The Canada Media Fund is a not-for-profit corporation that supports content creation for television and other digital platforms. This year, the CMF will deliver 350M$ in funding. Through the Experimental Stream, the CMF will encourage the development of leading-edge, interactive, digital media content and software applications. Through the Convergent Stream, the CMF will support the creation of innovative, convergent television and digital media content for consumption by Canadians anytime, anywhere.

http://www.cmf-fmc.ca/index.php?&page_mode=create#

February 4, 2010 - VANCOUVER - The British Columbia government announced Wednesday changes to the provincial tax credit system that gives the video game industry its first major tax credit and sweetens B.C.’s labour tax credit for the film and television industry.

The credits, announced by Finance Minister Colin Hansen and Kevin Krueger, Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Arts, provide for a new BC Interactive Digital Media tax credit of 17.5 per cent of labour costs in the development of video games. It also sweetens the labour tax credit for foreign producers, raising it to 33 per cent from 25 per cent. The qualified labour expenditure cap rises from 48 to 60 per cent, and the digital animation and visual effects tax credit rises 2.5 per cent, from 15 to 17.5 per cent.

Aside from raising the labour cap, there was no improvement for indigenous film producers making Canadian projects.

The changes, subject to approval by the legislature, would apply to productions with principal photography beginning after Feb. 28 of this year. The Interactive Media tax credit applies to video game development projects that begin after Aug. 31, 2010.

The B.C. film and television industry employs more than 20,000 people and production spending in 2008 was worth $1.2 billion. Figures for 2009 have not been released.

SOURCE: http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/increases+film+production+credit/2518958/story.html

Hours of Liquor Service for Food Primary Licensed Establishments (Restaurants)

On October 8, 2009, Council approved a bylaw amendment establishing new regulations for Food Primary licensed establishments. Under the new regulations, licensees may apply for a permanent amendment to their hours of liquor service, as outlined in this section.

View the agenda and minutes of the October 8th meeting, including a video of the proceedings.

» New Regulations
» Application Process
» Contacts

New Regulations

Hours of liquor service

• The bylaw amendment establishes the following hours of liquor service in restaurants:
  • 1 am closing time Sunday through Thursday; and
    2 am closing time Friday and Saturday
• A half-hour tolerance period, after which drinks must be removed from tables, applies.
• Restaurants that have existing closing times later than 1 am on weekdays and 2 am on weekends must adopt the new closing times by December 31, 2009.

New Operating Regulations

• The bylaw amendment establishes the following new operating regulations:
  • During all hours of allowable liquor service, restaurants must offer the full restaurant menu to customers;
  • During all hours of allowable liquor service, restaurants must ensure that at least 50% of sales at the restaurant in any eight hour period are for food; and
  • Restaurants must keep sales receipts for all sales of food and liquor for at least one year, and show them to the Inspector upon request.

Consolidated Business Licence Classifications

• The bylaw amendment consolidates business licence requirements for licensed restaurants.
• Licensed restaurants no longer need both a Dining Lounge and Restaurant (Class 1 or Class 2) business licence. Now, licensed restaurants only need either a Restaurant Class 1 with Liquor business licence, or, for those that offer patron participation entertainment (such as dancing and/or karaoke), a Restaurant Class 2 with Liquor business licence.

Increased Business Licence Fees

• The bylaw amendment increases the 2010 business licence fee for licensed restaurants by $3.00 per seat, and by a 4% inflationary increase.
• The 2010 business licence fees for a Restaurant Class 1 or 2 with Liquor are as follows:
  • New licence: $686.00 plus $8.00 per seat
  • Renewal: $636.00 plus $8.00 per seat
• The new fees will appear on the 2010 business licence renewal forms

MOTION ON NOTICE

Encourage and Expand Performance Venues

Moved by: Councillor Heather Deal

WHEREAS a thriving creative sector is vital to the continuing economic and cultural
success of Vancouver, and

WHEREAS live performance venues for music, theatre, literary, visual and media arts
make up a part of that creative sector, and

WHEREAS Vancouver has the highest percentage of its workforce in cultural industries
among Canadian city-regions, and

WHEREAS local artists and entrepreneurs face a variety of challenges in opening and
operating performance venues including (but not limited to) fire code and building
codes, liquor license by-laws, zoning restrictions and start-up costs, and

WHEREAS many of these challenges are identified in the Cultural Facilities Priorities
Plan,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

A. City Council direct staff, in consultation with the Cultural Facilities Advisory

Team, to convene a Round Table to provide advice on;
• Opportunities and options for enabling the creation and sustainable
operation of live performance venues,
• Current barriers to the creation and operation of live performance venues;
• Solutions to address the barriers for the creation of performance spaces in
nontraditional venues and locations (art galleries, retail stores, etc.)
• Potential impact of liquor by-laws and Special Occasion Licenses on
performance venues and suggestions for requested changes to liquor by-
laws,

B. Council direct staff to consult relevant City departments to identify base life-
safety standards, issues/barriers and recommended solutions for enabling the
development of live performance venues, in particular small and medium sized
independently owned venues, and

C. Staff report back to Council by the 2009 summer break with a plan for
implementation of recommendations based on A and B above, including
immediate actions.

http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20090505/regu20090505ag.htm