Sustainable studio in Vancouver Island, Canada takes big step forward

Construction on a carbon-neutral, zero-waste studio complex is set to begin construction on Vancouver Island, Canada in early 2025.

The 85-acre site will be constructed near an industrial park on the western shore of the Saanich Inlet, on Malahat Nation land. 

Alpha Select Productions is working in conjunction with the Malahat Nation on the build, which will take place in three stages. Stage one is comprised of two sound stages, a workshop, and a pair of production offices. By the end of the construction, the complex aims to have six sound stages at 36,000 square feet each, with production workshops and a commercial complex with a hotel and related amenities to feed and house production crew.

In a statement, Beverley Dondale, founder and CEO of Victoria-based production company Alpha Select Production Services, said: ‍”I want this to be a film studio that people want to work at and come to for $100-200 million productions. I want this to be a hub for Indigenous and domestic film production.”

According to Dondale, the studio's sustainability measures include eliminating single-use plastics, working with organisations like the Nulla Project, a Victoria-based company that provides reusable cups, containers, and coffee mugs for events across Vancouver Island. The aim is to have the studio obtain Ceritifed B Corp designation, meaning the studio meets performance thresholds across environmental, social, and governance policies.

Malahat Nation CAO Josh Handysides said: “To get a project of this scale going in a region where we don’t have a lot of infrastructure to start with—it’s meant building water infrastructure, wastewater infrastructure, power, communications infrastructure and also making sure the right transportation networks are ready to make things work here."

Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd has been retained to develop the site.