May 21, 2021 / As the audiovisual production industry enters its busiest time of year, many in the industry are still recovering from 18 months of delays and shutdowns.
More relief seems to be on the way. The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced an increase of $49 million to the Short-Term Compensation Fund (STCF) for Canadian audiovisual productions. This will bring the STCF’s coverage capacity to $149 million until March 31, 2022, and will continue to support the industry’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Guilbeault and Christa Dickenson, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada, made the announcement at the Canadian Screen Awards, which bring together industry stakeholders to recognize excellence in Canadian film and television production.
“We know the Canadian film and television industry is still struggling. We are aware of the difficulties and challenges Canadian producers are currently facing, which is why we are adjusting our measures to help them as quickly as possible. In these uncertain times, this dynamic industry continues to be there for Canadians. We will continue our efforts to support it.”
—The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage
Increased investment in the STCF will allow more productions to make use of the program to meet their shooting schedules, particularly in the sector’s busiest seasons of spring and summer. Telefilm Canada, which administers the program, will continue to compensate production companies whose filming is shut down or interrupted as a result of a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis on the set or an outbreak among the production team.
“This additional support is essential for productions and will have a significant impact on our industry, in the short and long run. The 369 applications processed by Telefilm and the many more we expect to receive in the near future demonstrate that the industry is regaining its vitality and needs to be supported more than ever.”
—Christa Dickenson, Executive Director, Telefilm Canada
In February, the Government of Canada announced an extension of and increase in the STCF in order to continue to assist producers in this sector and compensate for the lack of insurance coverage for COVID-19-related downtime.
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