That Council direct Staff to provide $30,000 in service funding to Island North Film Commission for 2026.
to move that. We provide the $30,000 requested in this funding request? I don't want to belabor this too much. We've debated this at the regional district of Nanaimo. I think it's unfortunate that. The regional district didn't support this because I think regional district benefits. From the activity that infilm is engaged in. Looking at their letter. It's 250,000,000. $250,000,000? A quarter billion dollars in economic activity. Since infilm has been engaged in promoting. This region for the film industry. And. I actually like to ask staff because I know they have some numbers around. Supporting infilm in the Yeah. I know that we supported infilm in the past as a city, and I think that given the shortfall in the funding. It's a small organization. The loss of $50,000. Means the loss of staff to them. And they do good work. And we've had a letter from. The executive director of the tourism board and. We've had a letter from the CEO of the Denial Prosperity Corporation, both of whom say that this is good value for the dollar that we would be spending, so. I would just hope that. We can find a way to support infilm to carry on doing the work that they do. Promoting the island to the film industry as a nonprofit organization.
Thank you very much, Councilor Armstrong. Yeah, I'll be supporting this here. I asked for. This at the RDN because I believe the cities were the ones who actually profited far more than the regional district or the electoral areas, and I think we can show a definite benefit. To
You, your worship, I have some problems with this. When I went to do. Some research on it when we got the letter. The website does not actually talk about where their funding comes from and how they spend the money that comes in. It also doesn't talk about how they're looking towards. A sustainable funding model, which they do talk about in their third paragraph. It is not that I would be voting against this on its face value, but without having the executive director Joan Miller come to the council table without hearing more. I can't vote in favor of it at this time. And I would hope that we would leave this for a council meeting and have her come and. Talk to us about what they do with the money, where it's from. They're not even listed on CRA as far as a charitable organization. So as a nonprofit that did surprise me. So I just want to know more about them before I agree to giving $30,000. Because normally that would go through. Our grants