HST FACTS

Here are the facts from the set decorators we speak to everyday:

The film industry never left BC. Even during the Olympics. We saw business all the way through the recession. It may have slowed down but it was always there. Permits were only halted but production studios were operating business as usual in Vancouver and Burnaby. We had trucks here every day during the Olympics picking up or dropping off props.

Once the HST was in place, it brought lots of new shows and movies that have yet to air. Mission impossible being one of them that saw a $7 million dollar benefit from filming in Canada, purely from the HST.

We have lost shows to Toronto in the past month because of the uncertainty of the HST here. Shows that if popular could have multiple seasons and provide years of work for dozens of productions staff and vendors alike.

To say you are mis-informed is an understatement. Vancouver no longer has a film industry? The film business is 10 times as busy in Vancouver as it has ever been. The HST , vendor infrastructure, and the US-CDN dollar exchange all play an important part in the equation.

I’m not sure why you have an axe to grind but you should get your facts straight before you start writing articles in municipal publications in municipalities that benefit from the movie business.

Kevin B. Vancouver, B. C. Canada