Delay Closure of Cinespace's Pier 28 Studios

TEDCO has issued a notice to Cinespace Film Studios that Marine Terminal 28 at 175 Queen's Quay East must be vacated by February 21, 2007. This will have a devastating impact on the film and television production industry in Toronto.

At a time when the film industry is desperately trying to make a comeback, this closing will leave us immediately short 140,000 square feet of valuable studio and production office space. Our losses - which will be thousands of jobs and countless millions of dollars - will be the gain of other locales far from here.

The City should intercede to allow the studios at 175 Queens Quay East to remain open for a minimum of 18 months so that some replacement space can be made available. The Portlands Studio will still not be ready for another year at best, and the industry simply needs time to properly plan for the loss of such a large piece of our region's, our industry's, critical infrastructure.

After 12 years at the Marine Terminal, and far longer elsewhere in our city, Cinespace continues to be a dependable, reputable stalwart in our industry. Under these circumstances, and given that several film productions are counting on this important facility being available in 2007, a 2-month notice period is simply ludicrous.

We the Undersigned agree that our City should sustain their support of the film industry by providing 18 more months, then by working to relocate these important film studios. We can't afford to lose this facility, those jobs, our competitive position.