Contacts
Pickering is in the 'Zone' !
Just thirty minutes from the heart of Toronto, Pickering is still in the 'zone' !
Film Location Permit Process and Fees
Permit fees are a flat rate of $250 plus HST. Submit the completed Film Location Permit Form to our Film Liaison Office by email, or by fax at 905.420.6064. Questions or concerns about your permit? Contact our Film office directly at 905.420.4625.
If you plan to use a City owned facility or public park, we'll connect you to the right staff for issuance of a Facility Rental or Park Rental Agreement.
SPFX
Use of SPFX that are fire or incendiary-based need to be reviewed, permitted and managed on site by our Pickering Fire Service team. Let our office get you connected. Note, if fire personnel are not available, no other private fire service or personnel will be allowed as a substitute.
Non-incendiary SPFX such as gunfire must be reported to the our Film Office as well as the Durham Region Police services prior to commencement of filming.
Hot Locations
Pickering is unique. We offer an eclectic mix of locations, including open, rural countryside with rolling farmlands, country roads, and miles of pristine hiking trails. If you're looking for a faster pace, take a look at our emerging, modern downtown. Looking for something more breezy? Pickering's Nautical Village features an intimate waterfront community on the shores of Frenchman's Bay and Lake Ontario.
Heritage spirit abounds in Pickering. Home of the largest living history museum in Durham Region, the buildings and streetscapes of our Pickering Museum Village will transport you back to the 19th century. And don't forget to take a look at our heritage protected hamlets.
Pickering Museum Village
Map & Description of Village Buildings
Take a walk through time. The Pickering Museum Village brings the pioneer experience to life. It is the largest living history museum in Durham, and a cherished historical secret that we've shared with residents, visitors and the film making community for many years.
The village, nestled on the banks of Duffins Creek in the quaint hamlet of Greenwood, provides a truly distinct setting. Scenic paths wind through the village's 19 heritage buildings dating from as early as 1810, including a blacksmith's shop, log barn and house, school house, temperance hotel, steam barn and chapel. White picket fences and period gardens lace the dusty street corners where the orchards and apple trees grow wild. The beautiful streetscape of perfectly preserved and restored historical buildings with broad verandas and rustic porches are accompanied by a lush green countryside dotted with wildflowers.
Supported by space for greenroom, craft services space and parking, this enchanting place offers infinite possibilities for your film vision.
Filming fees: $200 per hour for production hours (HST included). An on-site museum staff person is included in this fee.
Hamlets
Pickering is dotted with vintage hamlets and surrounded by natural beauty. We've retained all the charm and character of a small town, while making huge strides in maturing as a city. The special character of the Hamlet of Whitevale has been maintained and enhanced since its settlement in the early 1800's. The hamlet, located along the banks of Duffin's Creek, provides a distinctive setting with much of the original Victorian influenced architecture still in place.
Read the Whitevale Filming Guidelines
Nautical Village
The busy city pace slows down as you enter our beautiful Nautical Village. A perfect pathway dotted with shops and cafes that seamlessly merge with Lake Ontario. Here, you'll also find the sparkling waters of Frenchman's Bay, the largest natural bay on Lake Ontario.
An Accessible Community
Pickering is an easy and convenient film location. It is the first municipality east of Toronto with access to both Hwy. 401, and Hwy. 407 ETR, and 30-minute access to 4 different airports - Pearson, Billy Bishop, Buttonville and Oshawa.
We are here to help!
The City has long been a favourite location for filmmakers. We aim to make your experience as seamless as possible through a number of services including:
- location scouting assistance
- providing information about neighbourhoods, organizations, and properties
- providing contacts for other governments and agencies
- coordinating necessary approvals within City Departments
- notifying the community on filming activity
Testimonials
Don't just take our word for it...
I know that I can call Economic Development staff any time and get all the help and cooperation anyone could ask for. My phone calls are always answered promptly and answers are sought out if not readily available. We in the film business have some spectacular requests at times and the City of Pickering is always there to help.I have been working with the City for many years, going back to my first job as a Location Manager on Road to Avonlea in 1990.
- Arthur Clarke, Location Manager
Sunshine Sketches of A Little Town
When scouting for film or TV in the GTA, one always has to consider the 'zone'. Pickering offers country looks, farms and farmland, quaint village looks, suburban and upscale homes and a spectacular waterfront. Finding all this in one area keeps us on budget and the City's efficient permit process keeps us on time. Pickering is always one of the first places I look when I need a diverse cross-section of "looks".
- Ingrid Fielden, Location Scout/ Manager
SPY FILMS
I have been privileged to live in a wonderful Pickering century farm house for the past 42 years, during which, my family and I have hosted many film shoots. It has been a great experience on many levels.
Firstly to bring awareness to a genre in Canadian history such as my house represents is an honour. This home is built with olden day care. It is solid and stately and has a barn that ignites the imagination. Helping foster the imagination of the viewing audiences is wonderful feeling.
We live in such a beautiful area, rich with wildflowers, growing crops and wildlife. To share this beauty is a great bonus of hosting the creative talents of film crew.
Almost every crew that has been here has left something to enrich this place...a new screen door, a great paint job, a back porch that they needed for a shot, a film platform in the barn that we use for other gatherings, etc. The film industry appreciates the hospitality of the hosting family and is always so careful at restoring the location in a meticulous manner.
I would highly recommend that we do everything we can to encourage the film industry to our area. The revenue to the area is always appreciated and people love to be a part of the excitement generated by the creative talent involved.
- Janet Robertson
Pickering resident
OMDC Property Registration
The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) has an online property registration kit where homeowners, businesses and property owners in Pickering can register their locations for filming.
Productions filmed in Pickering
- Commercials: Skittles, Fallsview Casino, Telus
- TV episodes: Suits, Rookie Blue, Hannibal Season 1, Flashpoint, Lost Girl
- Features Films: Wolves, An Officer & A Murderer, Dangerous Persuasion