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$181.5 Million in Government Relief for Canadian Arts

With files from the Canadian Federal government. Filed under Arts News.

 

We all understand the effects the COVID-19 pandemic have had on Canadians. While they are easing up as vaccination rates increase, federal and provincial restrictions still prevent many people from returning to work. One of the hardest hit areas is the artistic arena, with performers and creators being the first ones to be limited, and likely the last ones to return to work.



Canadian arts are heavily dependent on tourism to generate exposure and revenue. This is the reason the Tourism and Hospitality department of Canada has proposed a large recovery investment for our artistic community.


The proposal reads as follows:


Supporting Workers in the Live Events and Arts Sectors

Cultural and recreation industries, which employ hundreds of thousands of Canadians, have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, being among the first to shut down and likely among the last to return to regular activities.

Proposed Investments

  • $181.5 million in 2021-22 to the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts to support the planning and presentation of COVID-19-safe events and the arts — including both live and digital — and to provide work opportunities in these sectors. This includes a one-year renewal of funding provided in Budget 2019 for the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Canada Music Fund.


  • Additional COVID-19 relief to local television and radio stations by supporting the waiving of broadcasting Part II licence fees in 2020-21, which are collected annually by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Waiving these fees will provide up to $50 million in relief to these companies, helping them to stay afloat and maintain their broadcasting offerings to Canadians.

The government understands that certain major live events and festivals will require unique support. The government will work with industry to prevent the closure of unique and irreplaceable flagship events and festivals across Canada, and to ensure the survival of key, globally-recognized assets in this sector.


To address the impact of COVID-19 on film and television productions across the country, the government announced a $50 million Short-Term Compensation Fund in September 2020. This initiative is compensating for the lack of insurance coverage for COVID-19–related filming interruptions and production shutdowns.



 

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