Written by Shona Smith on Feb 19, 2019. Posted in General Interest / Production News

Netflix expands production presence in Canada

Netflix announce the creation of a dedicated production hub in Toronto, in a move which further expands its production presence in Canada.

Netflix will lease four sound stages, office space and support space at Cinespace studio totalling 164,000 square feet. At Pinewood Toronto Studios, the streaming giant will lease four more sound stages and office space consisting of 84,580 square feet.

Together, the sites will host upcoming Netflix original content including Guillermo del Toro Presents Ten After Midnight, a horror anthology from the Mexican filmmaker who has based many projects in Toronto, including award winning The Shape of Water (pictured), Crimson Peak and TV horror series The Strain. Feature film Let it Snow, based on New York Times bestselling book by John Green and directed by Luke Snelling is also set to use the space. Netflix estimate that projects located at the leased spaces will provide work for up to 1,850 Canadians per year.

 In 2017, Netflix committed to investing CAD500 million in content production in the country by 2022, and already lease space at Martini Film Studios in British Colombia. Projects to have already been produced in Canada under the new commitment include Lost in Space, A Series of Unfortunate Events. Co-productions with Canadian broadcaster CBC include Anne with an E, Frontier and Alias Grace (pictured).

“By putting the right conditions in place to attract jobs and opportunities to the province, our Government working for the People is sending a clear message that Ontario is open for business,” said the Honourable Michael Tibollo, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Today’s announcement demonstrates that Ontario is now one of the most attractive places in the world for investment. We are creating an environment for job creators and workers to thrive, including in Ontario’s industry-leading film production sector.”

“With this commitment to Cinespace and Pinewood Toronto, we are proud to continue our investment in Canada and Canadian films and series,” said Ty Warren, Vice President, Physical Production for Netflix. “These new leases will enable us to expand our presence in Canada and provide a wealth of production jobs for skilled Canadian workers.”

Ontario offer national and co-productions a 45% payroll tax rebate for feature films or series that shoot at least 85% of the project in the region. For foreign productions, the rebate sits at 21.5%, but there is no minimum percentage that has to be shot in the state. An animation and special effects tax credit also offers an 18% rebate to all productions doing work in the state, regardless if the content was shot there.