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An Open Letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

We write today as Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation, two organizations that for 50 years have supported the development of a thriving arts sector in Toronto for the benefit of all Canadians. More than 100,000 of Canada’s 850,000 artists and cultural sector workers live in Toronto, and Toronto is home to a wide diversity of arts and culture activity, including national cultural institutions like the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada.

We are writing to urge the Government of Canada to allocate at least 1% of its overall spending towards arts, culture, and heritage, increasing its current investment of 0.94% by 0.06%. We are asking that this takes place through new investment of $140 million in the Canada Council for the Arts and $190 million in Arts Programs of Canadian Heritage―and no cuts. This reinforces the campaign of the Canadian Arts Coalition, which has so far generated more than 52,000 letters of support from Canadians across the country.

According to projections shared by the Canadian Arts Coalition, this additional commitment will result in economic impact of $4.4 billion and create 69,500 new artist and FTE staff jobs spread across every riding in Canada. Investing in the arts make economic sense. In 2022, organizations funded by Toronto Arts Council generated a total $288 million of GDP on less than $25 million of public investment―an incredible return on investment. These investments created 5,345 jobs and generated $76 million of tax revenue―a 300% return on the initial investment by the City of Toronto.

Perhaps more importantly, timely new investment in Canada’s arts and culture reflect and promote Canadian identity and stories at a time when both are more important than ever. 94% of Canadian believe that arts and culture make a community a better place to live. In Toronto, 87% of residents agree that arts build a sense of community, 79% agree that arts support community identity, and an overwhelming 96% agree that arts are important for the development of children.

And yet, artists and arts organizations served by Toronto Arts Council and Foundation continue to report extraordinary challenges amid rising costs and economic uncertainty. More than half of the organizations we fund reported revenue losses in 2024, and 74% of artists reported facing unstable financial situations that could lead them to leave Toronto or move into other professions altogether.

Now is not the time to cut arts funding; now is the time to invest more in a sector that shows us who we are as Canadians. A strong arts and culture sector fuels business, drives tourism and innovation, contributes to Canada’s prosperity and growth, and reinforces our Canadian identity. Investing in the arts makes our country a better place to live, and investing more now will strengthen and revitalize Canadian culture in the years to come. Simply put: artists and cultural organizations cannot afford funding cuts, and Canadians cannot afford to lose our arts and culture.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Kelly Langgard, Director & CEO, Toronto Arts
Dr. Sara Diamond, Chair, Toronto Arts Foundation
Celia Smith, Chair, Toronto Arts Council

CC:
Minister Steven Guilbeault
Minister François-Philippe Champagne

Toronto Arts Releases 2024 Annual Report & holds Annual General Meetings

A Message from the Director & CEO, Kelly Langgard 
Toronto Arts Council & Foundation 

Dear friends, 

At Toronto Arts, our Annual General Meetings are always a moment to reflect and celebrate. As we gathered on June 25 this year, a theme for the past year emerged: we’ve accomplished so much, and there’s still much to be done. 

In 2024, we marked Toronto Arts Council’s 50th anniversary, launched a refreshed Mayor’s Evening for the Arts, welcomed the City of Toronto’s new culture plan along with a commitment to increased funding over five years, and were awarded a $1 million TD Ready Challenge Grant to support newcomer artists―a powerful investment in Toronto’s future. 

We took the AGM as an opportunity to extend our gratitude to outgoing Toronto Arts Foundation board members Jesse Ryan and Sage Paul, and to welcome two new members to the Toronto Arts Council board: Umair Jaffar and Ann-Kim Lineus.  

We also unveiled our 2024 Annual Report, and we’re thrilled to be able to share a digital version with you now.  

In it, we shine a spotlight on a few of the many artists we fund and champion through grants and awards, demonstrate the value and impact of the arts in our communities, and show off our hard work building a better future for Toronto through the arts. 

Thanks to your support last year, the numbers tell a remarkable story: 

  • $23.8 million in grants awarded to local artists, collectives, and organizations 
  • 379 individual artists and 507 organizations supported 
  • 268 first-time grant recipients, expanding who gets to be seen and heard 
  • 295 free public events brought to life through Arts in the Parks, reaching more than 92,000 audience members in neighbourhoods across 18 wards 

And we’re just getting started.  

Already this year, we’ve given out hundreds of grants totalling more than $20.8 million, many of which were increased year-over-year as a result of the City’s increase to Toronto Arts Council’s budget as part of Toronto’s new 10-year culture plan. Among many actions, the plan includes a $10 million increase to our base budget over five years, beginning with a $2 million increase to the Council’s 2025 budget; and an annual inflationary increase, beginning with a 2.5% increase in 2025. We immediately increased funding to Black Arts, Indigenous Arts, and Newcomer and Refugee Artist programs, and directed more than $1.2M to operating grants, offering stability to vital arts organizations in uncertain times. 

We were also thrilled to launch the TOgether Through Art initiative with the support of Mayor Olivia Chow, bringing together arts organizations across the city to highlight activities focused on community well-being and social connection.  

We took time to celebrate the finalists and recipients of Toronto Arts Foundation Awards for their incredible accomplishments at the Mayor’s Arts Lunch, presented by Simons. 

And we rebranded our Council and Foundation websites with a fresh new look that reflects who we are: bold, creative, and accessible. More on our new brand will be revealed soon, bringing our two organizations into a future where we can better share the impact of our work, and the value of the arts to all Torontonians.  

Looking ahead, we have so many exciting projects on the horizon. In the fall, we’ll be launching our new Strategic Plan with a clear vision for the future of the arts in this city. And in November, we’ll be hosting the Mayor’s Evening for the Arts and (In) Bloom Gala, Toronto’s newest art party you won’t want to miss.  

This momentum can only happen with your support and involvement. Thank you for believing in the power of the arts—and in us. 

Warmly, 

Kelly