Articles
Telefilm Canada: The Impacts Remain Difficult to Evaluate
In 2011–2012 Telefilm received $105.7 million from the Heritage Department. For 2012–2013, their budget will be cut $10.6 million over 3 years, a reduction of 10%. Since last summer, the government has been telling agencies that they will need to cut 5–10% from their budgets. If observers weren’t surprised by the cuts to CBC – they were announced and expected from many members of government – the cuts to Telefilm and NFB caused a bit more surprise. Some have wondered if the other audio-visual...
read moreSpecial Budget Edition: A First Look at the Federal Budget
We are very proud to present this special federal budget edition. Our in depth budget analysis will be published in a few weeks when the Heritage Minister publishes the estimates and report on plans and priorities. Normally the government announces the plans and priorities before the federal budget drops, but not this year. Specific impacts are beginning to emerge as to which programs are being maintained, but there is no guarantee that priorities will remain the same. Several...
read moreNational Arts Center
Of the eight organizations that were cut in the recent federal budget, the reductions to the National Arts Centre have received very little reaction. The cutbacks to the organization may have been overshadowed by the much larger cuts to the CBC and the Heritage Department and the fact that funding was maintained for the Canada Council for the Arts. However the cuts of $1.9 million over 3 years add up to just over 5% of the NAC’s budget — and this does not include having to cover inflation on...
read moreThe National Film Board
One of the 2012–13 Budget’s main disappointments for the cultural sector were the cuts imposed on the audiovisual sector. “Efficiencies” or not, the repercussions from the cuts to CBC, Telefilm and the National Film Board will have important consequences for the production food chain of this important sector of cultural expression. Let’s look at the case of the National Film Board which will lose 10% of its budget ($6.7 million) on top of having to absorb inflation on goods,...
read moreCBC: The Cuts Expected by All
If the federal budget contained some surprises, the cuts to the CBC weren’t one of them. It has been a number of months that we have been expecting these cuts to the crown corporation. Minister James Moore has continued to reaffirm that the CBC needs to make cuts between 5–10% like all the other agencies. You didn’t need to be psychic to predict the cuts of approximately $115 million. You also have to add to this the obligation to absorb the increased costs of doing business, just like at the...
read moreNational Museums Saved
In the heritage sector, museums were certainly privileged by Minister Flaherty’s budget. Not only did we see the budget for national museums renewed without any cuts, but the government has reserved a beautiful tribute to all Canadian museums. “Canadians are proud of their museums. Taken together, national and local museums in communities all across Canada are some of the best in the world.” The government responded to the majority of the expectations of the national...
read moreCanada Council for the Arts
The great news for the cultural sector in the new federal budget is definitely that the Canada Council’s budget was kept intact at $181 million. The news was met with delight by the cultural sector. We had prepared for significant cuts in all sectors and the cultural milieu was on the alert, despite reassurances from the Heritage Minister. We would like to point out that Canada Council’s budget accounts for 0.08% of the total federal budget. [1] Despite having their budget maintained,...
read moreArt + Law Conference
Those of you who follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook may have already heard of the upcoming Art + Law conference organized by CARFAC National that will be held in Ottawa from June 8–10. From reading our bulletins and Magazine, you would also know that we have been particularly active on the copyright file during the last few years in Canada and internationally, avidly watching, reporting and analysing the developments of C-11. It seemed natural then that we would partner with CARFAC and...
read moreMarch 27th is World Theatre Day
This year John Malkovich is the message author of the 50th World Theatre Day. Message of the 50th anniversary of World Theatre Day “I’m honored to have been asked by the International Theatre Institute ITI at UNESCO to give this greeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of World Theatre Day. I will address my brief remarks to my fellow theatre workers, peers and comrades. May your work be compelling and original. May it be profound, touching, contemplative, and unique. May...
read moreStudy on Employment Standards and Human Resource Management Tools
On March 7, 2012, the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) published a report on employment standards and human resources in artist-run media arts organizations. It appears that base salaries in these centers are lower than those in other not-for-profit sectors. The study has found that: Employees are young and highly skilled Two thirds of employees are required to work overtime, up to 10 to 20 hours; Spending on benefits is low; Employee turnover is high, with over 40% of all employees in their...
read more