Ontario pushes national movie ratings system

Ontario wants to see greater consistency in film ratings across Canada.

The province is creating the Ontario Film Authority, which will incorporate the duties of the Film Review Board to classify, but not censor, every movie before it can be shown in theatres.

Consumer Services Minister David Orazietti says he'd also like to talk with other provinces about creating similar standards across the country for rating films.

He says the film industry and movie goers both would benefit from more consistency and a greater co-ordination of standards on a ratings system.

Ontario and Quebec have their own ratings systems while most other provinces use a movie's classification from central Canada or from the United States, where the classification process is voluntary.

Popular movies like The Hunger Games were rated differently in all three jurisdictions, getting an all-ages G in Quebec, a 14A in Ontario meaning kids 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult and a PG13 in the U.S.

The standards and ratings for what is seen in cinemas has evolved "considerably" over the last 40 to 50 years and the people classifying the movies in Ontario are keeping up with the changes in society, said Orazietti.

"I think the ratings systems that are in place today reflect those changes and also reflect the value of Ontarians and other provinces quite frankly," he said.