VANCOUVER — A new report says British Columbia, the home of blockbuster movie shoots such as "Deadpool 2" and "Star Trek Beyond," has surpassed Ontario as Canada's top locale for film and television production for the first time.
The report by the Canadian Media Producers Association says the 2016-2017 fiscal year was strong for Canada overall, with production volume in the country reaching an all-time high of $8.38 billion.
B.C. has always been in the top three provinces for film and TV shoots, but the association says this year its production volume hit $2.991 billion, just ahead of Ontario with $2.977 billion.
Quebec, with its thriving French-language industry, placed third with $1.754 billion in production volume.
The sector also generated 24,120 direct full-time jobs in B.C. — only 40 more than Ontario — while it created 14,540 such jobs in Quebec.
The report says that "Star Trek Beyond" alone employed more than 3,900 British Columbians and contributed $69 million to the provincial economy during 78 days of shooting.
