The Film Tax Credit Saga

Nova Scotia is a great place to make films.
Over the last 15 years or so, many of the big players, such as

CBS and Disney, have come here to produce excellent feature films, TV series and a host of world-famous childrens animated shows, such as 'Inspector Gadget.'
They are impressed with what we offer: beautiful scenery, teams of well-trained and hard-working actors and technicians and state-of-the-art production facilities.
And, excellent food services.
One of the major rules in film production -- anywhere -- is that the catering service has to be top-notch. Here, it’s GREAT!
The Nova Scotia government had provided a $24-million financial catalyst called the Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit, which allowed the production companies to write off a good portion of their costs.
The film industry here is worth $150 million annually, and supports 2,700 full-time jobs.
Our family has an important connection here: our nephew, Chris, has been active in the local film business for several years, having worked recently on such productions as: CBS Movies of the Week, the 'Jessie Stone' series, with Tom Selleck, 'The Book of Negroes,' 'Lizzie Borden,' and even 'The Trailer Park Boys.'
But, this spring, the time of budgets and bean-counters,

If you like sports …

Spring is a great time for a sports fan, because there is so much going on.
Let's have a look at some of the sports in my orbit:

- - Cricket, yes cricket: The World Cup has just wrapped up in Melbourne, Australia; the title was one by New Zealand. I watched the highlights of the final match, which showed had some Great plays! Australia overwhelmed New Zealand to win the World Cup for a fifth time at an ecstatic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- - Hockey: the Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight; of course, Toronto Maple Leafs didn't make it (again!!), but quite a number of Canadian teams did: Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and, of course, my Montreal Canadiens, who will face Ottawa Senators in the first round.