Film production in Canada
Canada is covered here with 10 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 9h 31min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Locations at a glance
The table shows June and December daylight for each location — the two numbers a schedule hinges on across the year.
| Location | Daylight June | Daylight December | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | 17h 01min | 7h 30min | 9h 31min |
| Calgary | 16h 31min | 7h 56min | 8h 35min |
| Winnipeg | 16h 19min | 8h 07min | 8h 12min |
| Vancouver | 16h 13min | 8h 13min | 8h 00min |
| Victoria | 16h 05min | 8h 20min | 7h 45min |
| Montreal | 15h 40min | 8h 44min | 6h 56min |
| Ottawa | 15h 39min | 8h 44min | 6h 55min |
| Halifax | 15h 33min | 8h 50min | 6h 43min |
| Toronto | 15h 25min | 8h 57min | 6h 28min |
| Hamilton | 15h 22min | 9h 00min | 6h 22min |
What that means for planning
Edmonton has the widest swing at 9h 31min, Hamilton the narrowest at 6h 22min. The wider the spread, the more a schedule has to differ between summer and winter — same setup count, different hours to fit it in.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Edmonton sets at 16:15, with golden hour starting as early as 15:07. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Film incentives and rebates
Since 2025 British Columbia returns 36 % of BC labour costs, on top of the federal credit. Vancouver's timezone and proximity to L.A. make it the streamers' service hub; the labour credit rewards long post/VFX pipelines (Sony Imageworks, DNEG).
What that means in practice depends on the qualifying share: on a €1m budget with 65 % qualifying spend, the 36 % rate returns roughly €234,000. Provided without warranty. Permit and incentive conditions change; the responsible authority is always the binding source.
- British Columbia PSTC (Canada): 36 % of qualifying spend (as of 2025-01, creativebc.com)
- Ontario OPSTC (Canada): 21.5 % of qualifying spend (as of 2025-01, ontariocreates.ca)
As of: 2025-01 · Source: creativebc.com
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in Canada are covered here?
10. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Canada has the longest shooting days?
In June, Edmonton with 17h 01min of daylight. In December that drops to 7h 30min.
When is the best time to shoot in Canada?
On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.