The City of St. Catharines is receiving praise from peers from across the country for its exceptional work promoting St. Catharines as a destination for film, TV, and streaming production to capitalize on the recent unprecedented growth of the industry in Ontario.
FilmSTC.ca earned top honours for excellence in the Digital Marketing - Website category at the Economic Developers Association of Canada’s (EDAC) 2023 Marketing Canada Awards. An esteemed panel made up of a diverse group of economic development professionals with marketing and promotion expertise recognized the City’s leadership and noted the project's effective branding and clear purpose that resulted in an easy-to-navigate experience.
"This Marketing Canada Award is a great honour and reflects the commitment of our team’s work to foster economic growth through innovation and collaboration,” said Mayor Mat Siscoe. “St. Catharines continues to lead with innovation and remains dedicated to building a brighter future for our community through initiatives such as filmSTC.ca."
Each year, EDAC recognizes and celebrates economic development professionals across the country for excellence in promoting their communities and furthering their economic development priorities. filmSTC serves as the St. Catharines film office and the City launched the award-winning filmSTC.ca in December 2022 to enhance the its film services’ digital presence showcasing the diverse amenities available in the comunity for film production. Highlighting the concierge service offered to productions choosing St. Catharines for location filming, the website makes information about the City’s film policy, permit applications, incentives, and other resources accessible.
“We are grateful for this recognition; it’s an affirmation the programs and initiatives the City implements are creatively and strategically showcasing St. Catharines as among the best in the country,” said Brian York, director of economic development and government relations. “Our talented team is involved in a number of initiatives to attract new investment to our community, support existing businesses and entrepreneurs, promote tourism, and more.”
EDAC is Canada’s national organization of economic developers pursuing excellence in the field since 1968. With more that 1,000 members, EDAC delivers a comprehensive program of: professional development, including Canada’s nationally recognized industry designation; networking and information sharing opportunities with a national perspective; and tools and resources for economic development in Canada.