Remarks by Martha Durdin, Chair, Ontario Arts Council
Reception for The Honourable Michael Chan
Four Seasons Centre for the Arts

March 23, 2010

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• Good evening everyone, bonsoir à tous.
• I am delighted to see so many of you here tonight to welcome our new Minister of Tourism and Culture, the honourable Michael Chan. Thank you Minister Chan for joining us today.
• Monsieur le ministre Chan, merci d’être parmi nous ce soir.
• And my fellow board members who are here from their home bases around the province. We have with us: Rita Cox , Lynn Haight- Bill Hughes , Adrien Lamoureux, Angie Maltese and Harvey Slack. They spend a great deal of their time volunteering on the Arts’ Council’s behalf and deserve a round of applause as well.
• And of course the artists and arts organizations who are here to meet with you Minister. All of you here represent the vibrant arts community in the greater Toronto area, as well as representing only a small portion of Ontario’s community.
• Sans oublier, bien sûr, les artistes et organismes artistiques venus aujourd’hui vous rencontrer, Monsieur le Ministre. Vous tous présents ici représentez la communauté artistique pleine de vie du Grand Toronto, ainsi qu’une petite partie de l’ensemble du monde des arts de l’Ontario.
• Minister, we know you understand the extent the arts play in the economic vitality of Ontario. It’s a huge role.
• But even in our own community some may not be aware of just how big a contribution to the province’s success we make.
• There are more jobs in culture than the employment in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas, and utilities industries combined.
• We contribute more than $20 billion to the province’s economy., that is one out of every $25 dollars, more than four percent of the Gross Domestic Product
• But here is something potentially more surprising to many people: we also generate more than 250,000 jobs – again more than four percent of total employment.
• Pourtant, bien des gens sont souvent surpris d’apprendre que nous générons également plus de deux cent cinquante mille (250 000) emplois – soit plus de quatre pour cent de la population active totale.
• But that’s not all, Minister. As we have learned in recent years, a thriving creative sector is the core of a twenty first century economy and society. And the arts and culture community sit at the centre of that much larger creative sector.
• In a dynamic, technology-driven province like ours, the investment we make in culture directly contributes to our success in the digital economy.
• Dans une province aussi dynamique que la nôtre, où c’est la technologie qui domine, l’investissement que nous effectuons dans la culture a un effet direct sur le succès de notre économie numérique.
• The Ontario Arts Council is the only agency in this province that provides ongoing support for individual artists and arts producers – which both Stats Can and the Conference Board of Canada acknowledge are key contributors to this large economic impact. They are the first links in the creative economy chain.
• Our experience at OAC has been that over the last five years, we have seen a substantial increase in the number of new organizations moving into our operating funding stream. We anticipate that by March 2011, we will have 220 new organizations in that category. Since 2006, applications from individuals have increased by more than 1,200 or by 30%.
• And that is not because we are making it easier for them. It reflects the growth of this community, and its proof of how healthy and dynamic the sector is.
• Those arts organizations, in communities large and small across the province, that received operating funding from our Council in 2006/07 had direct expenditures of close to $500 million. Almost 90% of arts organization spending on goods and services goes directly to other Ontario businesses.
• Les organismes des arts qui ont reçu des subventions de fonctionnement du CAO pour l’année 2006/07 ont engagé des dépenses directes de près de $500 millions de dollars. Près de 90 % des dépenses en biens et services engagées par ces organismes profitent directement aux entreprises ontariennes.
• The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra is a great example. It has an annual operating budget of more than $1.5 million.
• Over 90% is spent locally.
• The musicians are paid, the audiences buy tickets – and they pay taxes on those tickets, including soon the HST….$100,000 is returned directly to the city for the rental of the Hall.
• We know that for every dollar invested in the arts in Ontario by the provincial government, the multiplier effect is at least 4.
• And since you are the Minister of Culture AND Tourism, please permit me one minute more to brag about how our world-famous arts companies and arts festivals pull in tens of millions of tourist dollars annually.
• Permettez-moi de vous rappeler rapidement que nos compagnies artistiques et festivals des arts de réputation mondiale attirent chaque année des dizaines de millions de dollars touristiques.
• From Stratford and Shaw, to Summerfolk in Owen Sound; from Ottawa’s Chamber Music Festival and Bluesfest, to Hamilton’s Brott Music Festival, Ontario’s festivals are dynamic and growing cultural and economic engines.
• As you know, in study after study, including the Ontario government’s recent Tourism review, culture and heritage play a crucial role in the choice of travel destination. They also show that arts and culture tourists spend more money on accommodation, meals and shopping than other tourists.
• In 2005, among overnight Canadian visitors to Ontario, seven out of ten visited a historical site, a museum or gallery, nearly two out of five attended a musical concert, or a festival, and more than one quarter of them went to the theatre.
• En 2005, parmi tous les visiteurs canadiens qui ont passé une nuit en Ontario, sept sur dix ont visité un site historique, un musée ou une galerie ; près de deux sur cinq ont assisté à un concert ou à un festival, et plus d’un quart d’entre eux sont allés au théâtre.
• And it is not just Toronto, or other big cities that benefit.
• Look at the small town of Blyth, population one thousand. The Blyth theatre has drawn up to 21,000 visitors, including many Americans who come especially for its festival. Those visitors contribute more than $2.5 million in economic benefit to this town.
• That might not seem a lot in a province as big and rich as ours, but consider this: on a per capita basis in the GTA that would mean an economic impact of over two hundred million dollars. Not trivial.
• Our sector contributes money, jobs, tourism dollars and innovation to Ontario, but as the Conference Board of Canada said in 2008 we also foster community identity, social cohesion and personal development. In the last three years, the Ontario Arts Council has initiated pilot projects and partnerships to build that impact with partners in the education and health care sectors.
• Un rapport publié par le Conference Board du Canada en 2008 a reconnu les nombreux bienfaits de la culture sur la société. Parmi ces bienfaits documentés par des chercheurs de partout dans le monde, on pouvait noter un climat qui soutient l’identité communautaire, la cohésion sociale et le développement personnel.
• The Durham Board of Education, for example, reported a 45% increase in attendance with its at-risk youth, and a 39% increase in course pass rate in Grade 11 classes with participating artists – as a result of a program we partnered with them.
• We have a lot to be proud of in this sector, Minister, and we look forward to working with you to build on that success.
• Let me now say a few words about Minister Chan, our new champion. He was elected three years ago and was a great success as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
• His acquired expertise there will contribute to his deep understanding of the diverse spectrum covered by our arts community, and the importance of reaching out to all our cultural communities.
• Son expertise dans ce dossier contribuera sans doute grandement à bien faire comprendre la mosaïque culturelle de la communauté artistique, ainsi que le besoin de rejoindre efficacement des communautés culturelles diverses.
• Prior to his appointment at Citizenship and Immigration, M. Chan’s first role in Cabinet was as Minister of Revenue.
• Minister Chan’s riding of Markham Unionville is one of Ontario’s most diverse.
• His own family immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong over 40 years ago, and he has called Markham home for fifteen years.
• As Minister, Minister Chan has earned a reputation for his presence in his community, and for attending record numbers of events each day……..something this crowd can certainly help him out with.
• Prior to his election Mr.Chan was as successful businessman and insurance broker and an active member of the Markham Board of Trade.
• It is my privilege to offer a warm welcome for the Honorable Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture.
• Je vous prie de vous joindre à moi pour accueillir chaleureusement Monsieur le ministre Chan.