Upcoming Holiday Season: Limited Street Use in Commercial Areas

To: COV Operations, Contractors, Utility Companies, Development Sites, Filming

Please note that the City will be limiting the number of street use requests granted in commercial areas from December 4, 2023 to January 2, 2024.  December is a busy month for commercial areas with increased traffic to stores, restaurants and local attractions. These restrictions will be implemented due to increased demand for street space during the holiday period.

The City recognizes that there is still the need for critical infrastructure upgrades, utility work and ongoing construction work at development sites throughout the city. Please be advised that time sensitive requests for street use will still be considered. However, the City will weigh and consider all factors before specific street use decisions are made; therefore, efforts should be made at this time to schedule accordingly.

We thank you in advance for your understanding. Your cooperation will help us facilitate another smooth holiday season for all.

Yours truly,

Lon LaClaire, P.Eng

General Manager of Engineering Services

The Vancouver Film Office would like to alert the local film industry well in advance to our upcoming holiday office closure. The Office will close at 4:00pm Friday, December 23, 2022 and will remain closed until Monday, January 2, 2023. Regular operational hours will resume at 8:00am Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Over the month of December we will operating on an overall reduced capacity and permit processing times may take longer than normal, particularly during the week of December 19, 2023.

If you anticipate filming activity during the month of December or in the first week of January, please ensure you communicate with your assigned film officer to discuss timelines for your submissions and plan accordingly.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact Jodie Shebib, Acting Branch Manager at jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca or 604-707-5394.

Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season!

City of Vancouver Film and Special Events Team

Upcoming Holiday Season: Limited Street Use in Commercial Areas

To: COV Operations, Contractors, Utility Companies, Development Sites, Filming

Please note that the City will be limiting the number of street use requests granted in commercial areas from December 5, 2022 to January 3, 2023.  December is a busy month for commercial areas with increased traffic to stores, restaurants and local attractions. These restrictions will be implemented due to increased demand for street space during the holiday period.

The City recognizes that there is still the need for critical infrastructure upgrades, utility work and ongoing construction work at development sites throughout the city. Please be advised that time sensitive requests for street use will still be considered. However, the City will weigh and consider all factors before specific street use decisions are made; therefore, efforts should be made at this time to schedule accordingly.

We thank you in advance for your understanding. Your cooperation will help us facilitate another smooth holiday season for all.

Yours truly,

Lon LaClaire, P.Eng

General Manager of Engineering Services

TEMPORARY SPECIAL CONDITIONS FOR FILM IN GASTOWN

The Gastown area will have reduced access and special conditions for filming from now until September 30, 2022 due to compounding issues facing the businesses in the area. These issues include significant disruptions related to the demolition and removal of debris from the devastating Winters Hotel fire (more information to come on this), major BC Hydro infrastructure projects, as well as local business and tourism recovery efforts during the peak of the cruise ship season.

Effective immediately:

• The City will be unable to permit road closures or intermittent traffic control in the neighborhood.

• There will be a moratorium on the peak business days of Friday to Sunday and holidays.

• Street parking permitted must be minimal & generally limited to a maximum of one block face (~300-400ft)

• Frequency and locations of filming will need to be paced to a less frequent volume to ensure adequate “breaks” between film activities.

While we discourage productions from requesting exemptions to the directions above, the Film Office will consider extenuating circumstances provided there is support from affected businesses, or it is demonstrated to have minimal impact on the district. For example, early morning activities that are completed prior to the start of normal business hours.

We want to be clear that the decision to enact the conditions above was not made lightly, and is a result of unprecedented neighborhood impacts. Gastown has been a critical and supportive location since the very earliest days of Vancouver’s industry, and it is vitally important that we protect this asset and community goodwill during these difficult circumstances.

We sincerely thank the industry for your support and look forward to getting through this challenging time and relaxing some of these conditions in the fall.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this direction, please reach out directly to Jodie Shebib, Acting Branch Manager, Film and Special Events at jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca, or 604-707-5394.

Notification to Business Improvement Associations

March 16, 2022 - MEMORANDUM

To: Vancouver Film Industry Teams

From: City of Vancouver Film and Special Events Team

The purpose of this memo is to stress the importance of communication with Business Improvement Associations (BIA’s) when filming is to occur in Business Improvement Districts.

The City of Vancouver Film Office is actively working on a set of universal guidelines for filming in all Business Improvement Districts; we expect to share that document with the industry soon. In the meantime, please read this memo carefully as it includes important information regarding your work in Business Improvement Districts.

Please familiarise yourself with the map of the BIA locations here.

During location scouting, the permit applicant is responsible for being aware of BIA zones in the City and to make contact with BIA staff as soon as a location in a Business Improvement District is being considered. This first contact should include high level information regarding dates, times, type of activity, and potential impacts to parking, traffic and pedestrians.

During the application process, the permit applicant is responsible for updating the BIA as details of the filming are firmed up.  The BIA must be kept informed of any changes to information provided during initial contact.  The applicant must also ensure that what is discussed with the BIA is in alignment with what is contained in the final permit.

The applicant should document communications with the BIA and may be asked to provide written confirmation of this communication more than once during the process if material changes are made to the parameters of the permit application.

Failure of the permit applicant to actively and accurately communicate with the BIA will be considered by City staff as rationale to reject or delay the issuance of a film permit.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this direction, please reach out directly to Jodie Shebib, Operations Manager, Film and Special Events at Jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca or

604-707-5394.

Sincerely,

City of Vancouver Film Team

Filming near Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) Trolley Line Infrastructure

Permitting Advisory

This bulletin is to provide information on what to do when filming activity is occurring near trolley wire infrastructure.  The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure public safety and CMBC service reliability.  In addition to the importance of, and obligation to ensure public safety, this bulletin addresses measures to reduce the risk of damage to trolley line infrastructure which can affect transit operations across large areas of the City.  For example, if an injury to person or damage to infrastructure occurs, this can result in an emergency shut down or serious delays of transit service.

To reduce these risks some types of film activity may require:

1.      a 3rd party safety watch;

2.       pole pullers;

3.    bus stop relocation/reroute;

4.       any combination of the above.

Scenarios that require a safety watch:

1.       Use of lifts, ladders, scaffolding, and cranes near trolley lines (lighting, camera cranes, etc);

2.       use of lifts, ladders, scaffolding and cranes near poles (set dec, street sign change/removal, lighting);

3.       use of drones;

4.       use of loader cranes (ex. HIAB);

5.       use of picture vehicles that have parts that can raise above the height of the main vehicle roofline (dump trucks, garbage trucks, etc);

6.       other activity that could put equipment or personnel within 3 meters of CMBC power system and/or

7.       conducting stunts or SPFX when there is any risk of damage to a pole or overhead wires (for example a high speed stunt vehicle accidently impacting a pole).

Scenarios that do not require a safety watch:

1.       standing, walking, pushing carts and dollies on sidewalks and streets;

2.       use of standard lift gates to load/unload production vehicles;

3.       parking most production vehicles less than 12 feet in height (except as noted above).

When a safety watch is required you must:

1)      ensure your City of Vancouver film permit application list any type of the above activities in the work description;

2)      submit a summary of the film activity plans to CMBC at: special.events@coastmountainbus.com;

3)      book a safety watch with CMBC approved contractor TC Utilities Service: (604) 425-1421;

4)      notify Overhead Power Distribution: (604) 561-9363;

5)      confirm safety watch is booked with CMBC at: special.events@coastmountainbus.com .

When pole pullers are required:

1)      ensure your City of Vancouver film permit application list this requirement in the work description;

2)      book request for pole puller by contacting Transit Communications Centre (778) 593-5525;

3)      confirm booking with CMBC at: special.events@coastmountainbus.com .

When a bus stop relocation or reroute is required:

1)      ensure your City of Vancouver film permit application lists this information in the work description;

2)      send request to CMBC Special Events special.events@coastmountainbus.com .

For any additional information or questions contact:

·       Your assigned City of Vancouver Film & Special Event Officer.

·       CMBC Special Events: (778) 593-5733 special.events@coastmountainbus.com.

*The information in this document is for information only and includes third party (CMBC) requirements presented as accurate to the Vancouver Film Office on December 1, 2021. It is the responsibility of all location teams to work directly with CMBC to ensure all current requirements specific to your film shoot are met.

Vancouver Film Office - Annual Holiday Closure

Re: Film Office Annual Holiday Closure from Friday, December 24, 2021 at 4pm until Tuesday, January 4th, 2022

The Vancouver Film Office would like to alert the local film industry to our upcoming holiday office closure. The Office will be closed at 4pm Friday, December 24th and will remain closed until Tuesday, January 4th 2022. Regular operational hours will resume at 8am Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.

Over the month of December, we will operating on an overall reduced capacity and permit processing times may take longer than normal.

If you do anticipate filming activity during the month of December or in the first week of January, please ensure you communicate with your assigned film officer to discuss timelines for your submissions and plan accordingly.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me directly at jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca or 604-707-5394

Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season.

Thank you

Sincerely,

Jodie Shebib

Important Changes: 2022 Filming Fees

Announcing 2022 Film Fee Changes:

TSZ costs blending into Daily Permit Fee starting Jan 1, 2022

As part of a recent regulatory redesign of the Street and Traffic By-Law, Vancouver City Council recently approved changes to the fee structure for the use of streets and the creation of temporary no stopping zones.  The new regulation was created primarily with the construction and development sector in mind and if applied to the film industry would result in a significant increase in permit costs for filming.  Fortunately, as part of the redesign, we were able to have film industry fees decoupled from the Street & Traffic by-law to prevent this, or any future Street & Traffic by-law changes, from impacting film permitting fees.

As a result, beginning January 1st, we will stop charging fees from the Street & Traffic By-Law for no stopping zone signage and meter hooding and instead add $300 to cover the average costs for signage labour and material into the daily flat Daily Film Activity Fee, increasing it from $1,000 to $1,300.  For further transparency, over the past 12 months the Film & Special Events Branch has issued 663 street use permits and incurred $210,000 in labour and materials for the installation of no stopping signs related to film permits, which as an average of $317 per permit.  Additionally, this is all inclusive of any inflationary adjustments since the current film permitting fees came into place in 2020.

This change would move us even further along the path of having less complexity in our fee structures and simplifying production’s ability to budget costs on a simple flat rate basis.  We have received nothing but positive feedback on this flat rate approach from local Producers and Location Managers and we believe moving further in this direction will be well received locally.

Additionally, starting January 1st, 2022, the updated daily fee of $1,300 would be fully eligible for the clean energy incentive reduction, reducing the total cost including parking signage to $650.  Currently the additional costs for signage fees is not reduced when a production qualifies for the clean energy incentive.  As a result, qualified productions would realize a net reduction of about $115 to their daily permit costs of $765.34 ($500+$150.51+114.83).

Furthermore, in order to ensure that ultra-low impact productions are not negatively impacted by a fee increase in 2022, we will be increasing the deduction for ultra-low impact production from 80% to 85%.  This will result in a decrease from the current $200/day fee to a discounted fee of $195.

For context this incentive is currently given to about 12% of productions that meet the follow criteria:

·       less than 15 persons

·       minimal equipment

·       minimal parking

·       no traffic control

·       no diesel generator

·       no curfew extension

What happens after Jan 1st, 2022?

When budgeting costs for City of Vancouver film permits productions can use the following new fees:

·       Daily Activity Permit $1300

·       STOP budgeting for separate TSZ signage and hooding fees

·       Apply appropriate incentive reductions (clean energy 50%, Ultra-Low Impact 85%)

The following fees currently in place will continue unchanged in 2022:

·       Lost Meter Revenue:  $600/Downtown $300/not Downtown

·       Late Night/Early Morning Surcharge, $2,000/night (clean energy incentive eligible)

·       VPD call out charges

·       Special work orders and requests billed a costs

Fact Sheet - Clean Energy Incentive

Motion Picture & Television Production Industry

Q: What is the City’s clean energy incentive for film production?

A: The clean energy incentive provides a 50% discount on certain film permitting fees when a production company can reduce their use of generators.

Q: What permit fees is the 50% discount applied to?

A: The discount is applied to the daily permit fee as well as the late night/early morning surcharge. (please visit www.vancouver.ca/film for a list of current fees)

Q: What are the qualification for the incentive?

A: The current qualifications are that at least one curbside diesel generator (400 amp minimum) must be replaced with a clean energy source in order to qualify.  For example, if you would typically require three curbside diesel generators but were able to reduce that to two generators and one clean energy source, you would qualify.

Q: What do you mean by a curbside diesel generator?

A: We are referring to the large diesel generators.  They are usually towable, or mounted on a work truck such as the electrics work truck.

Q: What about smaller portable generators? Does eliminating any of these qualify for the incentive?

A: Eliminating smaller portable generators does not qualify you for the incentive.

Q: What type of clean energy sources can be used to replace a diesel generator? 

A: There are many options currently and more to come in the future, at this time, two of the most common are direct tie-ins to the power grid and large portable battery systems available from companies such as Portable Electric, SIM, and William F White.

Q: Does a tie in for interior filming qualify, for example when filming on a high floor of an office building?

A: Historically tie-ins have always been a part of filming on the high floors of building and does not reduce the use of curbside generators.  This would be considered business as usual and not qualify for the incentive.

Q: I was planning to have two generators, one on each side of a street so that I don’t need to cable across the street; but, if I eliminate one and then cable across the street, does that qualify for the incentive.

A: If it is possible to safely cable across the street then you should.  Contrary to common belief, there is no universal “ban” on cabling across many streets, if it can be done safely, then it should be done.  As permitting conditions are the same regardless of the type of energy source, this would be considered business as usual and not qualify for the incentive.

Help build a clean power network for film production in Vancouver!

The City of Vancouver has embarked on a multi-year initiative to build a Citywide network of industry specific power kiosk at the most commonly used parking and film locations.

The goal is to have a power kiosk within 10 minutes of any film location in the City in the next five years. These sites will primarily be areas that are popular staging locations such as circus parking lots as well as a small number of popular film locations.

It is estimated that when built, these sites could reduce 1/3 of the number of generators used by the local film industry. We also hope that this program can be a catalyst for the broader adoption of other clean energy technology to reduce the remaining 2/3 of generator use.

Open Data & Crowd Sourcing

This is a data driven initiative and highly dependent on usage information and site selection insights from subject matter experts in the industry (You!). For the past 2 years the focus has been on data collection and in late 2020, we joined with Reel Green to expand these efforts with the online and open data platform MapMe.

We are now ready to take it to the next level, crowd sourcing your insights on site selection!

Industry Insights Needed

As industry experts you have insights and perspective that can help make this initiative successful. For example, what locations do you know are popular now, but may not be in the future? Are there sites that should be considered, even if the current statistics don’t indicate high levels of demand?

What can you do?

1. Visit Vancouver.ca/film-clean-energy

2. Explore the generator use data on MapMe

3. Download the fillable PDF to list your top 5 picks

4. Submit the form online or email to film.office@vancouver.ca

Vancouver.ca/film-clean-energy

Filming Impacts to Business Areas: December 7, 2020 to January 3, 2021

Holiday Season 2020 - Street Use Limitations in Commercial Areas

Please note that the City will be limiting the number of street use requests granted in commercial areas from December 7, 2020 to January 3, 2021.

December is historically a busy month for commercial areas with increased traffic to local stores, restaurants and attractions. With an expected increase in demand for street space during the holiday period, these restrictions will be implemented to support businesses.

Please note that this limitation of street use requests does not mean a “ban” on filming or film related activity, only that enhanced pre-filming engagement with impacted businesses and require confirmation of support from the appropriate BIA during this time.

We recognize that there is still the need for critical infrastructure upgrades, utility work and ongoing construction work at development sites throughout the city. Please be advised that time sensitive requests for street use will still be considered. However, the City will weigh and consider all factors before specific street use decisions are made; therefore, efforts should be made at this time to schedule work accordingly. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

Your cooperation will help us facilitate a smooth holiday season for all.

BROADWAY SUBWAY PROJECT

Broadway Subway Impacts on Street Use and Development (2020-2025)

The Broadway Subway Project will extend the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark to Broadway and Arbutus St. Construction is expected to begin in 20202, and the line is expected to be in service by 2025. Early works to prepare for construction of the subway began in Fall 2019.

Street use availability along Broadway and the surrounding area may be impacted to varying degrees during the Broadway Subway construction. Developments at or near future subway stations may be subject to additional design consideration and requirements.

Please note that while staff from the Film and Special Events Branch will continue to endeavor and support filming activity while construction is underway, we ask for additional consideration be paid if filming activity is planned within the shaded area of the map above, and allow for additional time for consultation with the Broadway Subway construction team.

For more information, please visit vancouver.ca/broadwaysubway or contact rapidtrasitoffice@vancouver.ca

Clean Energy Fee Incentive

Productions that demonstrate that they are using clean energy to reduce their reliance on diesel generators may be eligible for 50% off both the daily fee and late surcharge.

The reduction must be meaningful enough that at least one large scale diesel generator (400A or greater) is substituted with a clean energy source; such as a direct electrical tie-in or battery technology. 

** Note: Please inform the Officer assigned to your film project if you feel you qualify for the incentive. You will be asked to demonstrate how you have replaced one or more diesel generators from your fleet.

Vancouver Film Office Online Application System Scheduled Outages

As most of you are aware the City of Vancouver Film Office recently switched to a new online application system. For more information on that, as well as access to tutorials please click here.

The new online application system will be subject to monthly outages in order to update and maintain the system. These outages will range anywhere from approximately 12 to 48 hours in length and will typically be scheduled on weekends or after typical business hours. Information on the next scheduled outage will be displayed on a banner at the top of the homepage. Please ensure you take note of these outages so that you don’t schedule your application on these days.

For your information the next scheduled outages are as follows:

1. Saturday, August 29th, from 7:30am until Sunday, August 30th at 9:30pm.

2. Saturday, September 26th from 7:00am until 7:00pm.

3. Friday, October 16th from 6:30pm until Sunday, October 17th at 7:30pm.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me directly at jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca or 604-707-5394.

Possible service disruptions FASE website and online applications July 30 – Aug 3

Please note that the City will be making updates/upgrades to their website, including the Film Office webpage.  While the majority of the webpage information and links will be accessible, there will be a few broken links while the updates are underway, including ‘Online Applications.’  This change will be in effect as early as Thursday, July 30 through to Sunday, August 3rd.   Our webpage should be up to date with new upgrades, including the new on-line application platform on Monday August 4th.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Film Officer.

A Message from the City's Licencing and Legal Services Offices

!!!!APPLY EARLY!!!!

“The Film Office would like to take this opportunity remind the industry that due to COVID and for safety, the City’s Business Licencing Offices are currently closed for in-person visits, and all applications for Business or Temporary Business applications must be submitted on-line or by email.  In light of the volume and backlog, the processing times for all business applications are longer than usual and can take up to eight (8) weeks.  Members in Locations are encouraged to submit their business applications online as soon as possible in order to allow sufficient approval and processing time for the Licencing Office to issue your business licence.  For additional information and contact info, please visit the Licencing Office website.

An additional reminder that all film productions need to enter into a license agreement with the City, no matter the length of your filming. We only allow filming after this agreement is in place and signed by people in your company with signing authority and your business licence number.” as well as the Legal Services Branch to prepare your Master Filming License Agreement.

2020 Fee Update Announcement

New Film Permit Fees and Incentives for 2020

Effective Tuesday, August 4th the City of Vancouver will be implementing a new fee structure for film permits and parking requests.  These fees are being introduced after significant consultation with film industry leaders through the City’s Motion Picture Leadership Group and follow a presentation of the information below to industry at the MPPIA Virtual Townhall on Friday, June 12th.  A recording of that town hall presentation is available to view on MPPIA’s YouTube page at https://youtu.be/RNzmlmue2EQ

About the Motion Picture Leadership Group

In late 2019, the City’s Motion Picture Leadership Group (MPLG), a City-convened group composed of industry leaders to enable engagement with motion picture industry to collaborate on long term strategic priorities and initiatives; such as simplifying fee structures and making Vancouver one of the greenest productions centers in the world.

About the new fee structure

• A single daily, city-wide permit fee of $1,000

  The need for multiple Film Activity and Street Use Permits on a per-location basis is being discontinued and a single permit fee is being introduced in its place. This flat daily fee of $1,000 will cover an unlimited number of locations and activities during one day of filming, eliminating the need for multiple permits and allowing for more accurate budget forecasting.

• Fixed fees for parking signage and parking-meter hooding

  A fixed-fee structure for parking signage and meter hooding will be introduced, allowing for more accurate preproduction budgeting. Previously costs were variable, with actual cost being disclosed only after filming was complete.  The fixed fees for parking are based on the Engineering Fee Schedule for Temporary Stopping Zones (TSZ) as defined in the Street & Traffic By-law which is updated annually.  For 2020 the fees for TSZ are as follows:

  • For signage production, installation, and removal:     $ 146.13 

  • For meter hooding (when meters are in the zone):     $ 111.49

  *Budget for a TSZ fee to be applied for each location or “zone”; for example if you have a mid-day move these fees will apply at each location used that day; and/or if you have on street staging area for circus or work truck zones, away from the primary filming site, that circus/work truck staging area will require its own TSZ.

• Late-night & early-morning surcharges

  The City is implementing a late-night and early-morning surcharge of $2,000 per occurrence in addition to the daily film permit fee for shoots taking place in residential areas outside of current filming guidelines. This adjustment will better reflect the resident impact and additional administrative costs associated with the activity.  This fee will be applied to any activity in a residential area conducted outside of the standard hours of filming outlined in the City’s filming guidelines.

About the new incentives

• Clean-energy incentives

  To encourage the development and use of clean energy technologies, both the daily activity fee and the late-night activity fee are eligible for a 50 per cent reduction if filming proceeds with a reduced reliance on diesel-fuel generators.   When eligible, this incentive would be applied to both the daily permit fee and the late-night & early morning surcharge.

  To qualify for this incentive a production must meet the following requirements:

• Demonstrable effort to reduce the use of at least one diesel generator each day of filming, which could include the use one or more of the following clean energy alternatives:

  • City of Vancouver power kiosk

  • Private property tie in

  • Alternative clean tech, such as battery or hydrogen technology

• Ultra-low impact activity incentive

  Ultra-low impact filming, such as still shoots, short films, documentaries, music videos, b-rolls, and splinter units will receive an 80 per cent reduction on the flat daily rate.

  To qualify for this incentive a production must meet the follow requirements:

  • less than 15 persons

  • minimal equipment

  • minimal parking

  • no traffic control

  • no diesel generator

  • no curfew extension

Next Steps

This new fee structure for permits is just one step toward making Vancouver production easier for filmmakers. These changes will be implemented concurrently with a new online permitting system which is expected to take place on Tuesday August 4th.  Updates to the City’s web pages on filming will also be updated at that time.

Please see our other blog post regarding how we will manage any productions that have permit requests in the pipeline when we transition to the new fee structure.

Vancouver Film Office COVID-19 Notice

This memo is intended to provide information to our stakeholders regarding film permits in the COVID-19 environment.

The Film and Special Events (FASE) branch is currently open with film officers working remotely and available to process film permits weekdays from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

We would like to alert the film industry that our permit processing times have increased. In order to avoid disappointment please allow for double the amount of time needed in the pre COVID-19 environment – up to 2 full weeks. Please check with the officer assigned to your file for information specific to your situation.

We are still requiring the use of our notification and polling template letters (click here for downloadable PDF samples), however we are suggesting that productions include COVID-19 specific wording in the “Film activities include” section near the top of the page, or provide an addendum to the letter with additional information on your production’s COVID-19 protocols if appropriate. Should you choose to include the information in the body of your letter we suggest the following: “(INSERT PRODUCTION COMPANY/PRODUCTION NAME) will be ensuring that all Provincial Health, Worksafe BC and industry standard safety protocols related to COVID-19 are in place at all times on set.” We understand that this situation is constantly evolving and will be providing updates to the industry when appropriate. We look forward to issuing more permits in the coming weeks and thank you all for considering Vancouver for your film production.

See example below:

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me directly at jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca or 604-707-5394.

Vancouver Film Office COVID19 Office Hours

This memo is intended to provide information to our stakeholders regarding film services available at the Vancouver Film and Special Events (FASE) branch during the Covid 19 Pandemic.

The FASE branch is currently open with staff working remotely and available to respond to inquiries from our stakeholders.

We defer to Federal, Provincial and City legislation/orders regarding physical distancing and other public health measures. Currently these measures present significant challenges for most motion picture and television production; however, if there is a proposal that that is believed could comply we will make all possible efforts to consider applications on a case-by-case basis.

We recognise that this is a challenging time for our industry and look forward to working with you as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me directly at jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca, or 604-707-5394.

City of Vancouver Location Holds During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this memo is to clarify the Vancouver Film and Special Event (FASE) office’s position regarding location checks and holds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Film Office will not be taking additional location holds until the current ban on large gatherings of people is lifted. Once this ban is lifted we will accept holds based on the following criteria:

1.     Productions with previous holds in locations will be given first priority to renew these holds in the same order which they are currently listed in the FASE calendar.

2.     Productions with current season re-occurring locations will be given first priority to re-book those locations.

3.     All other locations will be subject to the regular hold and check processes.

It is important to note that we cannot guarantee the availability of locations previously booked. There may be other factors including other City projects, seasonal restrictions or other conflicts that would prevent filming.

The FASE office will endeavor to provide as much notice as possible when we are ready to accept location holds again. Once we provide this notice there will be further instructions including deadlines for previous holds and re-occurring locations to lock down their requests before forfeiting them.

We recognize that this is a challenging time for our industry and look forward to issuing film permits as soon as possible. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact Jodie Shebib directly at jodie.shebib@vancouver.ca or 604-707-5394.