Question Period Note: Adapting cultural events and spaces to comply with public health measures

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on cultural events and spaces, which have suffered severe revenue and job losses due to closures and cancellations necessary to preserve public health. The Government is seeking the sector’s guidance in how best to support a safe re-opening.

• By their ongoing compliance with public health guidelines, Canada’s theatres, museums, and other cultural events and spaces have been doing their part to keep Canadians safe during the pandemic.
• The Government recognizes that this compliance has come at no small cost. For this reason, the Emergency Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations has provided
$500 million to help maintain jobs and support business continuity for organizations whose viability has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• As public health guidelines adapt to the changing course of the pandemic, the Government is consulting the cultural sector to understand how we can best support a gradual return to cultural events and spaces that continues to put the health and safety of Canadians first.

• The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of cultural spaces and cancellation of cultural events across Canada in mid-March 2020. The impact on the cultural sector has been profound and has included serious:
o Revenue losses, due to the cessation or cancellation of ticket sales, memberships, rentals, fundraising activities, programming, closed gift shops and concessions;
o Staff layoffs. In the heritage sector, the effect has been particularly pronounced for part-time workers. In the arts sector, the impact is felt by organizations, artists, arts companies, production crews, part-time and contractual workers. Nearly 90% of businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector have reported layoffs of 50% or more of their employees; the highest level for all sectors in the Canadian economy.
• Exact data on current uptake of the CERB and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) by the sector is unavailable. It is estimated that 2 in 3 workers in the performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries were beneficiaries of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Surveys undertaken by several national arts organizations have found that a majority of their membership have applied for or plan to apply for CEWS.
• On May 8th, 2020, the Government of Canada announced $500 Million for the Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations. Funds began to flow in July 2020.
• $53 million of this Fund was set aside as a temporary measure to ensure the continuity of operations in the heritage sector.
• As of August 17, 2020, 2,657 organizations in the arts sector had received $64,369,824 million in Emergency Support Funding through Canada Arts Presentation Fund, Canada Arts Training Fund, Building Communities through Arts and Heritage, Harbourfront Centre Funding Program and the Canada Council for the Arts. The Fund will close in September 2020.
• According to a recent survey commissioned by Business for the Arts, Canadians’ attitudes on returning to in-person arts and culture events across Canada are mixed. While there is a segment of Canadians who would like to go back as soon as doors are open, the majority of Canadians will wait at least five months, or are unsure about when they intend to return.
• Public health guidelines vary across the country by province and territory and suggest an uneven re-opening schedule for cultural events and spaces. Federal-provincial-territorial ministers and deputy ministers responsible for culture and heritage have met regularly to discuss mitigation and support measures for the culture and heritage sector, and have struck a working group of FPT officials tasked to identify pan-Canadian approaches to offset the negative impact of the pandemic. The federal-provincial-territorial table on culture and heritage will continue to offer a vital forum to share information and ideas, and to explore pan-Canadian solutions on this subject.
• In collaboration with 40 performing arts centres and organizations across Canada, the National Arts Centre has developed a series of tools for the re-opening of cultural venues. These tools and best practices apply a risk-based approach to helping performing arts venues prepare to stage events.
• Throughout September 2020, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Parliamentary Secretary are holding a series of virtual townhalls and roundtables to consult stakeholders from the cultural sector about how best to support its recovery.
• These discussions with stakeholders are guided by a framework to support the safe reopening of the cultural sector, founded on five principles:
1. Foster the sustainability of the arts and culture ecosystem by ensuring more stable sources of revenues for organizations and better remuneration for artists, creators, and cultural workers;
2. Increase the demand for Canadian art, productions and cultural products;
3. Increase the number of individuals from under-represented and equity-seeking groups who can earn a living from the creation and production of art and culture and participation in sport, including in management and leadership positions;
4. Increase the number of people who live in Canada who practice a sport on a regular basis;
5. Reduce the environmental footprint of the art, culture, heritage, and sport sectors.

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