Province developing new strategy - Cultural sector growth

NRU
Sept. 30, 2015

Checking another item off the mandate letter to-do list the provincial government is seeking public input on Ontario’s first culture strategy, which will detail its vision for arts and culture.

Tourism, Culture and Sport minister Michael Couteau was asked, in his mandate letter from Premier Kathleen Wynne, to work with Ontario artists, educators and communities to develop a cultural strategy. The strategy will identify priorities and outline a vision for culture in Ontario.

“Ontario’s cultural landscape has evolved and it is important that government priorities reflect this,” Couteau said in a media release. “This is an opportunity for the province to take a fresh look at how it invests in arts and culture, to build our vibrant sectors and to enrich our diverse communities.”

Generating about $22-billion of the province’s GDP, culture is one of the fasting growing sectors in Ontario. The province is home to more than 58,000 artists - which is almost twice as many as any other province - and the cultural sector supports more than 280,000 jobs. Additionally, the provincial government makes its own investments into the cultural industry, between 2014 and 2015 that totalled about $800-million. Feedback from the consultation process will help guide future investments.

Ontario’s cultural sector-which includes music, film, museums and historical sites-is evolving with changes in demographics and the growing prominence of digital technology.

Development of the cultural strategy will be guided by five principles: creativity and innovation, quality of life and economic development, diversity and inclusiveness, respect for First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples and public value and accountability.

In addition to town hall meetings that are being held around the province until early December, the province is soliciting feedback from residents online as part of its open government initiative. Residents are able to submit feedback through the Culture Talks website and may comment on or endorse the ideas of others. The province is seeking feedback on what culture means to residents, how people participate in culture, how to better engage the younger population and where the province should prioritize its investments.

The government has also an appointed an advisory group, comprising individuals from across the cultural sector, to provide insight on the role of culture in Ontario and the development of the strategy.