It's one of the top-rated shows for the CW Network, and Tri-Cities fans of Arrow might notice some familiar locales on the program.

That's because parts of the superhero show are filmed in Coquitlam.

In fact, the hit show was just one of 34 productions to shoot in Coquitlam in 2012.

It's all part of a strategy by the city to lure valued film dollars to the community.

"At the City of Coquitlam, we do our best to facilitate the needs for the film industry to make it as easy as possible for them to conduct their business in our city while protecting the interests of the assets owned by the taxpayers," said Jason Blood, acting community services manager with the city.

The Coquitlam Film Office touts itself as a "one stop" office for convenient services to filmmakers, offering licences and applications to film in the city.

In all, the city handed out 75 film permits in 2012, with the majority, or 47, for filming on the Riverview Hospital grounds.

Some of the better-known productions shot around town include Psych, Supernatural, The Killing and Fringe, along with new shows Rogue and Arrow.

The city also generated $53,000 in revenue through permits, licensing and fees in 2012. That proved to be a drop from 2011, when film production brought in $124,000.

However, city officials note the bulk of the revenue in 2011 came from the rental of Eagle Ridge Pool to film the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Blood also noted some of the more popular public locations are parks, like Mundy and Upper Coquitlam River, which are chosen for their natural environment.

He also noted Catalyst Paper, Crash Crawly's and the trailer parks in Coquitlam are all industry favourites.

But hands down, the number one place to shoot a show or flick remains the Riverview Hospital grounds.

According to the Ministry of Citizens' Services and Open Government, which handles the film booking for the famed site, the 12year average for production contracts is 75. However, the ministry wouldn't divulge the names of the productions shot at the hospital, citing confidentiality.

As a ministry spokesperson explained, the first point of contact for production companies is the BC Film Commission. The agency has photo files of film sites from all over the province.

Production companies view the files and see what would work best for their scripts. The photo files have contact information if they see something of interest and desire to scout and then later lock into a contract.

BC Film Commissioner Susan Croome said Riverview is a popular location because of its uniqueness.

"You can't really find that look other places," she told The NOW.

Though TV productions continue to flock to the area, the same can't be said for major motion pictures.

Coquitlam city officials noted feature movie production was down in 2012 due to a change in tax credits offered by Ontario.

It's that issue that has the film industry in B.C. asking the provincial government for greater tax breaks to keep pace with other provinces.

However, Premier Christy Clark turned down the request.

Coquitlam-Burke Mountain MLA Doug Horne said the province needs to find a balance so it remains competitive but isn't in a "race for the bottom."

"The difficulty that we face as government is this is a very important industry to us, but we need to make sure . what we're offering is sustainable and something that we can continue to offer for many years to come," he said.

Though tax incentives may not be on the horizon, Horne said the industry remains competitive through an infrastructure built up over the years that includes a skilled workforce.

However, city councillor and Coquitlam-Maillardville NDP candidate Selina Robinson suggested the province should at least do the research into what kind of extra incentives could be offered to the film industry.

"We owe it to the industry to do the research and look at the numbers," she said, adding the revenue generated through film is a piece of the city's economic puzzle.

As the province decides the fate of Riverview, Robinson suggested its use as a popular film location should be part of any conversation.

She argued the province hasn't been thinking about the future of the facility, while buildings at the hospital fall further into disrepair.

But the city doesn't appear to be waiting for the province to come to the rescue of the industry.

While Blood won't make predictions for the type of year it will be in terms of numbers for productions, there are several initiatives the film office is eyeing for 2013.

The BC Film Commission has just introduced a pilot-project called BC Partners on Screen: Everyone plays a role.

The purpose of the project is to give municipalities some guidelines on how they can best serve the industry.

Coquitlam will be submitting an application in 2013.

"We will be working closely with the BC Film Commission to make sure that Coquitlam's practice in facilitating film is as competitive as possible with our neighbouring cities in the Lower Mainland through the Partners on Screen program," Blood said.

"The film office is constantly looking at possible locations from the requests that we receive from the industry."

Blood also suggested one way to increase filming in Coquitlam is to have private property owners register their property through the BC Film Commission.

If you think your property has what it takes to be in the movies, you can register at www. bcfilmcommission.com.

jdeutsch@thenownews.com