The Culture Strategy for Ontario: Telling our stories, growing our economy

Based on public feedback, Ontario’s first Culture Strategy focuses on four key goals:

  • promote cultural engagement and inclusion
  • strengthen culture in communities
  • fuel the creative economy
  • promote the value of the arts throughout government.

To realize these four goals, we’re taking action in a number of areas, including:

  • supporting the conservation of heritage buildings by making energy efficiency improvements through Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan
  • creating a new fund that will support publishers to develop learning resources to encourage the use of diverse Canadian content in schools
  • creating opportunities for workers in the culture sector to enhance their technical and business skills training
  • developing a new fund to support cultural activities in Indigenous communities and supporting youth cultural camps to build leadership skills and promote awareness of traditional knowledge

We learned a great deal through Culture Talks. As we implement the Culture Strategy, continuing the conversation will help us achieve the goals Ontarians helped us set.

Read Ontario’s first Culture Strategy

Consultation

The final Culture Strategy is based on the perspectives and priorities of Ontarians about the value of culture in their lives and communities.

Initial consultation

From September 2015 to December 2015, we consulted with people across the province to learn about the value of culture.

More than 2,800 Ontarians took part:

  • approximately 2,000 participants at 11 town halls
  • 24 conversations with community groups
  • 12 meetings with Indigenous communities and organizations
  • more than 200 submissions and 30,000 votes cast online through Culture Talks
  • approximately 600 responses to the Culture Strategy discussion paper.

Read the consultation summary

Draft Culture Strategy

From April 22 to May 13, 2016, we shared the draft Culture Strategy for public feedback.

The draft, which was informed by the fall 2015 consultations, included our:

  • vision statement
  • guiding principles
  • goals, strategies, actions and expected results.

We received more than 260 submissions on the draft Culture Strategy.

Background information

We conducted research to inform the development of the Culture Strategy. This information helped us better understand the key challenges, opportunities and trends affecting the culture sector in Ontario and emerging best practices in Canada and internationally.

Read our research on Ontario’s culture sector