Film crew vehicles and trailers on Nicola Street West in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Ken Nicholson

A new bylaw in Kamloops setting the table for filming permits signals the growth of the industry within the city. 

With the growth of the industry, however, comes the need to regulate what production companies can and can't do within Kamloops.

A Kamloops resident in the West End area expressed his concerns to city council after a film production next to his house had diesel generators rumbling overnight, sending fumes into his bedroom.

"What I saw was unhealthy. It wasn't safe. It was just totally unregulated," Ken Nicholson told iNFOnews.ca.

Along with the generators, his small, dead-end street was nearly filled with vehicles from film workers limiting parking in the area. He was also concerned about the garbage and its potential to attract bears.

Nicholson said he was told by filming employees near his home that they were attracted to Kamloops because it is cheaper and less restrictive to work in compared to other cities.

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His pleas to the city were not only about his experience, but to ask for the permitting process to be more transparent and to take public concerns into account.

"I don't want to see Kamloops labelled as the cheapest place to make movies, I want to see Kamloops labelled as the best place to make movies," Nicholson said.

City council adopted the permit bylaw on Oct. 5, but the details of what a permit would look like and what costs would be for a film production were slim.

According to City of Kamloops's external relations liaison, Sarah Candido, that lack of specific detail was intentional.

"A piece is missing, which is the procedures piece," Candido said. "Those procedures can vary and we don't want to keep bringing those things to council."

Candido said a city lawyer recommended the fee structure be separated from the details of the procedure so the bylaw doesn't have to be changed over time as the film industry grows and evolves in Kamloops.

Those details are still being worked out as Kamloops staff meets with staff in other B.C. municipalities, like Kelowna and Vancouver, who have experience working with production companies.

Nine movies and TV shows have chosen Kamloops for a shooting location in 2021, more than any other previous year. While that's extremely small compared to other cities, like Vancouver or Langley, Candido said the city needs to meet those needs with this permitting process as the demand grows.

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As for Nicholson's concerns, Candido has seen his letter and said all complaints from the public will be logged so they can be taken into account for future changes to the permitting process. She added that the film crew followed all regulations the city required them to follow while in the West End area, including parking limits.

"We want to have a good industry, but we also want the public to be happy. In the city, the public comes first," she said. "The majority of feedback from neighbourhoods was really positive, but I don't want someone to have that negative experience."

Under the new bylaw, a for-profit production company will be required to pay $125 for the permit and a security deposit, which can vary "depending on the scope and risk" of the shoot, Candido said. This includes safety risks or potential damage to infrastructure.

Production companies will also pay $75 per hour for city staff assistance. Candido said, for example, a parks department employee could be called to remove a sign blocking a shot at a local park, and the city would use those fees to recover the costs for two employees - one employee to remove the sign and another to take care of the work the other would normally be doing.

None of the film permit fees cover other fees like park usage or parking costs on city streets, because those are already taken care of in their respective departments.

At the Oct. 5 council meeting, two councillors, Denis Walsh and Bill Sarai, opposed the bylaw adoption.

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Walsh asked council to postpone the vote in order to take more time to examine the issue before giving his approval, citing the concerns Nicholson put forth in his letter.

Mayor Ken Christian, however, said Nicholson's concerns would be addressed through the process of adopting the bylaw and regulating productions in Kamloops.

In a 6 - 2 vote, the bylaw was adopted and more details on the actual procedures of the filming permitting process are expected at the Oct. 19 council meeting.

Coun. Mike O'Reilly was not present at the meeting and did not vote.

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