Arts Advocacy

Vote for New Arts Funding Goes to Council April 3

March 27, 2013 - Thanks to the voice of thousands of you, the City of Toronto has recommended $6 million in arts funding, including $4 million to TAC grants program for 2013. On April 3, City Council will make the final vote on the allocation of these funds. Many who supported this action are taking the next steps to ensure this vote is passed. (Click "more" for details)

PLEASE JOIN TORONTO ARTS COUNCIL IN TAKING THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS

1. Email the Mayor and Councillors

Please send an email to the Mayor and all councillors. Remember that effective advocacy starts with a “thank you”; after thanking them, tell them you support recommendation ED20.5

2. Meet TAC at Council Chambers, at City Hall on April 3

A strong showing of support from the community makes a difference; your presence communicates the importance of arts funding to any wavering Councillors and makes an impression on the media.

3. Follow @TorontoArts - hashtage #TOArts to your social media messages

Follow @TorontoArts – TAC will keep you updated by twitter and facebook during the course of the day up to the exact time of the vote. Add the#TOArtshashtag to your social media messages.

4. Share your Ideas on where new funds should go

Toronto Arts Council and Toronto City Culture will be hosting public community consultation sessions, seeking input, advice and suggestions from the community it serves. Keep an eye on TAC website, twitter and facebook for information on these sessions upcoming: April 6th, April 8th, April 9th, April 12th and April 18th across the City.

For information on TAC priorities and planning, see our New Funding Priorities document.

Your involvement has been critical in every step of this process. Please participate in this historic moment.

Historic Day for Toronto: Toronto Council Directs $22.5 Million from Billboard Tax to Arts & Culture

January 16, 2013 - Toronto City Hall - Councillor Gary Crawford made the following address to Council during the Executive Committee's presentation of the proposed City Budget 2013 on January 15th:

"Today is a historic day for arts and culture in Toronto. Today we are living up to a commitment to increase arts funding that was made a number of years ago. Today is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of very passionate, dedicated people, who believe and understand the important role that arts and culture plays in the social and economic fabric of this great city.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank beautifulcity.ca and the 60 organizations they represent and the many young artists like Devon Ostrom and Che Kothtari who came up with the idea for a billboard tax. I of course would like to thank the many Councillors who have worked on this over the last 10 years. Councillor Thompson, for your leadership as the Chair of the Economic Development and Culture Committee and for the Creative Capital Gains Report; Councillor Carroll, Councillor Colle, Councillor Wong-Tam, just to name a few. I would also like to thank Rita Davies, the former head of Culture, for spearheading the Creative Capital Gains Report along with the members of the Creative Capital Advisory Committee, including Robert Foster, Karen Kain and Jim Prentice.

To the many arts organizations across the city, like the Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Alliance for Performing Arts, thank you.

I also want to acknowledge and thank the many staff who assisted me in the motion; Mike Williams, the General Manager of Economic Development and Culture, Terry Nicholson of the Culture Division and City Manager, Joe Pennachetti.

I want to thank the Executive Committee and specifically, Mayor Rob Ford, for supporting the motion and for understanding how important this investment is as we continue to grow and mature as a world class city. As you can see, there were a lot of hands and time invested in this.

Investing in the arts is not only one of the most socially responsible things we can do, but it is also one of the most fiscally sound investments we can make.

We had all heard the figures before,

• In the GTA – 8,500 arts and culture organizations are employing 150,000 people, generating an estimated nine billion for the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• Nine million visitors reported cultural activity as the reason they came to Toronto

• For every dollar invested eight dollars more is generated

Before you in the 2013 budget is a six million dollar down payment from the 3rd Party Sign Tax or Billboard Tax for ongoing support to the arts. We will be using $22.5 million, collected from 2009-12, from the Billboard Tax, as a cushion to get to the point where we reach our goals in a sustainable and ongoing way. There will be no extra cost to the taxpayer in the 2013 budget because we have been collecting this tax and it has been building over a number of years. We will be using the Billboard Tax to help facilitate a four year plan to increase our yearly arts investment by $17.5 million in a rational and accountable way that maximizes the return on investment and is measurable.

The priorities that will be outlined in the four year plan and how to allocate the first $6M will be:

• Increased employment and opportunities for young artists
• Expansion of youth mentorships in arts and culture
• Support for Toronto's music cluster
• The re-establishment of the Culture Build Program
• Providing an increase to arts and culture grant recipients and organizations such as the Toronto Arts Council and Local Arts Service Organizations and the Major Arts organizations

We also need to review the per capita benchmark of $25. What that number means and is it relevant to 2013, AND what is Toronto's solution to arts funding.

I congratulate all the hard work by the passionate, dedicated people who have waited patiently for this increase in arts funding. These new funds are a game changer for the arts community and a big win for Toronto. Colleagues, I hope you support this worthy investment."

January 16th became a historic day for the arts in Toronto, as City Council approved the 2013 Budget, including $22.5 million allocated to arts and culture.

VIEW MOTION PASSED AT CITY HALL HERE

Billboard Tax Revenues Confirmed

November 22, 2012 - Congratulations to the Beautiful City Alliance and the hundreds of artists and members of the public who championed the Billboard Tax as means to beautify Toronto through the arts.

The Supreme Court of Canada today declined to hear an appeal against the tax. Net revenues from the tax in excess of $10 million annually are now secured for the City of

Toronto.

The arts sector and in particular hundreds of young artists were instrumental in supporting the tax and demonstrating to Council the associated public demand for increased arts funding. This led directly to the tax implementation and to consistent support from many City Councillors for dedicating billboard tax revenues to arts grants.

Toronto Arts Foundation will be working with the Friends of the Arts to communicate about this terrific opportunity for City Council to meet its long standing arts investment plan.

HISTORY ON BILLBOARD TAX - VIEW OLDER STORIES HERE

TAC Presents To Economic Development Committee

Toronto, November 8, 2012 - Toronto Arts Council made a presentation to the Economic Development Committee this morning at City Hall. The argument was made that Toronto's investment, despite years of evidence of high returns, is not keeping up with the city's growth. City council first committed to increasing arts investment from $14 to $25 per capita in 2003 and despite several reiterations of this commitment, in over 10 years, we are not even half way there.

"The time to invest is now," Claire Hopkinson said. "In return for a very small investment, arts funding is an essential economic driver for the city. I respectfully request Economic Development Committee make the case to City Council, to move forward on the 2003 Culture plan, and start to make good the Creative Capital Gains report".

Important upcoming Dates in Arts Advocacy

Hundreds of young artists, arts workers and representatives from arts organizations rallied in support of Arts for Youth in a march down Yonge Street on September 18th. They will be watching the upcoming city budget discussions with interest as will Toronto Arts Council and Foundation’s Advocacy Committee. The 2013 Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets are being considered in a compressed period this year with the final budgets scheduled for approval at the mid-January 2013 City Council meeting.

Important upcoming date are as follows:

• November 13: Friends of the Arts Day at the City (meetings with City Councillors to discuss the importance of arts funding)
• November 29: City Operating and Capital Budget launch
• December 10, 11: Public Hearings 2013 Capital and Operating Budgets
• January 8: Budget Committee Final Budget Wrap Up
• January 10: Executive Committee Budget Wrap Up
• January 15-17: City Council Budget Wrap Up

As always, Toronto Arts Council will monitor all meetings and keep followers informed of pending decisions and opportunities for participation. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Toronto Arts Council wishes to honour Rita Davies

August 2012 - Toronto Arts Council wishes to honour Rita Davies for her extraordinary achievements as Executive Director of Culture for the City of Toronto. A true champion for culture, Rita will be sorely missed. Rita’s remarkable capacity for providing strong leadership, strategic vision and tireless advocacy on behalf of the arts in Toronto, has resulted in groundbreaking achievements during her tenure; She was instrumental in designing the cultural plan for the City of Toronto with the Culture Plan for the Creative City (2003) and the Creative Capital GainsReport (2011) documents; increasing City investment in the arts; introducing programs including Nuit Blanche and Live With Culture; offering accessible arts programs in under-served neighbourhoods, and numerous other projects.

Rita’s enormous contribution to the development of Toronto’s cultural sector began long before the inauguration of her role at the head of Cultural Services in 1999. As the inaugural Executive Director of Toronto Arts Council during the 1980's when high housing prices were forcing artists out of the downtown core, Rita was instrumental in the creation of the No Vacancy report (1988, by Thomas Hendry). This led to zoning changes calling for the creation of a new organization to develop affordable live/work space for artists. Under Rita’s direction, TAC founded Artscape, an enormously successful model which continues to develop sustainable living and working spaces for artists.

In 1992, Rita launched the community outreach and research that recommended positive anti-racist strategies for eliminating barriers to arts funding. Cultural Equity (1992, by E.A. Julian) resulted in the transformation of Toronto Arts Council into what was at that time he most accessible and proactive arts funding body in Canada and was used a model across the country.

Rita was awarded the City Soul Award in 2011 by the Canadian Urban Institute in recognition of her significant contribution to improving the quality of life in Canada's cities and urban regions. Her contribution as founding Executive Director of TAC is recognized through the Rita Davies and Margo Bindhardt Cultural Leadership Award, administered by Toronto Arts Foundation and awarded biennially at the Mayor’s Arts Awards Lunch.

We will most certainly miss Rita’s dedication, her vision and her advocacy for a more liveable, beautiful city for everyone to enjoy. We are grateful for all she has done to support and sustain the arts in Toronto and wish her well in her new adventures.

Federal and Provincial Budgets - What do they mean for the arts?

Artists and arts organizations will be relieved to learn that the federal and provincial governments have both protected the arts councils from cuts to their granting programs. The Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Trillium Foundation will not sustain budget cuts despite broad based reductions in other areas.

The full impact of the government budgets will be determined over the next few months. It is clear that reduced investment in the culture sector will have a ripple effect Major items are listed below:

2012 Federal Budget Arts Highlights:

• There will be no cuts to the Canada Council for the Arts.
• The CBC has been cut by 10% ($115 million) over three years.
• The Department of Canadian Heritage’s operating base of $2.8 billion has been cut by 6.9%.
• In addition to the Canada Council, the National Gallery and national museums will not face budget cuts.
• Telefilm’s budget is being cut by $10.6 million and the National Film Board is being cut by $6.7 million.

2012 Provincial Budget Arts Highlights:

• There will be no cuts to the Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation and Ontario Media Development Corporation.
• Luminato’s funding from the Ontario government will be cut by $1.5 million for 2012-13 and $2 million for 2013-14
• The operating budgets of Ontario’s Cultural Agencies including the AGO, ROM and McMichael Canadian Arts Collection will be cut by 1% for 2012-13 and an additional 1% for 2013-14 and thereafter.

Cultural industry Tax Credits will be maintained.

City Council Fully Restores Arts Grants for 2012!

January 18, 2012 - Thanks to the hundreds and thousands of Toronto residents who made their voices heard by deputing at meetings, calling and writing their Councillors and signing the Friends of the Arts petition, there was support across the political spectrum at City Hall yesterday for sustained funding of arts grants.

Last night City Councillors passed the amended 2012 Operating Budget which included the adoption of a motion made by Executive Committee last week to restore arts funding to 2011 levels and a motion introduced at City Council to restore funding to all community grants in the Community Partnership Investment Program (CPIP).

Details on all of the grants and the votes by City Council on January 17th can be viewed on the City of Toronto website.

Executive Committee Votes to Protect Arts Grants

January 13, 2012 – Yesterday at City Hall the Executive Committee of City of Toronto voted not to cut the 2012 arts grants budget. The motion, put forward by Councillor Peter Milczyn, states

“That City Council reverse the reduction to the CPIP Budget Envelope of $1.9 million for Arts and Culture Grants, the funds to be drawn from additional assessment growth revenues.”

City Council is expected to approve this motion at its special budget meeting beginning on January 17th.

The decision by Executive to protect arts funding from impending cuts was arrived at in response to thousands of Toronto residents voicing their opposition to the cuts. Councillors Gary Crawford and Michael Thompson worked very hard within the Ford administration to defend the importance of arts funding. Councillors Ana Bailão, Shelley Carroll, John Filion, and Mary Fragedakis, who join Gary Crawford as City appointed Directors of the Board of Toronto Arts Council (TAC), also provided critical behind-the-scenes support.

Councillor Mike Layton offered very strong community leadership with his support of the Friends of the Arts Network. The network now includes over 20,000 Toronto residents, many of whom have contacted their local Councillors to defend the importance of arts funding. Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of Toronto Arts Council, said “In addition to the support of so many Councillors who championed this move to protect the arts, I am grateful for the efficient work accomplished by the Mayors Arts Task Force in such a short time. Equally important was the strategic groundwork laid by Culture Division in developing the Creative Capital Gains Report and in helping to launch the Municipal Cultural Investment in Five Large Canadian Cities Report. The research provided by these publications reveals and clarifies the critical role the arts play in the economic fabric of the city.”

“I was encouraged by Councillor Milczyn’s remarks,” said Toronto Arts Foundation Chair, Susan Crocker. “He made clear that this administration now considers itself a strong supporter of the arts and is willing to defend the value of arts grants despite significant cuts elsewhere.”

The City Budget for 2012 with the amendments made on January 12 will be put forward for a final vote by City Council next week on January 17th.

What People Are Saying

City Operating Budget Recommends $2 Million Arts and Culture Grants Cuts

January 10, 2012 - The 2012 City Operating Budget, approved by Budget Committee yesterday, recommends a reduction in Toronto’s arts and culture grants by $2 million and additional reductions to the city’s department of Economic Development and Culture. Given that every dollar invested by the city in grants to arts organizations in Toronto leverages an additional $17 in funding from other sources this will have the direct effect of reducing investment in Toronto by $25 million.

“It is hard to exaggerate the impact of such a cut. Of course artists and arts organizations will be affected, but so too will every Toronto resident who benefits from access to arts programming as well as Toronto’s tourism industry, its restaurants, hotels, taxis and retail sectors” said John McKellar, Chair of Toronto Arts Council.

Toronto’s Executive Committee, chaired by the Mayor, will review the Budget Committee’s recommended budget on Thursday, January 12, following which it will go to the full City Council on January 17 for final approval.

Toronto Board of Trade stands firmly against cuts to municipal arts funding. - READ THE STUDY

Hill Studies release report on January 10, 2012 revealing the City of Toronto falls far behind in municipal arts funding as compared to 4 other major cities. - READ THE STUDY

Mayor's Task Force Releases Report on Arts and Theatres

December 14, 2011- Councillor Gary Crawford, Chair of the Mayor's Task Force - Arts and Theatres presented the theatre recommendations to Mayor Rob Ford. The Task Force assembled a Theatre Panel, comprised of citizens knowledgeable in arts governance and management, including artistic producers and former board members of these performing arts centres and tenant organizations. In the Terms of Reference, the Task Force was given as its objective:

"To help determine the future of City-owned theatres and the City's role in supporting them."

Members of the Mayor's Task Force are Councillor Gary Crawford (Chair), Ms. Susan Crocker, Dr. Jim Fleck, Mr. Robert Foster and Mr. Chris Lorway. Members of the Theatre Panel are Mr. John McKellar, Mr. Don Shipley and Mr. Peter Steinmetz.

Read Councillor Crawford's View press release here.

View Recommendations on the Theatres here

Over 348 Slated to Speak Out at City Hall, December 7, 2011

Claire Hopkinson, ED and Karen Tisch, President of Toronto Arts Council, were among over 300 presenting deputations defending services today to the Budget Committee at City Hall. The following is the deputation made by Ms. Tisch.

Deputation by Karen Tisch, President,Toronto Arts Council

Councillors, my name is Karen Tisch and I am the volunteer President of the Toronto Arts Council.

I know you are going to be hearing from a lot of artists and arts groups over the next couple of days. That is because they, as I, are responding with dismay to the proposed budget.

We feel that we have collectively made the case for the importance of arts funding and that City Council has indicated that you have heard this case and that you agree.

Nine years ago, City Council declared its intention to increase arts funding to $25 per capita. Since then, Council has reaffirmed this intention many times, most recently with the unanimous approval of Creative Capital Gains. But where are we now? The proposed budget recommends a major service change to the Community Partnership and Investment program that will reduce, not increase arts funding to just $17 per capita leaving us even further behind our US counter parts (like Chicago at $26 per capita, New York at $74 and San Francisco at $87).

This reduced investment in the arts also bucks current local and global trends. You may have seen in the news that communities in the GTA are building up their arts infrastructure to support economic development. And, internationally, the European Commission, facing more serious economic prospects than Toronto, has announced its largest ever arts funding program of $2.4 BILLION dollars.

Furthermore, as we have demonstrated in our recent deputations and City Council has let us know you understand, grants are one of the most effective ways the city can deliver services to its residents. Organizations that receive grants use these dollars to leverage support from other funders. In fact, each dollar the City invests in the arts translates into $17.75 from other sources. The proposed cut of 10% will thus directly result in a decrease of $25 million dollars in private and public investment in Toronto, not to mention the affect on local businesses that rely on the arts such as restaurants and hotels.

Finally – although the highest profile arts activities take place downtown, arts programming is happening across the city – local schools, churches, parks, community centres and the streets themselves are the backdrop for thousands of arts events each year. These activities engage youth and newcomers, attract millions of Toronto residents, make the City a magnet for business and tourism, and a great place to live.

We appreciate the City's economic pressures and it is not that Toronto’s artists and arts organizations are unwilling to do their part. They have been doing their part for years; despite high education levels, artists are among the lowest paid groups in the country with average incomes of just over $20,000. Arts organizations are also experts in cost-efficiency and lean staffing.

The city manager’s budget flies in the face of Council’s prior commitments, it is contrary to good economic policy and its proposed cuts to arts funding represent a major service reduction to the residents of Toronto.

On behalf of the City's over 500 arts organizations, and the millions of residents that participate in the arts, I urge you not to adopt the City Manager’s recommendation and to maintain full funding for the CPIP program. Thank you.

IMMEDIATE CALL TO ACTION

Toronto Arts Foundation invites all Artists, Arts Organizations, Audiences and Friends to participate in action

On November 28, the City Manager presented the 2012 Operating Budget to the City's Budget Committee.The proposed budget recommends a 10% cut to arts grants. If passed, TAC's grants budget will be reduced by just over $1 million. Clearly, this would be very difficult for Toronto's arts community. We at Toronto Arts Foundation, and our partners at many arts organizations and associations including the Friends of the Arts network, are continuing to work very hard to prevent this recommendation from passing.

In order to be successful in reversing the cut, we will have to rely on all of our funded organizations to contact their volunteers, donors, audiences and supporters and ask them to join the voices opposing cuts to Toronto's arts funding.

What you can do

1) EMAIL CITY COUNCILLOR

Ask your Board, volunteers, audiences and supporters to call, email or write their City Councillors to ask them to protect arts funding. CITY COUNCILLOR CONTACT INFO HERE

2) MAKE A PUBLIC DEPUTATION AT CITY HALL - December 7 & 8 - Make a public deputation before Toronto’s Budget Committee next Wednesday and Thursday Dec 7th and 8th. The meeting will be held at City Hall, beginning at 9:30 am and concluding at 9:30 pm both days.

REGISTER TO SPEAK - Call 416-392-7340 or email buc@toronto.ca. Give your name, address and phone and let them know you would like to speak at the Budget Committee meeting that begins on December 7. Ask them to let you know your approximate number on the list which will give some indication of when you will be called. For those unable to attend in person, it is possible to send a written submission to Budget Committee, buc@toronto.ca.

GUIDE: HOW TO MAKE A DEPUTATION - HERE

Key Dates

December 7 and 8; 9:30 am to 9:30 pm: Budget Committee Public Deputations
January 9: Budget Committee Final Wrap Up
January 17: City Council Approval of Operating and Capital Budgets

Thank you for your participation.

If you have questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to reply or contact Susan Wright 416-392-6802 x 221 susan@torontoartscouncil.org.

20,000 Torontonians Petition City Council to Stop Cuts to Arts & Culture

November 28, 2011 - Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre) presented the Friends of the ArtsPetition to City Council, featuring 20,000 signatures representing residents living in every ward of Toronto. The petition calls on all Toronto Councillors to:

• Meet the City's commitments to the Creative Capital Gains Initiative to make Toronto a leader in arts and culture.
• Maintain current City funding to arts and culture: protect investment in Toronto Arts Council, Toronto’s 475 arts organizations and hundreds of local artists.

Tabled yesterday, the City Budget outlines 10% across the board cuts cut to arts grants plus major service changes to other cultural programs and events. Cutting the arts to this degree will have a negative economic and social impact on Toronto and will cause significant hardship to artists and arts organizations. Moreover, the city achieves a huge return on its relatively small arts investment and Toronto’s arts scene is a big part of what makes Toronto a great place to live, work and visit. Reductions to arts granting programs are in direct conflict with the goals outlined in Toronto's Creative Capital Gains report that was unanimously approved by City Council just months ago.

A few of the reasons Toronto residents signed the petition:

• Arts and culture are essential to Toronto’s economy, generating $9 billion every year.
• Arts and culture create jobs. 130,000 people work in the sector – and many more depend on related businesses, including those in hospitality and tourism.
• Torontonians care about the arts. In 2010, there were 20 million visits from every corner of Toronto to city-supported arts events.
• Every dollar Toronto invests in arts organizations attracts $17 more from private and public sources. Arts and culture funding has a great return on investment.
• Great art and artists take years to achieve commercial success; today’s funding enables tomorrow’s art.
• Artists flock to cities that support them – yet Toronto invests less in the arts than other major cities; City Council has been working to change that, and it must stay the course.

The organizing committee of Friends of the Arts is a working group of arts advocates from across the City of Toronto. Friends of the Arts would like to thank Councillor Mike Layton for his leadership and support of the petition and Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby for making the presentation.

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For more information, please contact Susan Wright 416-392-6802 x211

Mayor Ford Announces Mayor's Task Force

September 30, 2011 - Mayor Rob Ford announced the creation of a Mayor's Task Force - Arts and Theatres this morning. The Task Force is being chaired by Councillor Gary Crawford and the members are Claire Hopkinson, Jim Fleck, Robert Foster and Chris Lorway. There will also be additional community leaders appointed to advise on each of the Task Force's two objectives: 1) to help determine the future of the city-owned theatres and the city's role in supporting them; and 2) to provide advice on an efficient restructuring of the arts grants program so that it meets the city's need for fiscal responsibility and the community's need for concise and consistent funding structures it can leverage to support the city's economic development goals. Click here for the press release.

Arts Community Defends Theatres and Museums at City Hall

September 27, 2011 - TAC's ED Claire Hopkinson and Director of Operations Susan Wright are at City Hall while Councillors vote on a series of recommendations including closing museums with low attendance and three Theatres. Motions passed are logged immediately on Toronto City Council updates here. Live streaming of Council here.

Core Service Review presented to Executive Commmittee

September 21, 2011 - The Core Service Review presented to Executive Committee and Council on September 19th by City Manager Joe Pennachetti was adopted with numerous amendments detailed here. One of the motions relating to the issue of arts grants includes a request for the City Manager to provide a report on the recommended transfer of all arts and culture to TAC, amongst additional details. The report is to be completed by Nov 1st. And TAC will be fully engaged in consultations and recommendations.

Deputations at City Hall

September 19, 2011 - Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation were two of 361 signed up to speak at deputations at City Hall today.

TAF Chair Susan Crocker was followed by TAC President Karen Tisch and TAC Chair John D. McKellar, outlining the importance of arts funding to Toronto and the crucial role it plays in leveraging other revenue to the City. Crocker stated that Toronto Arts Council and Foundation would like to see the implementation of the Creative Capital Gains report (initiated by Economic Development Chair, Councillor Michael Thompson). Karen Tisch reminded the Executive Committee that the arts are significant factors in attracting international businesses to Toronto, and in addition to their cultural and social value, contribute much to the city's economy.

Toronto Arts Foundation News Conference

September 15, 2011 - Toronto Arts Foundation in partnership with Business for the Arts held a news conference this morning to a crowd at Roy Thomson Hall. Susan Crocker, the new Chair of Toronto Arts Foundation welcomed the capacity crowd and presented the current issues of the day - the pending cuts to the arts and grants along with other service cuts to be proposed by the City of Toronto's Executive Committee to Council on Monday, September 19.

Artists, business leaders, arts leaders and CEOs, and other concerned citizens gathered to discuss the importance of the City of Toronto's grants to the arts through Toronto Arts Council, and their essential relationship to the evolution of the arts in Toronto and Canada.

The panel was hosted by Jim Fleck, founder and former CEO of Fleck Manufacturing Co. and a passionate philanthropist for the arts.

The panel speakers consisted of Robert Foster, the President and CEO of Capital Canada and Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of Toronto Arts Foundation, the host of the news conference.

Joining them on the panel were Weyni Mengesha,

Toronto-based filmmaker and writer of the famed "Da Kink In My Hair", a television series which began as

a TAC funded independent theatre project and Richie Mehta, an up-coming

Toronto-based writer and director of 30 films, including Genie Award nominee Amal.

At the conference, numerous members of the arts community stood up to share their stories and perspectives on the significance of the arts in their lives. Filmmaker Atom Egoyan, Soulpepper's Artistic Director Albert Schultz, and celebrated actor Graham Abbey were amongst those to speak.

*Friends of the Arts is a network of arts supporters including the following organizations:

Arts Vote Toronto, Arts Etobicoke, BeautifulCity.ca,Business for the Arts, Creative Trust, Lakeshore Arts, Scarborough Arts, Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, Toronto Arts Foundation and Urban Arts.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MEDIA COVERAGE ON THIS AND OTHER SUBJECTS

City Planning Deep Budget Cuts

September 14 - Toronto City Council is planning to make deep cuts to the city budget, and this puts arts and cultural funding at serious risk. Cutting the arts could be an economic and social catastrophe for Toronto: not only does the city achieve a huge return on a relatively small investment, but our vibrant arts scene is also a big part of what makes Toronto a great place to live, work and visit.

Friends of the Arts* has launched an online petition to let City Councillors know that Torontonians value the arts.
By signing the petition you will be sending a message to the Mayor and your local councillor telling them that arts funding should not be cut. Here are a few of the reasons why the arts might be important to you:

• Arts and culture are essential to Toronto’s economy, generating $9 billion every year.
• Arts and culture create jobs. 130,000 people work in the sector – and many more depend on related businesses, including those in hospitality and tourism.
• Torontonians care about the arts. In 2010, there were 20 million visits from every corner of Toronto to city-supported arts events.
• Every dollar Toronto invests in arts organizations attracts $17 more from private and public sources. Arts and culture funding has a great return on investment.
• Great art and artists take years to achieve commercial success; today’s funding enables tomorrow’s art.
• Artists flock to cities that support them – yet Toronto invests less in the arts than other major cities; City Council has been working to change that, and it must stay the course.
• Toronto Councillors need to know that their voters value the arts.

Please feel free to forward the petition on to your friends and family.
Although most signatures will be collected online, we will also be sending volunteers to specific arts events with hard copies of the petition. If you’d like to help, please email friendsoftheartsto@gmail.com and put volunteer in the subject line. Thank you!

How to Contact your City Officials

Contact information for the Mayor and all City Councillors is HERE

Contacting Toronto City Councillors: Find Your Ward

Contacting Members of Provincial Parliament: Ontario Legislature

House of Commons:Find Your Member of Parliament

KPMG Report presented at City Hall

Thursday, July 28, 10am at City Hall - all are welcome to attend as the City's Executive Committee considers the recommendations outlined in the KPMG report, The City of Toronto Core Service Review Project, which identifies current city services as mandatory, essential, traditional (ie. other cities offer this service) or other, in order of priority.

Arts - including grants, theatres and arts services - have been identified as traditional and the report states that the city has the option of reducing or eliminating funds for the arts. The section of the report referencing arts funding can be found here (search arts in the document).

Toronto's Executive Committee will deliberate the report at city hall on Thursday July 28. Toronto Arts Council will have several people making deputations.

All are welcome to attend. Deputations start at 10am.

All Toronto citizens are welcome to make a deputation, and have 5 minutes to speak to the issue of potential city service cuts. If you would like to add your name to the list, write exc@toronto.ca and ask to register to speak at Thursday's meeting.

Creative Capital Gains Approved in unanimous vote at City Council!

May 20, 2011- Introduced by Councillor Michael Thompson (Chair of the Economic Development Committee) and spoken to by many Councillors representing a broad cross-section of the city, the the Creative Capital Gains report was unanimously endorsed by City Council May 18, 2011. A detailed implementation plan developed from this report will be presented to the Economic Development Committee later this year.

The report identifies areas for new and renewed investment and support by the City of Toronto, along with 33 action recommendations that will assist in achieving the goals.

The focus areas include:

• Ensuring a supply of affordable, sustainable cultural space
• Ensuring access and opportunity for cultural participation to all citizens, regardless of age, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, geography or socioeconomic status
• Supporting the development of creative clusters and emerging cultural scenes to capitalize on their potential as generators of jobs and economic growth
• Promoting Toronto's cultural institutions, festivals and other assets to enhance the city's position as a Creative City regionally, nationally and internationally
• Keeping pace with international competitors by making a firm commitment to sustain Toronto's cultural sector and position Toronto as a leading, globally competitive Creative Capital.

Of particular importance, the report sets a target of $25 per capita funding for arts and culture. Toronto's current funding level is $17 per capita, well behind our international competitors: (Chicago $26, Montreal $32, New York $74 and San Francisco $87). The report concludes that culture is the fundamental driver of Toronto’s future prosperity.
The initiative was created by Councillor Thompson and guided by the volunteer efforts of cultural and business leaders, including Co-Chairs Robert Foster, Karen Kain and Jim Prentice, as well as arts leaders Jeff Melanson, Che Kothari and Claire Hopkinson. Special thanks are due to the hundreds of artists and arts administrators who participated in 13 public consultations.

TAC Makes the Case Again for Billboard Tax Revenues to Support the Arts

Toronto's Arts Organizations Unite in Shared Toronto Budget Deputation

On January 19th and 20th Toronto’s Budget Committee held four public deputation meetings on the municipal budget at the North York Civic Centre, the East York Civic Centre, York Civic Centre, and the Scarborough Civic Centre. Deputations were chaired by Budget Chief Mike Del Grande at two of the centres, and by Councillor Doug Ford at the others.

ll of Toronto's funded arts organizations came together to collaborate on a shared presentation for the Budget Committee. The presentations were led by Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, the Major Cultural Organizations and Toronto Arts Council.

As it stands now, the City's proposed budget for arts organizations including TAC is a flat-line. This means no cuts and no increases. Toronto Arts Council presented the case that Toronto City Council should honour its previous recommendations to increase arts funding to $25 per capita by 2013, and ensure that all revenue from the billboard tax is directed to arts funding.

TAC President Karen Tisch said the following in her presentation:

“To quote Frank McKenna in his speech to the Board of Trade: Toronto is a cultural mecca. Together, the arts organizations, collectives and artists supported by the city present 40,000 public events, performances, exhibitions, festivals and screenings in Toronto every year. These events are attended by 20 million people each year, attracting 35,000 Toronto residents to volunteer over a million hours.

“Equally important are the huge numbers of events and activities presented at the local level in neighbourhoods throughout Toronto. City supported performances, events and exhibitions are offered free of charge in schools, in Toronto public housing; in the city’s apartment blocks, in community centres in the city’s parks. They provide occasions to engage youth, to bring seniors out of isolation and to support newcomers.”

Executive Director Claire Hopkinson followed, saying “We offer unparalled value for the city’s tax dollar....Toronto’s artists have wonderful creative ideas to use the arts to improve the economy, neighbourhoods, and services; we want to work with the city to ensure these ideas are integrated into culture plan and city planning in general. If you want to grow Toronto’s economy, support the arts.”

Also at the deputations at the North York Civic Centre was Seema Jethalal, Managing Director of Manifesto Community Projects, who said

“When I was growing up in North York, I had the opportunity to take classes like photography, sculpture and guitar. After I graduated, though, most of these courses were discontinued due to funding cuts. I find myself now, ten years later, working to fill some of those gaps because I truly understand the impact the arts had on my life. Through my exposure to the arts, I became a stronger student who was more excited to attend classes and I became more confident, well-rounded, critical, resourceful, social and passionate and working at Manifesto has been the most fulfilling job I’ve had in over a decade.”

The Toronto Star's review of the proceedings.

Creative Capital Initiative to update Toronto's Culture Plan

Toronto will take a fresh look at its official Culture Plan with the help of a blue ribbon panel, Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the City's Economic Development Committee, announced today.

The Creative Capital Initiative, a partnership between the City and the arts and culture community, will provide expert advice and recommendations to update the City's 2003 Culture Plan for the new term of Council.

"Toronto's cultural sector employs nearly 133,000 people and annually generates $9 billion in GDP,” Councillor Thompson said. “Between 1991 and 2007, creative occupations grew at more than twice the rate of the general labour force. Given the changes that have occurred in the economy, Toronto's city governance philosophy and the city's cultural sector since 2003, it is time to take a fresh look at our Culture Plan.”

The Creative Capital Initiative will look for ways to enhance Toronto's role as an international cultural centre, and recommend actions to amplify the sector's economic and social contributions.

Co-chairing the initiative are three prominent members of Canada's business and cultural communities: Robert Foster (CEO Capital Canada), Karen Kain (Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada), and former federal Cabinet Minister Jim Prentice (Vice-Chairman, CIBC). They are joined by an Advisory Council that includes Nichole Anderson (President and CEO, Business for the Arts), Cameron Bailey (Co-Director, Toronto International Film Festival Group), Claire Hopkinson (Executive Director, Toronto Arts Council), Che Kothari (Executive Director, Manifesto Community Arts) and Gail Lord (Principal, Lord Cultural Resources).

The Creative Capital Initiative will be advised by Richard Florida (Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute) and Jeff Melanson (Special Advisor to the Mayor - Arts and Culture).

The initiative will hold a series of focus groups with invited members of Toronto's cultural and business communities beginning in February. Three public consultations are also planned. The initiative will present its recommendations to the Economic Development Committee at the committee's May 2011 meeting.

The 2003 Culture Plan recognizes that great cities of the world are all creative cities whose citizens work with ideas, are intensely mobile and insist on a high quality of life. Since its adoption, the Culture Plan has successfully shaped the City's cultural strategy and supported the growth of the cultural sector. To date, 87 per cent of the Culture Plan's 63 recommendations have been implemented. In August 2010, Council reaffirmed its commitment to the Culture Plan's cultural investment goal of $25 per capita (currently at $18 per capita).

The public is invited to track progress of the Creative Capital Initiative and provide comments on http://www.livewithculture.ca.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. Toronto's government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Calling all artists and arts organizations:

Please join us at City Budget Deputation meetings being held January 19 and 20 (details below).

For the first time, all of Toronto's funded arts organizations are collaborating on a shared presentation for the Budget Committee. There are four separate meetings being held, and presentations will be led by one of: Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, the Major Cultural Organizations or Toronto Arts Council at each meeting.

As is stands now, the City's proposed budget for arts organizations including TAC is a flat-line. This means no cuts and no increases. Toronto Arts Council working with our collegues will present the case that Toronto City Council should honour its previous recommendations to increase arts funding to $25 per capita by 2013.

Anyone wishing to add their voice to the budget discussion may register to depute to: buc@toronto.ca before January 18.

Even if you don't want to speak - please come out to support your arts colleagues who will present budget recommendations on behalf of the community.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions. I can be reached at 392-6802 x211 or susan@torontoartscouncil.org.

Public Deputations on Toronto's budget are being held, as follows:

Wednesday January 19, 6-9 p.m. at both:

North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge St. and

East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Avenue

Thursday, January 20, 6-9 p.m. at both:

Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Drive, and

York Civic Centre, 2700 Eglinton Avenue West

Municipal Election Results

Toronto Arts Council congratulates Mayor-elect Ford and all incoming City Councillors.

TAC is delighted to note that a majority of elected Councillors have expressed their commitment to strengthened support for Toronto’s arts sector. We look forward to working with all Councillors in all neighbourhoods to support arts programming that will attract tourists, improve residents' quality of life and create opportunities for youth engagement and community revitalization.

The arts are critical to the city’s economy and deliver exceptional value for the money – two issues we know are important to Mayor-elect Ford. Further the arts attract significant investment to Toronto from other levels of government as well as the private sector, ensuring that the economic impact of relatively low levels of investment is high.

We look forward to working with the Mayor and all Councillors to ensure they understand the economic value of the arts sector, its essential role in strengthening Toronto’s global reputation, and its importance to millions of residents and visitors every year.

Below is a full list of the the newly elected Toronto City Council. Names in bold are newcomers, others are returning incumbents.

Mayor-elect: Rob Ford

Councillors:

HISTORY - click here for older postings

Advocacy Committee

The Toronto Arts Foundation and Toronto Arts Council's Advocacy Committee was established in the spring of 2009 to advance the interests of Toronto's arts community to politicians and the public. Members of the committee are drawn from the Boards of Directors of Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation and from Toronto arts and community organizations:

Nichole Anderson ●Curtis Barlow ● Rose Bellosillo ● Jack Blum ● Alejandra Bravo ● Martha Burns ● Bev Carret ● Alice Klein ● Jacoba Knaapen ●Sally Lee ● Shannon Litzenberger ● Micheline McKay ● Amy Mushinski ● Celia Smith ● Jini Stolk ● Dan Tisch ● John Van Burek ● Jessica Wyman