Relentless rain doesn’t drown out NS Film Industry supporters

Torrential rain didn’t stop Nova Scotia film industry supporters and workers from rallying outside the Nova Scotia Liberal party’s Annual General Meeting.

“The film industry is good business for Nova Scotia and that’s the number one fact that we want everybody to know,” said Marcel Boulet, the President of IATSE Local 849.

The #NSFilmJobs movement has been building momentum in the province ever since the Film Tax Credit was replaced with the Film & Television Incentive Fund last spring.

Members of IATSE Local 849 and ACTRA Maritimes say the change is forcing the industry out of the province.

“Well, people in the industry are moving away to where there is work. Sudbury, Ontario is huge right now. Manitoba and of course the other big city centers, Toronto and Montreal, Vancouver. There’s only a few of us left but we want to work here, we live here,” said Jamie Bradley, the President of ACTRA Maritimes.

An announcement was expected to be made today by Business Minister Mark Furey after meetings were held between Screen NS and the province. 

But many protesters say they’re still waiting for answers to their concerns.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is anticipated to arrive in Halifax on Saturday for the Liberal Party’s convention, an opportunity that Bradley hopes will speak volumes to the Premier about the negative impact the industry has seen.

“I think there’s more hope to send our message to the Prime Minister because he is arts friendly and he knows the worth of art. He knows the worth of culture and he himself is a former drama teacher so I hope he has some influence on our Premier,” said Bradley.

In the meantime, the government says it wants to continue to meet with Screen Nova Scotia representatives in order to keep an eye on the spending, commitments and any new projects they could invest in.