Annual report
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MINISTRY OVERVIEW
The Ministry of Culture administers legislation, develops policy and delivers programs related to the arts, heritage, libraries, cultural industries and cultural agencies in Ontario .
The ministry provides operational funding to its agencies, libraries, museums and provincial heritage organizations. It administers tax credits and other programs for the cultural industries – film and television production, book and magazine publishing, sound recording and digital media.
The ministry works in partnership with its agencies, provincial and community-based organizations, other ministries, federal and municipal governments and the private sector to support the arts, preserve and protect heritage resources and provide equitable access to information through the public library system.
The ministry oversees the activities of 13 provincial agencies:
- Art Gallery of Ontario
- McMichael Canadian Art Collection
- Ontario Heritage Foundation
- Ontario Science Centre
- Royal Botanical Gardens
- Royal Ontario Museum
- Science North
- Ontario Arts Council
- Ontario Media Development Corporation
- Ontario Trillium Foundation
- Ontario Library Service - North
- Southern Ontario Library Service
- Conservation Review Board
Ministry Vision
The Ministry of Culture encourages the arts and cultural industries, preserves and protects Ontario’s heritage and advances the public library system.
ANNUAL REPORT
2003-2004
With the election of the McGuinty government in October 2003, heritage stakeholders were consulted on amendments to improve the Ontario Heritage Act, including stronger demolition controls.
In March 2004, the ministry worked with the Ontario Realty Corporation and the City of Toronto to successfully negotiate an agreement in principle for public acquisition of the site of Ontario’s first parliament buildings. The agreement ensures that an important part of Ontario’s history is preserved for the benefit of future generations.
The ministry and the Ontario Museum Association conducted nine workshops across the province, including one bilingual workshop in northern Ontario to educate the museum community on provincial museum standards. The ministry also organized several courses for divers on marine heritage conservation.
As part of its Archaeology Customer Service Project, the ministry consulted extensively with the archaeology community, First Nations and other key stakeholders on potential improvements to licensing and regulatory approval processes.
Visitor attendance and spending at Ontario’s attraction agencies and other cultural tourism attractions declined dramatically in the aftermath of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis, the August 2003 blackout and other challenges. The ministry launched the Cultural Tourism Marketing Fund (CTMF) in July 2003 as part of the government’s $128 million Tourism Recovery Program. The fund helped cultural organizations, like the Stratford and Shaw festivals, recapture lost audiences, increase market reach and develop new cultural tourism products.
With the help of the CTMF, attendance at the ministry’s cultural attraction agencies rebounded to 3.1 million visitors in 2003-04. Overall, tourism recovery initiatives, including the CTMF, generated an estimated $687 million for the provincial economy from July 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004.
To revitalize the arts and cultural sector through new business growth and training, the ministry increased its base funding for the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) by $7.5 million in 2003-04, with an additional $7.5 million committed for 2004-05. The OAC celebrated its 40th anniversary as the province’s key vehicle for providing support to individual artists and professional arts organizations. In 2003-2004, the OAC awarded $29.3 million in grants to 1,379 individual artists and 867 organizations in 249 Ontario communities.
The ministry worked closely with the Ontario Science Centre, Art Gallery of Ontario and Royal Ontario Museum to successfully implement cultural renaissance capital construction projects at these agencies. The ministry also strengthened its commitment to cultural facilities, arts education and urban revitalization by investing $2 million in a new theatre complex for the renowned Soulpepper Theatre Company and George Brown College. The new complex will be housed in the historic Gooderham and Worts building, in Toronto’s Distillery District.
The ministry worked with the Ontario Trillium Foundation to implement new program directions in 2003-04. A signature initiative under the new guidelines was a $1.25 million investment in an arts and cultural festival to complement and promote the Hamilton 2003 World Cycling Championships. The grant also enabled the training of up to 3,000 volunteers to assist with the championships.
The ministry and the Ontario Trillium Foundation jointly launched the new Strategic Granting Initiative for Library Boards. The program provides funding of up to $15,000 each to Ontario libraries serving municipalities of 20,000 people or less, First Nations libraries and Local Services Boards that offer library services. In this initial year, 214 libraries in small communities received $2 million in grants to acquire collections, enhance community programming, upgrade training and technology, purchase equipment, furniture and shelving, and increase accessibility.
Together with the Southern Ontario Library Service, the ministry launched the new "24 by 7” TEKdesk at the Peterborough Public Library. This innovative live phone service and Web-based help desk provides technological support to all libraries in Ontario. The TEKdesk is particularly helpful to smaller, remote, rural and First Nations libraries that do not have a high level of in-house technological expertise.
|
Ministry Expenditures |
|
2003-2004 Actual |
Operating |
303.0 |
Capital* |
24.0 |
Staff Strength (as of Mar. 31, 2004) |
511.8 |
NOTE: Starting in 2002-2003, major tangible capital assets owned by provincial ministries (land, buildings and transportation infrastructure) are accounted for on a full accrual accounting basis. Other tangible capital assets owned by provincial ministries will continue to be accounted for as expenses in the year of acquisition or construction. All capital assets owned by consolidated government organizations are accounted for on a full accrual basis.
ANNUAL REPORT
2002-2003
In 2002-03, the ministry supported initiatives to improve the cultural life of Ontario.
The ministry consulted with leaders in the provincial heritage sector to explore potential revisions to the Ontario Heritage Act. Meetings were held with representatives of heritage organizations, municipalities and the development and real estate industries. A discussion guide was also developed and distributed to seek broad-based stakeholder input.
In cooperation with the Ontario Museum Association, the ministry made changes to its Community Museum Operating Grants (CMOG) program to promote the continued vitality of community museums across the province.
The ministry also supported the Ontario Heritage Foundation in the development and launch of Doors Open Ontario – an initiative to promote cultural tourism and create greater awareness and appreciation of Ontario’s heritage buildings and sites. In its first year, Doors Open attracted 300,000 visitors to more than 560 attractions in 40 communities.
A number of administrative changes to strengthen heritage protection were achieved with the passage of the Government Efficiency Act, 2002. Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act ensured marine heritage was specifically covered by the act.
The Government Efficiency Act, 2002 included procedural and administrative amendments to the Public Libraries Act and the Foreign Cultural Objects Immunity from Seizure Act.
The ministry worked with the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) to develop new programs and services to help the cultural industries improve business practices, attract investment, conduct export marketing, raise the profile of Ontario-based events and festivals, and carry out market research.
In response to challenges in the book publishing industry, the OMDC launched the $1.5 million Ontario Book Initiative to invest in the new production of Canadian books, restructuring of distribution systems and marketing plans. Canadian-owned, Ontario-based publishers could apply for funding of up to $100,000 per publisher.
The ministry transferred responsibility for the annual Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium program to the OMDC in 2002. The program, which is the province’s highest distinction for Ontario authors, was enhanced to include a new category for poetry and increased prize monies for award winners. The ministry also worked with the Ministry of Finance to implement a new streamlined tax credit system for film and television tax credits.
The ministry worked with the Ontario Trillium Foundation to develop new program directions. These included making small libraries eligible for Trillium grants on a pilot project basis, effective 2003-2004.
In partnership with the federal government, the ministry supported culture in Toronto with major infrastructure development at several cultural institutions, including Roy Thomson Hall, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, the National Ballet School, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Royal Conservatory of Music and the planned Canadian Opera House.
The ministry was also a key partner in the Agents of Change initiative to revitalize the Ontario Science Centre.
|
Ministry Expenditures |
|
2002-2003 Actual |
Operating |
331.0 |
Capital |
42.0 |
Staff Strength (as of Mar. 31, 2003) |
482 |
NOTE: Starting in 2002-2003, major tangible capital assets owned by provincial ministries (land, buildings and transportation infrastructure) are accounted for on a full accrual accounting basis. Other tangible capital assets owned by provincial ministries will continue to be accounted for as expenses in the year of acquisition or construction. All capital assets owned by consolidated government organizations are accounted for on a full accrual basis.
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ISBN 1-4249-0509-5 (HTML)
ISBN 1-4249-0510-9 (PDF)
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