Television, Film and Digital Media

The County of Brant is located less than 100km from Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) zone. Filming productions that come to the County may qualify for an additional 10% Regional Bonus on top of other available credits. This means that a producer could get a 45% labour-only tax credit when using the Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit (OFTTC) while shooting in the County of Brant.  The Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) and Ontario Computer Animation & Special Effects (OCASE) can both by utilized together.  However, a producer must select either the OPSTC or the OFTTC – not both. The OCASE can be used in conjunction with either the OFTTC or OPSTC.

Available industry incentives and tax credits:

• Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit: The Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit (OFTTC) is a refundable tax credit available to eligible Ontario-based Canadian corporations of 35% of qualified Ontario labour expenditures for eligible film and television production.

• OFTTC Regional Bonus: Qualifying OFTTC productions that are shot in Ontario entirely outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), or that have at least five location days in Ontario (or in the case of a television series, the number of location days is at least equal to the number of episodes), and at least 85% of the location days in Ontario are outside the GTA, receive a 10% bonus on all Ontario labour expenditures incurred for the production. Wholly animated productions which create at least 85% of key animation in Ontario outside of the GTA qualify for the regional bonus.
• Ontario Production Services Tax Credit:  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.
• Ontario Computer Animation and Special Effects Tax Credit: 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.
• Federal Tax Credits: Federal incentives can add up to a 16% labour tax credit, depending on the level of assistance the project received from provincial and other sources. This commonly works out to 2-4% when added with other incentives.

For more information please contact us at filming@brant.ca or 519.442.6324 x 3212

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Ontario Section 21 Film and Television Health and Safety Advisory Committee of the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills development have created the Film and television industry health and safety during COVID-19 guidelines.

These guidelines advise employers/producers, supervisors and working professionals on identifying and mitigating potential workplace risks related to the COVID-19. It includes general guidance outlining considerations common to all areas of the workplace (set, office, location, etc.), as well as department-specific guidance.

In order to obtain a film permit in the County of Brant, all filming productions must confirm that they will work in accordance with all safety guidelines and confirm that they have a health and safety plan in place for each film shoot.

In addition to the above guidelines, all film productions are required to always work safe. To encourage safety for filming productions and County of Brant residents, The County of Brant recommends the following documents to be reviewed.

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services Guidance on Health and Safety for Television Hosts, Technical Crews and other TV and Film Employees during COVID-19

All filming productions are required to submit a Special Events and Filming application to the County of Brant. Once received, the application is reviewed by the Special Events Advisory Team which includes Brant County Health Unit, County of Brant EMS, County of Brant Fire, County of Brant OPP, County of Brant departments; Planning, Operations, Legal, Bylaw, Accessibility, Marketing and Economic Development and Tourism.

To complete a Special Event and Filming application, please contact our Filming Coordinator at filming@brant.ca or 519.442.6324 x 3212

The fee for filming in the County of Brant is $285.00 per day plus HST.  For more information on the Special Event and Filming Application including additional requirements and permits, please refer to the Special Events and Filming Manual

Required Notification & Communication Protocol

If you plan on filming in a downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA), please notify the County of Brant as soon as possible. Staff will include BIA contact in the application approval process.

Staff can confirm with any applicant if proposed filming will take place in a BIA. If so, filming productions will be required to give the BIA executive directors and key contacts a copy of your notification letter before you hand them out to the community.

Questions or concerns regarding filming

The County of Brant recognizes that all filming productions are guests in our community. To ensure transparency, we require all filming production companies to work directly with residents and businesses to resolve concerns.

If a County of Brant resident or Business owner has a concern about filming, we encourage you to contact the production's Location Manager as a first step. The Location Manager is the member of the production responsible for managing the site during filming and minimizing impacts to the community. It is important that they are made aware of any issues or concerns so that these can be resolved quickly. Contact details for Location Managers are required on all filming notification letters which are required to go out prior to the start of any production.

The County of Brant Economic Development and Tourism division is also here to help. Please contact County of Brant Filming at filming@brant.ca or 519.442.6324 x 3212

Has a production company asked to film on your property?

If you have been approached by a production or received a scouting letter expressing interest in your property, call the County of Brant Economic Development and Tourism office at 519.442.6324 x 3212  We can confirm the legitimacy of a production company, the Location Manager and any assistants/scouts. We will also advise on requirements you should consider before allowing production to take place.

 To list your property as a film location with Ontario Creates, visit the Digital Locations Library.

1. Ontario Creates Digital Library 
2. Government of Canada - Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit 
3. Ontario Creates- Filming Tax Credits
4. Ontario Creates- Funding 
5. Ontario Creates- Business Initiatives
6. Ontario Creates- Research and Industry Information

For inquiries on municipal funding, please contact our Research and Marketing Economic Development Officer at invest@brant.ca

Commercials

• Toyota Commercial- 2013
• Canadian Cheese- 2015 
• Freedom Mobile/iPhone X Commercial- 2017 
• Walmart Canada "Paris Fashion Week" - 2019

Films and Television

• Away From Her- 2006
• Murdoch Mysteries- 2008 
• Mayday- 2008 to 2015 
• Nikita- 2011 
• Halmark's Christmas Inc.- 2015 
• The Cuban- 2018 
• The Handmaids Tale- 2017, 2018, 2019  
• Disney's Secret Society of Second Born Royals- 2019 
• HGTV's Farmhouse Facelift - 2019-2020 
• Murdoch Mysteries - 2008-2019  
• Run - 2019 
• Paranormal 911 - 2019 

Digital Media production facilities in the County of Brant

Looking to move your current Digital Media production facility or interested in developing a Digital Media production facility? We want to work with you! Please contact the County of Brant Economic Development division at invest@brant.ca.