Film bylaw smacks of censorship, industry rep says

An Ottawa film industry representative says the city's new approval process for productions smacks of censorship and needs to be clarified.

A draft bylaw under consideration by the city of Ottawa aiming to streamline the approval of film productionscould lead to censorship if it is not clarified, says an industry representative.

The controversial clause reads: "The applicant shall not permit anything that may, directly or indirectly, injure the name or reputation of the City."

Productions may be told that they can't film here because of censorship, and that's sort of a very grey area and needs a lot more clarity.- Ken Stewart, Ottawa Film Office advisory committee

Ken Stewart, the co-chair of the Ottawa Film Office (OFO) advisory committee, fears theclause could give the city the power to cancel productions it deems harmful to its image.

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"Productions may be told that they can't film here because of censorship, and that's sort of a very grey area and needs a lot more clarity," Stewart told Ottawa Morning host Robyn Bresnahan on Monday.

Clause too broad, industry says

Stewart, who also runs a film production company, saidthat without further qualification, the clause could give the city broad powers to refuse permits to all kinds of films anythingfrom documentaries to fictional movies that somehow cast the city in a bad light.

"When it's subjective like that someone could decide, 'Well we don't want Ottawa to be known as a place to have crimes or has crimes, so let's not film this,'"Stewart said.

"I don't know if it's intentional [but] the way it's written could certainly mean that," he said.

Including this clause in the bylaw detracts from what the industry otherwise regards as a necessary update that would streamline the permitting process and make Ottawa a more film-friendly destination, Stewartsaid.

Ottawa's film, television and animation industry contributes approximately $100 million each year to the city's economy, according to the Ottawa Film Office, a non-profit, arms-length agency representing the film industry.

In an email to CBC sent Monday afternoon and attributed to economic development officer Jamie Hurst, the city said the proposed bylaw "is intended to grow and support the industry, not limit it."

According to the email,clause in question refers to Ottawa the corporate entity, not the city per se.

Industry requested regulatory reforms

It was the OFO that requested in spring 2018 that the city update the bylaw to attract more investment.

The proposed bylaw would require anyone wanting to film on city property or requiring city services to apply for a film permit. It would also establish a "one-stop shop" model for approving and troubleshooting film projects that will be run by the city's Event Central unit.

Stewart said one of the main problems for film producers is parking. Under the current process, he said, even if a company has city approval to block off a road for filming, vehicles associated with the production could still get ticketed by bylaw enforcement officers.

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Under the proposed bylaw, people applying for film permits can requestcertain areas at or near filming sites be designated for parking.

The city said it consulted with local industry groups, researched bylaws in other Canadian cities, and consulted experts on best practices to come up with the draft bylaw. The draft was posted online at the beginning of the month and is open for feedback from residents until Thursday.

After that, city staff will present a report to council's community and protective services committee before it goes for consideration by the full council.

The city expects the bylaw to come into effect on April1, 2020.