Olivia Chow has a model starship in her office.
It's the USS Toronto, a Parliament-class ship a little bigger than his hand. An accompanying plaque bears a quote from her husband, Jack Layton, who died in 2011.
“Always have a dream that will last a lifetime,” it reads.
Layton, a former federal NDP leader, was a “Star Trek” fan.
Chow, the Toronto mayor, says her fandom began in the 1960s, when she was still living in Hong Kong.
I remember watching Star Trek: The Original SeriesThen known simply Star TrekEvery day after school, together Batman and Mission: Impossible.
Chow arrived in Canada in the 1970s.
“I remember Captain Kirk's yellow uniform,” she says of the iconic character played by Canadian actor William Shatner.
Today, Chow leads a city that has become a second home Star Trek suffrage
Star Trek: DiscoveryIt premiered on CBS All Access in June 2017 and ran for five seasons, filmed east of the downtown Distillery District at Pinewood Toronto Studios.
During its final season of production, one of Pinewood Toronto's sound stages was renamed the Star Trek Stage in honor of the studio's association with the sci-fi franchise. The stage is 1,672 square meters, slightly larger than an NHL rink.
upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy The series on Paramount Plus — already renewed for a second season — is also shooting at Pinewood, as is the movie Star Trek: Episode 31Released on January 24th and starring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh.
Star Trek: Strange New WorldsA spinoff of inventionFilmed at CBS Film Studios in Mississauga, west of Toronto.
Several factors brought Star Trek to Toronto, experts say
John Webber, president and CEO of Toronto-based Tech 5 Productions, says several factors forced CBS, which falls under the Paramount corporate umbrella, to bring it on. Star Trek Answer, including a familiarity with the Canadian market.
“It's not one factor. It's kind of a whole ecosystem of factors that make film and television jurisdictions strong,” says Weber, an executive producer. invention and Strange New Worlds.
The local industry also has a depth, diversity and level of talent not always seen elsewhere, he says.
“A lot of jurisdictions around the world might have two or three teams and if a fourth show comes to that city, they might not get the best team,” Weber says, referring to people like camera operators, gaffers and art directors.
Ontario's film commissioner says the province offers a variety of locations.
“We're really excited about it Star Trek “We've used many locations across the province, including places like Stelco in Hamilton and quarries in search of conservation areas and interesting, other global locations,” says Justin Cutler, whose office falls under the Ontario provincial government agency.
The Greater Toronto Area has played host to many major television and film productions.
Horror movies this and This: Chapter TwoBased on the novel by Stephen King, it was shot in and around Toronto, including the nearby communities of Port Hope and Oshawa. Clown Pennywise's sewer layer was made of pinewood.
expansionwhich aired on Syfy and later Prime Video, and superhero shows the boysAnother Amazon property, both shot in Toronto. Roy Thomson Hall, a downtown concert venue known for its curved glass roof, looks like the headquarters of the United Nations in one and the Manhattan home of a powerful corporation in the other.
for Prime Video's action crime drama ReacherThe fake city was built on a farm in Pickering, Ont. — complete with a diner, police station, town square and more — to serve as Margrave's fictional rural Georgia community.
Toronto icons including the CN Tower, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Eaton Center appeared in one episode. Strange New Worlds Aired in June 2023.
The province also has more than 353,000 square meters of studio space, the vast majority of which is in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario Creates' 2023 report states. That number is set to grow to around 600,000 square meters by 2026.
By comparison, Los Angeles has about 700,000 square meters of sound stages, says a February 2024 report from real estate firm CBRE.
Provincial and federal governments also offer tax incentives that Cutler says are highly competitive.
The city's film office is a 'one-stop shop', says Meyer
Toronto's film office, which Chow calls a “one-stop shop,” plays a key role in attracting productions to the city.
The city's film commissioner and director of the entertainment industry, Margaret Piggott, is at the helm.
Pigot is not surprised Star Trek has found a home in Toronto, along with many other major productions in the region, including TV shows The Handmaid's Tale From Hulu, Netflix Umbrella Academy and the 2016 superhero movie Suicide Squad.
“That's how good we are, and LA knows it and the world knows it, so they shoot here,” says Pigott.
“I don't know how much Toronto knows this, and that's part of our job.”
The mayor of Toronto is thrilled Star Trek Seems to have lived in the city for a long time.
“It creates a huge number of jobs, economic benefits in the millions and millions of dollars, so it's absolutely wonderful and we're going to be blessed, right?” Chow says, giving a Vulcan salute with her left hand.
“We will all live longer and prosper.”
