The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCAO-15-041 - Ontario Culture Strategy Staff Report K jT HF,_Ni-, CA0 Office www.kitchener ca REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: December 7, 2015 SUBMITTED BY: Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development, 519-741-2200 x 7506 PREPARED BY: Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts & Culture, Economic Development, 519-741-2200 x 7084 WARD (S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: November 23, 2015 REPORT NO.: CAO-15-041 SUBJECT: Ontario Culture Strategy RECOMMENDATION: That as in Report CAO-14-041, the feedback letter on the Ontario Culture Strategy discussion paper be endorsed by Council for submission to Mr. Kevin Finnerty, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS) is undertaking the province's first-ever Culture Strategy for Ontario. In September 2015, MTCS invited individuals, organizations, and communities to provide input into the development of the strategy. MTCS is delivering public town halls, offering a digital discussion platform, and soliciting written submissions to determine what the Culture Strategy should include, emphasize, and deliver. The aim of the Culture Strategy for Ontario is to discover and articulate what Ontarians value about culture in their lives and their communities, identifying priorities and principles to direct the provincial government's support to culture. In 2014-2015, MTCS' total spending on culture was approximately $800 million. This includes support to a variety of culture agencies and attractions, and granting agencies such as the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Ontario Music Fund, the Interactive Digital Media Fund, the Southern Ontario Library Service, and the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Creative Cities Network of Canada/ Ontario Members (CCNC/ON) have collaborated for impact on a consolidated submission reflecting the role of municipalities in cultural development. ***This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1 - 1 REPORT: Using the outcomes of Creative Cities Network of Canada collaboration as a starting point, individual municipalities will also send feedback letters to MTCS. Staff have prepared a submission that highlights the City of Kitchener's particular approach to culture, which recognizes the social, economic, and community benefits of cultural development (Appendix 1). The letter highlights the City of Kitchener's commitment to cultural development such as premier events, community-led and direct arts and culture programming. The letter also brings attention to the City's recognition of the economic importance of the creative and cultural industries by highlighting their inclusion in Make it Kitchener. Participation in a collaborative municipal message to the MTCS for the Ontario Culture Strategy has the potential to result in municipal policy development which is strategically aligned with Provincial policy. The background documents and process for Ontario's first Culture Strategy are available online at www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-culture-strategy ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: Strategic Priority: Strong and Resilient Community Strategy: 2.4 Develop and nurture a high quality of life and a powerful identity for the City of Kitchener to attract investment and a talented creative workforce. Strategic Action: Invest in the cultural sector as a key driver of a creative city and the local creative economy. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: None. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: CONSULT — The draft feedback letter has been shared with the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee and was discussed at its November 17t" meeting. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Must be the CAO or a Deputy CAO 1 - 2 APPENDIX 1 Kitchener's feedback letter to Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport regarding the Ontario Cultural Strategy 1 - 3 November 24, 2015 Mr. Kevin Finnerty Assistant Deputy Minister Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Culture Division Culture and Strategic Policy Branch, Culture Policy Unit 401 Bay Street, Suite 1800 Toronto, ON M7A OA7 From: City of Kitchener Re: Ontario's Culture Strategy Dear Assistant Deputy Minister Kevin Finnerty: We are pleased that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Honourable Micheal Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport(MTCS) have undertaken the development of the Ontario Culture Strategy and Arts Policy Framework. As a City,we believe in the immense economic, social, and personal benefits of creative endeavour to both individuals and communities. We hope this work will maximize these benefits by supporting cultural activities and practitioners across the province. The City of Kitchener has long recognized the importance of creative expression and development. Our approach to culture respects its role in the social and economic well-being of our community and our residents.We offer a variety of direct cultural programming: our city boasts one of the first municipal artist-in-residence programs and 1%for public art programs, operates two art galleries, and supports a multitude of cultural events throughout the year, attracting an estimated 700,000 people per year. In recent years, our City has undertaken creative and cultural sector development through initiatives to support the music industry, performing arts, and interactive digital arts. On November 16, 2015,the City approved its economic development strategy, Make It Kitchener, which integrates arts, culture and the creative industries throughout. From supporting creative arts practitioners as entrepreneurs and business people, to facilitating community-led place making activities,the City of Kitchener is working hard to bring a cultural lens to not only economic development, but to its decision-making generally. The City of Kitchener invests in the creative and cultural sector in a variety of ways.The City of Kitchener supports the local cultural sector by: • Investing in small, mid-sized organizations and cultural institutions through a variety of annual grant programs; • Offering capacity building support to local artists and organizations; • Supporting the delivery of numerous premier and community festivals, events, and programs with estimated total annual attendance of 700,000 people per year; • Supporting the preservation and conservation of built heritage assets; • Supporting a thriving Library, the main branch of which just underwent a $40-million renovation and is home to a new and nationally recognized public art installation, Flux, by Moss & Lam; • Nurturing the growth of creative and cultural industries by supporting delivery of professional development programming and other business development services; 1 1 - 4 • Identifying the creative and cultural industries as a key sector in the City's economic development strategy, Make It Kitchener; • Investing in the expansion of the City's Public Art collection, and its ongoing maintenance and conservation; • Delivering cultural programming such as the Artist-in-Residence program, The Rotunda Gallery, Berlin Tower ARTSPACE, and Youth Video Competition; • Supporting the preservation and operation of cultural institutions such as the Centre In the Square, the Registry Theater, and Homer Watson House &Gallery. Culture is vital to the City of Kitchener. It makes Kitchener a place where people want to be. It attracts people who want to produce culture and those who want to enjoy it. In turn, innovation across all sectors attracts business and investment. By connecting culture to unique local assets, such as the technology and advanced manufacturing sectors, the City of Kitchener aims to build a stronger culture sector and economy. Culture is vital to the prosperity of Kitchener and is crucial to Ontario's success. To ensure Kitchener's ability to support creative endeavours, it is important that the province recognizes and champions the essential role that all levels of government, including municipalities, play in promoting the value of culture in Ontario. The City is interested not only in supporting the province's cultural strategy, but also in ensuring that provincial funds are accessed by the many worthy cultural organizations in our community. We strongly urge MTCS, Culture Division, to reflect the role that local governments play in Ontario's Culture Strategy. Specifically, the Ontario Culture Strategy should: ➢ Emphasize the importance of local governments in the Ontario Culture Strategy Guiding Principles by recognizing that every community is different. Every community has its own strengths, putting local governments in a unique position to develop programming, policies, and plans that leverage and strengthen these assets and the community as a whole; ➢ Invest in funding and support for municipalities to boost the development and implementation of cultural plans and economic development strategies that support the creative and cultural industries, such as the City of Kitchener's economic development strategy, Make It Kitchener; ➢ Advance the role of local governments in fostering an environment in which arts, creative and cultural industries, cultural heritage, and public libraries thrive by partnering with relevant professional networks and organizations on the creation of new resources and tools, professional training, and knowledge sharing opportunities. Thank you for undertaking the Ontario Culture Strategy, and for the opportunity to contribute to such an important initiative. Sincerely, Berry Vrbanovic Mayor 2 1 - 5