A visiting film company set to shoot a multimillion-dollar television series in the city this fall has expressed an interest in using the Stan McCowan Arena as a studio.

In an interview this morning, Gilles Fontaine, the chief executive officer of the Yukon Film Industry Association, said he participated in a citywide tour with a visiting production interested in utilizing the soon-to-be decommissioned arena in Porter Creek.

Fontaine said visiting members of Canada's film industry including a local production company and Sun Rock Productions out of Alberta were impressed with the city and interested in what infrastructure is available to suit their needs.

'They toured the city; they wanted to see if we had the capacity.'

Fontaine said the visitors were impressed with what Whitehorse has to offer but had questions regarding the availability of studio space.

'They're looking for that kind of infrastructure; that's why they were in town,' he said.

'They liked what they saw (with Stan McCowan), and the beauty of that is, it's being decommissioned.

'They've identified training positions ... it's a real expression of interest.'

Fontaine said he felt if there was available studio space in the city, film producers may decide to come north as Vancouver studios are booked for the next few years.

When asked if the Yukon has holes in its ability to provide the necessary infrastructure and support staff to visiting film crews, Fontaine responded: 'Absolutely.'

Fontaine's comments echo a presentation made by the Yukon Film Commission at his organization's annual general meeting last week.

At the Yukon Film Industry Association's AGM, film commission officials highlighted:

• the film industry generates a direct economic output in Canada of $6 billion a year;

• that the territory has experienced $9 million worth of direct investment from film activities over the past seven years;

• a lack of a trained workforce;

• a lack of studio space for local productions; and

• that B.C. studios are booked for the next four years.

In an interview this morning, Jim Karmann, of Snow Shoot Productions, said he has recently decided to base his operations in Whitehorse because of the growing demand for productions that feature snow and ice.

'We're a production company now based in Whitehorse. I've had a history of filming in Whitehorse ... it's always been a very good experience,' he said.

With global warming becoming more of a reality, he added, locations to shoot snow and ice footage is being demanded more, and the Yukon is a perfect location to shoot.

Karmann said he too had an opportunity to visit the Stan McCowan Arena last week and he feels the location could be used as a studio by members of the film and television industries.

'In the North, people need to cope with problems and overcome them; nowhere is that more beneficial than the television business.

'You have these kind of people in the North,' he said.

Karmann said after viewing the facility, he hoped the Whitehorse municipal and Yukon governments would consider making the facility available to members of the film industry.

'I've been through the facility, and I can tell you from a production standpoint; it's a tremendous opportunity.

'(Making the facility available) would be a palatable step for the city and the government to take. We use hockey rinks (in Vancouver) to the max that have been decommissioned,' he said.

Sheila Dodd, of the city's tourism and economic development department; Margarita Ramon, the Yukon's film commissioner; and Sun Rock Productions could not be reached for comment.

Stan McCowan has been dormant since the ice went out in the spring of 2005. It will be put back into use for the 2007 Canada Winter Games, then decommissioned, though there has been no decision on how it will be used.