Producers Flock to British Columbia for Scenery, Exchange Rate and Incentives

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Canada’s province of British Columbia is one of the most popular areas in North America for film and television production. Miles of Pacific coastline, modern cities, deep forests and craggy peaks make it one of the most picturesque regions in the world. Producers are also attracted by the favorable (for U.S. spenders) exchange rate between the greenback and the looney, and by ’s 28% refundable tax credit.

The minimum spend per film required to qualify for the incentive is 1 million Canadian dollars, or about $763,000 in U.S. currency. For TV projects, the minimum spend ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 Canadian dollars, or about $76,300 to $152,534 in U.S. currency.

The incentive includes no project or compensation cap. Additionally, it’s stackable with the Canadian Federal tax incentive of 16%, which makes it especially alluring.

Hundreds of major feature films, TV movies and TV series have been shot in British Columbia over the years. Recent projects include “Bad Times at the El Royale” (2018), “The Predator” (2018), “Skyscraper” (2018), “Wonder” (2017), “The Good Doctor” (2017 to present), “Riverdale” (2016 to present), “Star Trek Beyond” (2016), “Deadpool” (2016), “Supernatural (2005 to present), “The Flash” (2014 to present) and “Arrow” (2012 to present).

Information courtesy of the Production Incentives team at Entertainment Partners .