It’s going to cost a little more to film a TV show or movie at the Squamish Municipal Airport – Don Patrick Field.
At the regular council meeting on April 1, District of Squamish council voted in favour of giving the first three readings to a bylaw that would increase filming costs on select parts of the airport by more than double.
According to a report to council, the Squamish airport is not tax-funded and “relies solely upon revenue generated from lease fees, grant funding and any other usage revenue such as fees from filming for its operating and capital costs.”
The filming fees at the airport have not been updated since 2011.
A change in price
At the meeting, District director of financial operations, Reann Sousa, said that the daily fee for vehicle parking related to filming at the airport is currently $250 per day.
“Currently, the daily fee for both parking lots is $250 per day and use of the runway, taxiway, and apron is $750 per day,” Sousa said.
According to the report, parking rates are on par with Langley Regional Airport, but much lower than Boundary Bay Airport—which charges between $500 and $1,000—and Pitt Meadows Regional Airport—which charges between $900 and $3,000.
The report also shows that the rates for filming on the apron, taxiways and runway at the Squamish Airport are “considerably less” than the five other airports reviewed (Boundary Bay, Pitt Meadows, Langley, and Ontario airports: Brantford and Niagara District) who each have a second or third runway that can be used to limit disruptions during filming.
To use the apron and taxiway at Boundary Bay Airport costs $5,000 per day and the runway at Langley Airport costs $2,000 per day.
“Squamish has one runway, making it challenging to accommodate filming on any of the operational areas (runway, taxiways, or aprons) without disrupting the tenants or private operators,” reads the report.
As such, Sousa said that District staff recommended a significant jump in filming fees to put Squamish on par with other airports.
“After consultation with the District’s aviation consultant, staff are proposing to increase fees to $750 per parking lot per day, $750 per hour for the taxiway and apron and $1,500 per hour for the runway,” Sousa said.
Councillors voted unanimously in support of the price increase.
“I think the changes at the airport just make good sense and put us where we should be,” Mayor Armand Hurford said.
Recent filming activity
According to the District of Squamish, no filming has occurred at the Squamish Airport in 2025.
“We haven't had any filming at the airport in 2025. In 2024 there were two productions that filmed at the airport: Tracker (TV Season One) and Shiver (Film),” District digital and graphics technician Alex Preston told The 小蓝视频.
“In general, we have one to five productions a year and the impact depends on what is being filmed, whether they need the use of the runway or if they are parking/filming within it.”
The bylaw will be scheduled for adoption at the next regular business meeting.
For more information on filming fees, visit the
