Ontario cultural magazines may benefit from $5 million increase in OAC funding

Funding for the Ontario Arts Council this year is to be increased by $5 million, bringing it to $55 million for 2008/09. The announcement was made by Ontario Culture Minister Aileen Carroll at a reception for Kingston area artists. The 2007 Ontario budget had previously included an additional $5 million increase in 2009/10, which means the OAC budget in that year will now be $60 million.

It is not yet known what portion of that extra $5 million will be finding its way into support for the 30+ cultural magazines that now receive OAC funding under the grants to periodicals program.

In her comments the minister noted that funding to the OAC has increased 140% from the Council’s 2003-04 budget of $25 million. This is true, but does not bring OAC funding back to the levels before the Mike Harris-era cutbacks. Carroll called on “all levels of government to foster the development and promotion of arts and culture”, something about which it is hard to disagree.