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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Cinespace Film Studios Relocates Operations to Ports Toronto, Canada

03/05/2018
Cinespace Film Studios signed a multi-year lease with PortsToronto to occupy and develop Marine Terminal 51 and the Cruise Ship Terminal into film and TV production facilities at the Port of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Marine Terminal 51 will become a new hub for Cinespace's downtown productions, relocating studio capacity from their former Eastern Avenue site. Cinespace's Toronto studio facilities are known for housing award-winning productions such as TV series The Handmaid's Tale, and Oscar-nominated movie, The Shape of Water.

"Toronto's film industry has great potential for further growth and success," said Steve Mirkopoulos, President & CEO of Cinespace. "The Cinespace family is proud to move on phase two of our multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment and intensification initiative.”

“The new Marine Terminal studio complex will feature 165,000 square feet of production space that both relocates and enhances capacity recently displaced, and most importantly keeps it inside Toronto's strategically important studio district,” he added.

Cinespace's film and television production activities will occupy Marine Terminal 51 and a portion of the Cruise Ship Terminal. It will not affect or displace industrial port operations and cruise ship activities that will continue unabated on PortsToronto's property.

"We are pleased to have signed a lease agreement with Cinespace and be in a position to support a successful Canadian company, a burgeoning local film industry and the City of Toronto's vision for the Port Lands as an important economic district," said Geoffrey Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, PortsToronto.

"The Port of Toronto continues to be a significant import centre bringing approximately 2.2 million metric tonnes of bulk cargo such as sugar, salt, aggregate and construction materials to the city in 2017, as well as supporting a growing passenger cruise ship business,” he added. “However, after careful study of current operations and future needs for the Port, it was confirmed that our marine terminals property could also accommodate new studio space in some of its existing buildings. Full utilization of PortsToronto's holdings is a priority and we are pleased to be welcoming Cinespace to our property and supporting this important economic sector."

"Hearing the clear and recurring requests from Toronto's repeat film clients for more studio space in our city, we asked every agency in Toronto to audit their inventories for large sites that could be leased to the film industry," said Toronto Mayor John Tory.

"I am gratified today that PortsToronto and Toronto's studio veterans, Cinespace, have come to this agreement in the Port Lands. Our proud city and our award-winning industry look forward to a long and steady stream of new film and television production activity in the heart of Toronto,” he said.

City Councillor, Paula Fletcher, Chair of the Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Board said, "Toronto's screen industries are experiencing a period of significant growth and investment and there is a need to protect and enhance studio infrastructure in our city. Planned initiatives in the Port Lands area will create new opportunities for related land uses, drive business investment and create jobs. This announcement is good for business, good for the area, and good for Toronto."

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