Province goes ahead with promised $5 million increase for Ontario Arts Council

The Ontario Government is, despite concerns that it might be having second thoughts (because of the dire economy) will add $5 million to the budget of the Ontario Arts Council, bringing its annual grant to $60 million. The province's press release says that the money will help

• develop Ontario arts organizations and artists
• promote art and culture in communities across Ontario
• increase its services to artists and creators

It was noted that the province's entertainment and creative cluster created over 80,000 new jobs in Ontario between 1999-2007, an increase of almost 40 per cent and the sector is expected to grow faster than the rest of the economy over the next two decades.

“Ontario’s artists and arts organizations improve our quality of life, boost local economies and help our province compete internationally," said OAC chair Martha Durdin. "This investment recognizes those contributions and allows us to provide more services that support the continued success of our creative sector.”

(Interestingly, the announcement came from the government and not the culture ministry, as might have been expected. The $5 million is probably already spoken for rather than being available for general use.)