The Great Canadian Theatre Company and Bluesfest are among more than a dozen local arts facilities, organizations and events that are getting provincial help to survive the COVID-19 crisis.
Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Minister Lisa MacLeod said Tuesday the Ontario government was giving $24 million in funding to 140 arts organizations across the province.
The GCTC, which has been closed since the pandemic began, will receive almost $192,000. Bluesfest, which was cancelled last summer after public gatherings were banned in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus, is slated to get just over $54,000.
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“Arts organizations make an important contribution to our province, providing thousands of jobs for musicians, writers, painters, actors, dancers, stagehands and the many others working behind the scenes,” MacLeod said in a statement.
“They entertain us, but they also play an important role in the mental health and well-being of Ontarians and an equally important role in the province’s economic and social recovery.”
Other Ottawa groups that are expected to receive funding include:
- Canadian Film Institute: $26,674
- CityFolk: $73,598
- La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins: $103,068
- Mouvement d’implication francophone d’Orléans (MIFO): $15,518
- Multicultural Arts for Schools & Communities: $124,929
- Music and Beyond: $62,906
- Ottawa Art Gallery: $119,929
- Ottawa Chamberfest: $117,656
- Ottawa Jazz Festival: $117,109
- The School of Dance: $63,965
- University of Ottawa Press: $15,962
