Canadian film and television workers are feeling the sting of twin strikes by Hollywood writers and actors.

Vancouver-based Derek Baskerville, who rents costumes mostly to U.S. film shoots, says he laid off a part-time worker last week and has scaled back the hours of other staff as work dried up.

Toronto agent Karin Martin says many of her clients haven鈥檛 worked since winter because U.S. studios anticipated job action and scaled back orders.

She represents production designers, cinematographers, line producers and others who work behind the scenes. She says many are now 鈥渟cared and at risk.鈥�

The Writers Guild of America walked off the job May 2 and the performers union SAG-AFTRA began its strike last Friday.

Even though it鈥檚 a U.S. labour dispute, the strikes have touched U.S. films and series that shoot in Canada and employ tens of thousands of local crews and talent.

鈥淭hese are my family, all these people I represent and they鈥檙e scared,鈥� says Martin.

鈥淓very day my calls aren鈥檛 dealing with producers trying to book people. My calls are dealing with my clients that I love and adore, who are scared and at risk. It鈥檚 awful.鈥�

In Vancouver, Baskerville says he let one of his part-timers go because he couldn鈥檛 afford to pay them. He鈥檚 reduced two other part-timers to one day a week, and two full-time workers are down to four days a week instead of five. One of them is on a six-hour day instead of eight.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been really bad for all of us gig economy workers for the last four years. And some people haven鈥檛 survived, what with COVID and now this,鈥� says Baskerville.

鈥淭his is 鈥� even for me in a 40-year career 鈥� this is quite an exception.鈥�

He says he鈥檚 lucky to have paid off his mortgage and have personal savings.

鈥淭hree of my colleagues are deferring their mortgage payments鈥�. And two of them have also talked to the city, deferring their property taxes for a year,鈥� says Baskerville.

鈥淥ne of my colleagues, she had to take her kids out of daycare and out of summer camp because she can鈥檛 afford it. It鈥檚 summer. Kids want to go to camp. Not this year.鈥�

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