Oakville's Centennial Pool, which was decommissioned in 2020, has now become a popular filming location in the town.
The facility was recently given a Standing Set Accreditation from the provincial government’s film commission, Ontario Creates.
This new accreditation enables eligible productions that are using Centennial Pool as a filming location to receive the Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) at 21.5 per cent of qualifying expenses.
This tax credit is jointly administered by Ontario Creates and the Canada Revenue Agency. Centennial's most recent classification as a “location” capped filming tax credits at five per cent.
Right now, Centennial Pool is Ontario’s only dedicated water tank for filming, after having undergone significant improvements by production companies that were renting the facility so they could meet industry needs.
Economic Development’s Oakville Film unit successfully acquired the new accreditation for the pool in the fall of 2024, during the second year of a three-year Film Pilot Project.
The greater tax credit incentive for available filming productions makes the Town of Oakville a more desirable filming destination to help encourage production companies to scope out other existing locations throughout the town for any of their upcoming projects.