Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have been given a gift, and that gift is our recent surge of TV films showcasing the North. I say gift because not every jurisdiction in Canada can boast of TV productions such as NWT Ice Pilots, Ice Road Truckers, Licence to Drill and the acclaimed CBC’s Arctic Air at their doorstop. Although I give credit to the NWT Film Commission for maximizing the economic opportunities for our local residents and local businesses to participate in the media arts industry, I do have to say we are far from being the ultimate production location of choice for many professional film companies.
I can stand here today and defend this statement, as I attended the NWT Professional Film Forum held here in Yellowknife on October 2nd of this year. This forum was held during the successful Yellowknife International Film Festival that showcased such films as our very own Mr. Richard Van Camp’s “The Lesser Blessed.”
So what were these top film producers saying at this forum? What were their needs? Simply put, tax incentives would be nice, but this was not the core motivating factor of choosing NWT as their film location. They did mention the current NWT Film Commission website was a great start, but they all agreed that they required to see a symbolic gesture to support the industry with proper incentives such as travel incentives, underground travel coordinators, proper transportation to and from shoots, people who know how to handle their equipment for set-up and operation, mobile caterers and mobile motorhomes for use.
The producers clearly indicated that we are missing the opportunity at the bare minimum to truly be a destination of choice. They also suggested that we create our own infrastructure to ensure our future in films, ideas such as cultural consultants and creative staff writer understudy programs would go a long way toward this infrastructure. In fact, talking with them also yielded the idea of a joint mentorship program with Omni Films offering on-the-ground training for such positions at their Vancouver production sets. Think about this: The potential of a new study training program with Aurora College and the real-time experience in Canada’s version of Hollywood.
We need to keep this gift alive and not let this industry vote with their feet when things start to slow down. We need to invest, we need to create, we need to teach and we need to share.
I will be asking more questions later today with the Minister of ITI on whether or not the NWT is ready to make this real commitment and investment to ensure our future in this film industry.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
