Perspe ctive
Goodwood, Ontario, Canada, June 2018: Bob’s Garage a fictional TV auto-shop featured on a television program.
Gaming
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anadian game development studios are behind one in every six top-selling console games, and the industry contributes $3.7 billion to the Canadian economy. In recent years, Ontario has brought their A-game to this rapidly growing sector. One hundred and fifty game development teams currently call Toronto home, including industry leaders like Zynga and Ubisoft. At E3 2019, Ubisoft Toronto’s Watch Dogs: Legion, was named the ‘best action/ adventure’ videogame and was nominated for ‘best in show’. 2018’s Far Cry 5, codeveloped by Ubisoft Toronto, was nominated for 25 international game awards and was the best-selling video game of 2018. On the really small screen, 2018 mobile game Alto’s Odyssey, from Torontobased studio Snowman earned a highly coveted Apple Design Award for Outstanding Design and Innovation. Alto’s Odyssey is a sequel to 2015 smash hit Alto’s Adventure. Programs like Ontario’s Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit helped bring projects such as these to life. This program provides employers with a refundable tax credit based on eligible Ontario labour expenditures and eligible marketing and distribution expenses.
Creative Services From forests to lakes, rural to small town to urban settings, and rivers to valleys, Ontario is a beautiful province–no visual effects required. But, for those on-screen moments where reality just won’t fit the part, top entertainment companies are turning to Ontario’s leading visual effects firms. Ontario animators have brought legendary characters like The Incredible Hulk, new intellectual properties such as The Shape of Water, and storied franchises like The Magic School Bus to life for the enjoyment of audiences around the world. Nearly 7,000 people work in Ontario’s computer animation and visual effects sector, generating approximately $450 million. Ontario is home to some of Canada’s leading animation and film schools and is one of Canada’s most educated provinces. Nearly 32 per cent of working age adults in Ontario have a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 25 per cent hold a college diploma. With 45 public post-secondary institutions located across Ontario, that number of skilled workers is rapidly growing.
TM
Elisabeth Moss at the Premiere “The Handmaid’s Tale” which is primarily filmed in Ontario Canada. Specifically, Cambridge, Hamilton and Toronto.
Couple this strong employment base with government programs such as the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit, and you can understand why Allan Magled of Toronto-based Soho VFX says, “Canada as a whole has the best talent pool and tax incentives.”
Time to create in Ontario Canada As Canada’s second largest province, Ontario includes the diverse and stunning scenery Canada is known for: from the bustling urban environments of Toronto and southern Ontario, to the rugged natural beauty of the north, to the heritage features of Ottawa and eastern Ontario, and the many beautiful lakes, rivers, and bays. These natural features and amenities have helped cement Canada’s place as the number one country for quality of life, according to the 2019 U.S. News and World Report. However, as the numbers show, Ontario isn’t just a nice place to visit and to live–it’s also a great place to work, hire, and invest.
OPSTC The Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) is a refundable tax credit to eligible Ontario-based Canadian and foreign-controlled corporations of 21.5% of qualified Ontario production expenditures for eligible film and television productions.
OCASE The Ontario Computer Animation & Special Effects (OCASE) Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit to Ontario-based Canadian and foreign-controlled corporations of 18% of qualifying Ontario labour expenditures for digital animation and digital visual effects created in Ontario for film and television productions.
For more information visit www.ontariocreates.ca
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