory: total production volume and foreign service work measure different aspects of the industry.
Tax incentives further complicate the comparison. B.C.’s production services credit focuses on eligible local labour, while Ontario’s production services credit covers a broader range of qualifying expenditures. For Canadian-content projects, other incentives and certification requirements can change the calculation considerably.
Over the next few years, competitiveness will depend on more than incentives. Commissioning demand, available studio space, skilled crews, production financing and government policy will all influence where projects are made.
The strongest production location will ultimately be the one that best matches a project’s creative needs, eligible costs, and financing structureو not necessarily the province with the largest production economy or the highest advertised credit rate.
Which factor will matter most in determining where film and television projects are made in Canada over the next few years: tax incentives, production infrastructure, skilled crews, or demand for Canadian content?