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Dave Cooper, left, signs a petition calling on the city to reverse its ban on Phos-Chek, a moss used as artificial snow in film and television productions, as Daralynn's Angelo and Kathleen Cutsey watch it Sunday in North Bay .
PJ Wilson / the nugget
North Bay "could just as well send all that money on Highway 11" after the city banned the use of a chemical commonly used by the film industry to create the artificial snow, according to a group that fights against the ban.
"Some of us depend on (the film industry) to varying degrees," Daralynn D'Angelo said Sunday after the city banned the use of Phos-Chek foam.
Dr. Angelo said that eight movies dedicated to television, as well as two television series – Carter and Cardinal – had grossed more than $ 22 million in 2017, and that shut the door to the use of foam could cost the city. and exposure.
Last week, Tanya Bedard, a city economic development officer, confirmed to a letter to all producers informing her that the use of Phos-Chek foam was now banned in the city.
"After careful consideration, it was determined that the use of this substance could have negative environmental and ecological impacts," Bédard said in an email.
"Therefore, the use of foam is not allowed to be rejected because of the inherent risks of entering the city's storm sewers and local sensitive receptors."
She says the information has also been updated in the city's filming guidelines and will be shared with all future productions.
According to the group, at least one shoot was moved to Sudbury due to the ban.
Bedard said the city is encouraging production companies to meet with the economic development office during the production planning phase to explore simulated snow alternatives that meet the needs of their projects.
"Where are the Environmental Impact Assessments?" Asked Mike O'Neil.
He explained that the moss, a variant of which is used in the fight against forest fires, is highly diluted and that, according to research he conducted with other members of the group, "if it is not ingested in large quantities ", it will have no effect on health. people or animals.
It's also the "greenest" product used to create artificial snow, D'Angelo said.
She added that North Bay "is the only city in Ontario to have banned this practice" and one of the few cities in North America to have targeted foam.
"Why did North Bay do that?" She asked. "It took us a simple day to find the facts.
Phos-Chek is a short-term clbad A foam firewall.
Lucas Benning, a special effects technician who has been working with the product for more than 10 years, says Phos-Chek is what would have been the target of wildfires in northern Ontario last summer. He says that it meets all environmental standards and that it is widely used throughout the industry.
Benning says that he is not aware of his ban elsewhere and suggests that it is the most "benign" product of its kind, noting that other brands of Clbad A foam have not been tested as rigorously.
It also notes that foam is highly diluted when used on film sets and that such tests have been conducted for fire-fighting purposes at much higher concentrations.
Mark Campbell of Perimeter Solutions, maker of Phos-Chek, explains that the product has been approved for use in North America as a result of extensive testing by the US Department of Agriculture. (USDA).
A former long-time employee of Saskatchewan's forest fire management industry, Campbell said he literally dumped millions of gallons of moss on wildfires over the course of his career.
"It's kind of benign," he says, pointing out that the mix used by the film industry is about 200 times more diluted than the one used to fight fires.
"This came straight from the blue," said Marla Hayes. "I am shocked about it. We can not afford to do that. "
Hayes, a screenwriter, said the loss of movie shoots such as Carter, which was approved for a second season, and the subsequent filming of the Cardinal detective drama, would have a serious economic impact on the region.
Hallmark TV films also inject money and jobs into the local economy.
"Hallmark loves our downtown," she said, fearing that these productions would be transferred to other communities, leaving North Bay cold.
North Bay Councilor Mike Anthony, re-elected in the October 22 municipal election, said he had contacted city staff to try to find a solution to the problem.
"I am convinced that the staff are doing what they should do at this stage," he said. He has "contacted the Director General and the Director General of the DDE to see what we can do."
The North Bay Cinema Lovers group has started a petition at https://www.thepetitionsite.com/319/510/463/reconsider-the-ban-on-artificial-snow-for-movie -business / to urge the city to reconsider the ban.
The group also hopes to hold a rally at the North Bay City Hall to fight the ban, while committing to work with the city on the issue.
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