Directors Guild Of Canada BC Strike Deadline Passes, But Due To A Quirk In Canadian Law, All Filming Continues
deadline.comThe Directors Guild of Canada BC’s strike deadline has now passed. Asked if the guild is on strike, a spokesperson told Deadline that “the answer isn’t as simple” in British Columbia, where in 2008 the BC Labor Board imposed safe harbor agreements upon the industry to provide for labor stability during collective bargaining.
In any case, film and TV production continues unabated in the province.Taking advantage of this quirk in Canadian law, every film and TV show currently in production in British Columbia has signed a safe harbor agreement, allowing them to go on shooting as long as they abide by its terms.
If and when a collective bargaining agreement is ultimately reached, they’ll have to abide by its terms as well. But as of 3:10 this afternoon, the guild said it will now take “labor action” against any production not covered by a safe harbor agreement.
So far, however, there aren’t any that haven’t signed. Filming isn’t affected anywhere else in Canada, either. In Toronto, which like British Columbia is also a major filming destination, directors and their crews are represented by a different DGC district council, which has its own separate contracts and is not threatening a work stoppage.When contract talks stalled for the last time, the DGC BC issued a “strike notice” on Tuesday at 3:10 pm. “Since that time,” the spokesperson said, “no further safe harbor agreements have been signed.
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