Heritage

	Museum of Civilization with the Parliament of Canada in the background, Gatineau, Que. Photo: Wally Lebreton

Canada's heritage institutions, which include museums, art galleries, archives, libraries, zoos, botanical gardens, nature parks and historic sites, are an important part of our country's culture. In 1999/00, there were 2,600 such institutions in Canada. Together, these institutions received over 118 million visitors in 1999/00, representing an increase of 9% from 1992/93.

Although nature parks accounted for only a small portion of the total number of heritage institutions, they attracted over half of all visitors. Since 1993/94, attendance at nature parks has risen 10%, while the actual number of parks declined. Given that parks serve a broader range of functions than other heritage institutions, it is not surprising that they attract a proportionately higher number of visitors. In fact, one-fifth of the world's wilderness area lies inside Canada's borders, making nature parks an important resource for our country.

In 1999/00, visitors spent $482 million on admissions, membership dues, parking fees, gift shops and cafeterias in all heritage institutions. Revenues from other sources such as federal and provincial governments, institutions and corporations, and from donations totalled $972 million. While heritage institutions continue to rely heavily on government funding, revenues derived from other sources have increased dramatically in the last decade as heritage institutions have sought to attract visitors by using new technologies to make exhibits more interesting, and to boost revenues by increasing admission fees. In addition, museums now have official 'friends', who act as fundraising groups and encourage subscription. As a result, revenues earned from visitor spending at heritage institutions, excluding nature parks, increased 81% from 1993/94 to 1999/00. Over the same period, visitor spending at nature parks rose 72%.

Volunteers continue to play an important role in Canada's heritage institutions. In 1999/00, they represented more than two-thirds of workers in these institutions, excluding nature parks where the proportion of volunteers was more modest, at one-third. Excluding volunteers, heritage institutions employed nearly 35,000 full-time and part-time workers in 1999/00.