VICTORIA -- Portions of the Pat Bay Highway in Saanich will be closed for filming this week for production of the upcoming Netflix series, Maid.
Filming is scheduled to take place between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on the highway near the McKenzie Avenue off-ramp and on-ramp on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation, detour signs and traffic control personnel will be in the area to direct drivers during this time.
Additional filming is also scheduled to take place on the Pat Bay Highway between McDonald Park Road and Lands End Road, near the Swartz Bay ferry terminal later this month.
The ministry says that rolling closures of both northbound and southbound lanes in this area will occur between midnight and 6 a.m. on Oct. 17, or on Oct. 23 depending on filming conditions.
While some of the lanes will be closed, the province says that highway traffic will still be able to flow during filming.
Production crews plan to film their vehicle while it drives the posted speed limit along the highway. The Ministry says that police will be escorting the film crew and will ensure that drivers do not pass the film vehicle while recording is taking place.
“No stops or delays to highway traffic are expected,” said the ministry in a statement Wednesday.
The upcoming Netflix series, Maid, is just one of many TV productions currently taking place on Vancouver Island.
In September, the City of Colwood announced that the Netflix show would be filming in the municipality and throughout other areas of Greater Victoria.
The TV show is based on a New York Times bestselling memoir called Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land. The book and show follow the story of a single mother who struggles through poverty, homeless and difficult systemic challenges in the U.S. while working as a maid.
While TV productions have flocked to the island during the COVID-19 pandemic, some have had to pause filming due to delays in COVID-19 testing and test results.
The B.C. government says it is aware of delays in having test results returned, especially if the results are negative, and is working to improve turnaround times.