HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-12-052 - Creative Enterprise Initiative UpdateREPORT TO:Community and Infrastructure Services
DATE OF MEETING:
December 10, 2012
SUBMITTED BY:
Rod Regier, Executive Director
PREPARED BY:
Silvia Di Donato, Manager Arts and Culture
WARD(S) INVOLVED:
All
DATE OF REPORT:
November 30, 2012
REPORT NO.:
CAO-12-052
SUBJECT:
Creative Enterprise Initiative (CEI) 2012 Update
RECOMMENDATION:
For information.
BACKGROUND:
The Creative Enterprise Initiative (previously named the Creative Enterprise Enabling
Organization) was developed in March 2010 with the intention to provide a wide range of
services to enable the arts, culture and heritage sectors, including private, public and not-for-
profit, and creating an environment to help artists reach full potential. The organizational mission
is to ‘support extraordinary creative endeavours that make Waterloo Region a world-class place
to live, work, play and stay.” CEI is overseen by a Board of Directors which includes
membership from the three Cities (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge), the Region, local
businesses and the arts and culture sector.
The Creative Enterprise Initiative has received operating funding from the City of Kitchener from
the community grants budget for the last three years (2010 - $47,000; 2011 - $50,000; $2012 -
$56,000). For the 2012 operating grant, on January 16, 2012, Council confirmed the operating
grant for $56,000, but asked “That consideration be given to eliminate future financial support to
the Creative Enterprise Enabling Organization, pending a determination as to whether the
Organization reached its $1.2M private sector revenue target by December 2012.”
Report CSD-12-153 recommends continuation of the operating grant for 2013 with no change in
amount, $56,000. To support that recommendation, a presentation will be provided by the
Creative Enterprise Initiative at the December 10, 2012 Community and Infrastructure Services
Committee meeting. This report is a summary known to date, with an emphasis on private
sector revenue targets.
REPORT:
Creative Enterprise Initiative (CEI) reports attracted investment from seventeen private sector
companies. The total commitment is still growing at the time of this report, making progress
towards the $1.2 Million target. Multi-year commitments are obtained from some private sector
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funders, as well as business pledges to leverage further investment from their own business
networks and community.
Local investment directly provided support for multiple organizations and initiatives in Kitchener
including the Arts Education Initiative, Lost & Found Theatre, CAFKA, Kitchener Blues Festival,
Kwartz Lab, KOI Music Festival and others. Investments leveraged activities that helped to
sustain participants with ‘bulk buy’ tourism publicity, strategic planning, educational workshops
and consulting services.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The Kitchener Economic Development Strategy (CAO-11-019) recognizes talent attraction as
one of the key areas of focus in the next four years for the city to be successful. To this end, it
has been shown that a vibrant and thriving creative arts and culture sector creates the kind of
community that can attract and retain skilled people for the new economy. The Kitchener
Strategic Plan also identifies culture as a factor critical to the health of the community. It also
supports goals that foster vitality in the core and the city as a whole.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
This report is for information only.
Report CSD-12-153 recommends continuation of the operating grant for 2013 with no change in
amount, $56,000.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
The Arts and Culture Advisory Committee accepted an update from CEI (Creative Enterprise
Initiative) by delegation on September 18, 2012.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development
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