With the provincial election fast approaching on October 24, DigiBC is engaging with the parties and candidates about what B.C.’s creative technology sector needs to keep growing. Our message is clear: video games, animation, VFX and immersive media are an economic engine for this province, and ensuring a favourable operating environment for these innovative fields is key to keeping creative tech jobs in BC.

If you work in creative tech and want to make your voice heard, here are a few tips to help you get in touch with your MLA and support creative technology in BC. 

To reach out to the candidates running in your riding, find your local NDP candidates, Conservative candidates, Green candidates, Centre BC candidates, and One BC candidates. Nominations are open until October 3rd, so all of the candidates for your riding may not have been announced yet. 

Here are a few points you can raise with candidates in your riding: 

• Creative technology supports more than 16,000 high-value jobs in B.C. and contributes significantly to the provincial economy. Continued provincial support is important to keeping those jobs, companies and investment in B.C., particularly as the sector competes globally for talent and investment.
• Maintaining tax credits such as the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (IDMTC) is critical to B.C.’s competitiveness. These incentives help make B.C. an attractive place for creative technology companies to invest, hire and grow, while supporting a strong ecosystem of video game, animation, VFX, and immersive media companies.
  
• Renewing the Interactive Digital Media IP Funding Program would support the growth of B.C.-owned companies and intellectual property. The program’s initial $3 million investment has supported 16 B.C.-owned studios, and continued funding would help local companies develop and retain their IP, grow their businesses and create jobs here at home.

Most importantly, share your own story! Tell candidates what your organization does, how many people you employ, why you chose to build your business or career in B.C., and what would help you continue to grow. Real examples of the jobs, projects and investment happening in their communities can help candidates understand the sector’s impact and why continued support matters.