A Chatham-Kent native who was hired to grow the film and television industry in the municipality has left.
Chatham-Kent Director of Economic Development Services Stuart McFadden is reporting Ashley Renders, who started as the Economic Development Officer and Liaison with the FLiCK office (Filming Locally in Chatham-Kent) in March 2024, left two months later to pursue private sector opportunities.
Renders' role was to investigate and research the potential for Chatham-Kent to become a film industry destination, but McFadden said it became evident very early to her that the position became redundant after the municipality joined the Film Incentive Coalition of Ontario (FICO) consortium.
Renders previously told CK News Today she was trying to get government financial incentives and tax credits for smaller communities like Chatham-Kent, calling it a regional bonus to get film crews that would usually film in Toronto, Montreal, and the United States to film in Chatham-Kent.
It's the same work being done by FICO.
McFadden said smaller film and television productions are still coming to Chatham-Kent and will be handled by Economic Development Services and Special Events in the future and the FLiCK office.
He noted under the current tax regime, the majority of productions have no incentive whatsoever to leave the Toronto area, which puts smaller municipalities at a significant disadvantage.
"In fact, the Ontario tax credit, as it stands, makes it almost impossible for Chatham-Kent to attract productions of significant value. The Municipality may attract the odd production that is looking for a specific location (e.g. farmer’s fields or the historic jail) but these will not move the needle on the economy," he wrote in his update going before Chatham-Kent Council Monday night.
The FLiCK office was launched in July 2023 to offer film production companies a range of services to support their projects, including location scouting, permit assistance, and access to local crews, talent, and equipment.