Nanaimo will provide $30,000 to the Vancouver Island North film commission INfilm to help it fill a gap in funding, following a request to city council.
Council received a letter from INfilm after the Regional District of Nanaimo rejected its funding request and decided to provide the money at its Jan. 19 meeting.
“Over the last 30 years, INfilm has facilitated over $250 million in direct local economic impact. We currently maintain a database of 4,000 unique locations and have recruited or trained a local crew base of more than 730 members. As a non-profit economic development organization, INfilm serves as a vital link to the motion picture industry,” the letter said.
The letter says the commission is also requesting support from Parksville and Qualicum Beach to sustain operations while it works on a long-term funding strategy.
It points to productions including The Last of Us, Resident Alien, Godzilla, Superman, Twilight, Untamed, Sonic the Hedgehog and Chesapeake Shores that have brought significant economic gain to the region.
“I think it’s unfortunate that the regional district didn’t support this because I think the regional district benefits from the activity that INfilm has engaged in,” said councillor Paul Manly when he introduced the motion to grant the funds. “I know that we have supported INfilm in the past as a city and given the shortfall in funding — it’s a small organization — the loss of $50,000 means a loss of staff to them and they do good work and we have had a letter from the executive director of the tourism board and we have had a letter from the CEO of the Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation, both of whom say that this is good value for the dollar that we would be spending.”
Councillor Janice Perrino wanted to defer the motion to get more information before agreeing to give the money, but it was defeated.
“When motions like this come to us through letters, I want to know more about what the organization is going to do with our funding. It feels a little like we are giving money out without having all of the information at hand,” she said.
Council voted to approve the funding, with Perrino and councillor Ian Thorpe oppose
