SCENE 01 / LOCATION SCOUTING SERVICES
Location Scouting Services
Find perfect filming locations across Canada—from Toronto to Vancouver and beyond.
Finding the right location can make or break a production. That's why we've built a team of skilled scouts who know Canada inside and out—from the glass towers of downtown Toronto to the mountain wilderness of British Columbia. We handle everything: site research, logistics assessments, permit forms. You tell us what you're looking for, and we'll find it.
Over the years, we've put together a database of more than 5,000 locations across the country. But we don't just hand you a list and wish you luck. Our scouts hit the ground to check each site meets your specific needs, whether that's a Victorian-era townhouse in Old Montreal for your period piece or a sleek Vancouver waterfront office for a tech commercial.
What really sets us apart is our network. We've spent years building relationships with property owners, city film offices, Telefilm Canada, and provincial film commissions like the Ontario Creates and Creative BC. When you need to shoot at a location that mostly says no to shoots, we know who to call.
Our Location Scouting Services
Finding the right location can make or break a production. That's why we've built a team of skilled scouts who know Canada inside and out—from the glass towers of downtown Toronto to the mountain wilderness of British Columbia. We handle everything: site research, logistics assessments, permit forms. You tell us what you're looking for, and we'll find it.
Over the years, we've put together a database of more than 5,000 locations across the country. But we don't just hand you a list and wish you luck. Our scouts hit the ground to check each site meets your specific needs, whether that's a Victorian-era townhouse in Old Montreal for your period piece or a sleek Vancouver waterfront office for a tech commercial.
What really sets us apart is our network. We've spent years building relationships with property owners, city film offices, Telefilm Canada, and provincial film commissions like the Ontario Creates and Creative BC. When you need to shoot at a location that mostly says no to shoots, we know who to call.
Comprehensive Location Scouting Solutions
Expert location scouts with intimate knowledge of Canada's diverse landscapes, urban environments, and cultural sites. Professional location services from initial scouting to production support with permits and logistics coordination.
Urban Locations
- • Modern cityscapes
- • Historic districts
- • Commercial areas
- • Residential neighborhoods
- • Industrial zones
Natural Landscapes
- • Coastal beaches
- • Mountain regions
- • Winery settings
- • Forest locations
- • River systems
Cultural Sites
- • Historic chateaux
- • Medieval architecture
- • Traditional villages
- • Museums
- • Heritage locations
Production Facilities
- • Studio spaces
- • Controlled environments
- • Green screen facilities
- • Equipment storage
- • Crew facilities
How We Work With You
Here's how we typically work with productions. You tell us what you're looking for, we go find it, and we handle all the headaches in between—permits, negotiations, logistics. By the time you show up to shoot, everything's ready.
Requirements Analysis
First things first—we sit down with you to know exactly what you're after. We'll go through your script, look at reference images, talk about budget constraints, and nail down the visual style you're going for. No detail is too small at this stage.
Research & Reconnaissance
Here is how the work shapes up. Our scouts will start their work after we determine what you need. Our team retrieves site options from the database followed by actual inspections at each location. Our team takes photos of each location from different perspectives while we record all key operational details including power availability and parking spaces and site-level conditions and daylight patterns.
Presentation & Selection
We put together a detailed presentation for each shortlisted location. You'll get pro photos, logistical breakdowns, rough costs, and info on what permits we'll need. Most clients find exactly what they want within the first round of options.
Coordination & Securing
Once you've made your choice, we handle the rest. We negotiate fees with property owners, set up access schedules, manage contracts, and secure all needed permits. By the time your crew arrives, everything's sorted and ready to go.
You'll have a single point of contact throughout—someone who knows your project and can give you straight answers when things change. And things always change.
What We Bring to the Table
Years of boots-on-the-ground experience across Canada, a database we've built from scratch, and the kind of local connections that take time to develop.
Our Resources
5,000+ Locations On File
We've been building this database for years. Every entry has photos, GPS coordinates, notes on access and power, and info on what time of year works best. It's not just a list—it's institutional knowledge.
On-Site Technical Surveys
Before we recommend anywhere, we check it ourselves. Power capacity, truck access, parking situation, ambient noise—the stuff that matters when you're actually trying to shoot there.
Permit Handling
Canadian bureaucracy can be... Canadian. We deal with the permit applications, the property releases, the back-and-forth with local officials. You shouldn't have to.
Scouting Statistics
Why Choose Fixers in Canada for Location Scouting
Local Expertise
Our scouts developed their lives within this location. The locals possess knowledge about all the rural paths which lead to secret gardens and concealed towns that most visitors fail to find. Our local knowledge enables us to give locations which you cannot find elsewhere.'t see in any other production's portfolio.
Complete Documentation
Here is how it adds up. Each location report we deliver is thorough enough to hand directly to your line producer. The document has tech specs together with permit needs and access routes and info about nearby facilities.'s all there, organized and ready to use.
Rapid Response
At times plans change at the last minute. We get it. That's why we give 48-hour turnaround on location reports and emergency scouting services when you need to pivot fast during production.
Cultural Heritage Access
Here is the run-down. Getting permission to film at UNESCO sites, historic chateaux, or national monuments isn't easy—but we've done it dozens of times. We know the application process, the right contacts, and how to present your project in a way that gets approvals.
On Location
5,000+ scouted locations across Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Banff, Quebec City, Halifax and the Arctic, with Parks Canada and Indigenous consultation built in
Here is how the work lines up. Canada's scout geography breaks into seven shooting regions, each with its own permitting culture and look. Vancouver. Hollywood North, the third-largest production city in North America — covers Stanley Park, Gastown, Granville Island, the Downtown East Side, Riverdale's Hamilton-as-Anywhere streets and the North Shore mountain transitions that have doubled for Seattle, Portland and rural Pacific Northwest across Supernatural, The X-Files, Deadpool, The Last of Us and Halo.
Here is what that looks like on the ground. Toronto delivers CN Tower skyline, the Distillery District (period brick), Kensington Market, the Toronto Islands, Casa Loma, the AGO and ROM museum interiors, and the suburb-as-anywhere streetscapes that Scott Pilgrim, Suicide Squad, The Boys and Schitt's Creek built their visual grammars from. Montreal covers Old Montreal (UNESCO cobblestone period work, used in Arrival and X-Men Days of Future Past), the Plateau, Mile End, Mont Royal lookouts and the post-industrial Lachine Canal.
Here is how the picture comes together. Calgary opens the Rockies. Banff and Jasper national parks, the foothills that shot Brokeback Mountain, Inception's snow sequences, The Revenant and Heartland — with Quebec City's UNESCO walled Old Town giving the closest North American substitute for European period (used famously for Catch Me If You Can).
Here is what we have to work with. Beyond the four major hubs, our scout coverage extends to Halifax and Cape Breton (Trailer Park Boys, the Atlantic coast and Cape Breton Highlands National Park), Newfoundland (Shipping News, Republic of Doyle, iceberg alley and the Gros Morne fjords), Winnipeg (Guy Maddin's prairie surrealism), Yukon Whitehorse (Klondike landscapes and the Aurora Borealis viewing corridor November-March), Iqaluit and Igloolik in Nunavut (Arctic tundra, sea ice and Inuktitut-speaking communities developed since Zacharias Kunuk's Atanarjuat won the Camera d'Or at Cannes in 2001), and Yellowknife (NWT, with its own aurora season and diamond-mine terrain).
Here is the layout. Our team handles Parks Canada filming permits for Banff, Jasper, Gros Morne, Pacific Rim and Cape Breton Highlands. AFN First Nations, ITK Inuit and MNC Métis consultation protocols when shooting on reserve, traditional or settlement land. City Film Office permits through Creative BC, Ontario Creates, SODEC + BCTQ Montreal, Alberta Film and Manitoba Film & Music. And the winter-shoot logistics that Quebec City, Whitehorse, Iqaluit and Winnipeg shoots hit at -25°C to -40°C.
FAQ
Location Scouting FAQ
Essential information for planning your location scouting project in Canada.
How long does location scouting take in Canada?
It really depends on what you're looking for. A straightforward commercial shoot? We can mostly turn around options in 2-3 days. Feature films mostly need 1-2 weeks of dedicated scouting to cover all the scenes. Documentaries fall somewhere in between—mostly 3-7 days. And if you're in a bind, we give emergency scouting with 24-48 hour delivery.
What permits are required for filming at Canadian locations?
The specific permit needs depend on your shoot sites location and its dimensions. Local authorities need all public areas to obtain permission for filming through a filming permit. The owners of private sites need to give release forms for their sites. Historical monuments and UNESCO sites have their own application process through cultural affairs offices. We handle all of this for you—it's one of the main reasons shoots hire us.
What are typical location scouting costs in Canada?
The cost for basic day-rate scouting operations ranges between $300 and $500 for each day of operation. The firm gives complete packages which combine service for many sites together with records support and permit management help.'re looking at $1,500-$6,000 based on scope. Remote locations add to the cost—figure $800-$2,500 per day for mountain or rural scouting. Permit fees themselves range from $150 to $1,500 based on the site.
Can you scout locations in remote areas of Canada?
Here is how this works in practice. We have several preferred destinations which exist outside of typical tourist areas. We often scout in the Rockies, along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, in rural Ontario and Quebec, and across the prairies. Our team performs accessibility reviews for distant production locations while we handle gear movement and find suitable housing for crew members working in the area.
How many location options will we receive?
Here is the short of it. For each scene or setup you need, we mostly present 3-5 vetted options. These aren't just random suggestions—each location we show you has been checked for logistics, permit availability, and budget fit. We'd rather give you fewer, better options than overwhelm you with places that won't actually work.
What documentation do you provide for each location?
Here is the breakdown. The location packages contain many high-resolution photos taken from different perspectives together with tech survey data about power infrastructure and access points and facility details and logistics info which has parking details and service locations and site restrictions. The system gives site maps together with shooting position recommendations which depend on lighting conditions for all complex locations.
Related Services
Productions in Canada that need this often pair it with Local Fixer Services, Production Budgeting Services, and Production Scheduling Services for full coverage. Most projects also draw on Pre-Production Services and Travel Coordinator.
On Set
Ready to Discover Perfect Locations?
Let's find the backdrop your project deserves. Get in touch and tell us what you're looking for—we'll take it from there.