New Alberta tax credits aim to grow tourism and tech industries, break reliance on oil and gas revenues

Alberta’s proposed Investor Tax Credit explicitly included interactive digital media and game development among the industries targeted for economic diversification. The $90-million, three-year program would provide investors with a 30 per cent refundable tax credit for investments in eligible Alberta companies developing proprietary technology, games and other digital media. The policy was particularly significant for Alberta game studios because access to investment capital had been identified as a barrier to growing the local industry. Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous pointed to Quebec’s success in building a large digital media sector and argued that Alberta had similar potential to expand beyond its existing success stories. Unlike later proposals focused specifically on refundable labour costs, this program sought to encourage private investment into Alberta companies, potentially giving independent game developers greater access to the capital needed to commercialize projects, grow their teams and remain in the province.