Northern Ontario just steps away from year-round film production

Northern Ontario is ready to take the next step in its journey to becoming a year-round destination for the film industry. This according to Devin Mahesh, Sudbury-based film sector development officer for Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION).

As access to studio space in Toronto hits wait times of 5 plus-years, those hopes may hinge on the availability of new, purpose-built facilities in the region said Mahesh.

Establishing permanent infrastructure will encourage players in the billion-dollar industry and their employees to locate in northern Ontario, even during its harsh winter months.

"Right now between April and October, we're pretty busy," Mahesh said. "But during the winter months, it's pretty hard to use exterior locations, and a lot of productions choose other locations as a result."

"If we had something like permanent infrastructure, a studio or some indoor spaces where filming could be done, then we would have a year round ability to work on movies." 

"If you look at Toronto, for example, they've increased their studio capacity by over 60 per cent," Mahesh said. "But they built multiple studios and they are still booking five to seven years in advance. We have a shortage of studio space in Ontario, period."

Earlier in 2022, CION proposed its vision for Freshwater Production Studios, a 116,000 sq ft. purpose-built studio in Sudbury, a facility that can accommodate film crews and specialized equipment. 

And in June, North Star Studios acquired a property in North Bay's West Ferris industrial park that is expected to house the region's largest film and studio space.

"Ultimately, when we're done, we should see somewhere around a half a million square feet of new stages built across the North Bay area," North Rock president Mitch Ouimette said. "Now we're talking over somewhere between five, six, seven, eight years."

Ouimette said the plans could create up to 1,000 new jobs in North Bay, which would include people directly involved with movie and television productions, but also construction jobs and sectors that benefit from the industry, including hospitality. 

The number of films and television series being produced in Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie took a slight downward turn during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but crews have been quickly re-establishing themselves and getting underway.

Even if the region takes a fraction of the $2.8 billion spent on film in Ontario in 2021, it will represent a significant jolt to local economies, Mahesh said.

But there's also another benefit to having companies set up shop in the north: more talent, and a pool of experienced workers means it will be easier for budding filmmakers to tell their own stories. 

"If we also grow the amount of Canadian stories being told relative to the mix of foreign productions and local stories filmed here, that's going to be a benefit for Canadian culture," Mahesh said. 

"Those two things, I think, can happen at the same time."

What gives the region a flavour unique from its southern counterparts is the geography and culture, Mahesh said. 

"I think northern Ontario is a unique part of the world in that we have the French, indigenous and English communities kind of mixing together and creating a unique perspective on the world," Mahesh said. "Because of that, we have, I think, a unique cultural contribution to make to the filmmaking community."

"When stories get told about Canada, this is often one of the more interesting parts of Canada to have stories originate from."