Increased Support for the Confederation Centre of the Arts and 40 Festivals in Prince Edward Island

Mr. Sean Casey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament (Charlottetown), announces increased support for the Confederation Centre of the Arts and more than 40 festivals and cultural events in Prince Edward Island

CHARLOTTETOWN, Aug. 7, 2019 /CNW/ - Mr. Sean Casey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament (Charlottetown), announced today investments totalling nearly $8 million to support the Confederation Centre of the Arts and more than 40 events and festivals in Prince Edward Island. He made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism.

For more than 50 years, the Confederation Centre of the Arts has been a gathering place and creative forum celebrating Canada's history and many cultures through the visual and performing arts. The Confederation Centre of the Arts will receive an additional $500,000 annually for 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, with investments announced in the last budget. This additional $1 million in support is in addition to the $3 million the centre receives annually for its programming. The Government of Canada's total funding for this organization is $7 million for the two fiscal years.

The funding comes from the Fathers of Confederation Building Trust Program.

Support for festivals and cultural events

Parliamentary Secretary Casey also announced an investment of $738,600 in 2019–2020 for organizations that host festivals and cultural events in Prince Edward Island.

This funding will support 42 arts and heritage celebrations and promotional projects, as well as support arts and culture festivals for residents throughout the province.

These projects have a major impact in Prince Edward Island. They make a significant contribution to the vitality of the arts and culture sector, promote tourism, and boost economic growth.

The government funding is from the Local Festivals component of the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program, as well as the Canada Arts Presentation Fund.

Additional support for arts, culture and celebrations

Arts and culture are essential to an inclusive society and are at the heart of Canada's growing creative economy. Presentations and other related arts experiences bring Canadian audiences and artists together, and also reflect our cultural, linguistic and regional diversity.

This additional funding will strengthen the cultural and creative industries, help Canadians celebrate diversity and promote greater inclusiveness. This investment will help meet current and growing needs, particularly in less affluent regions. Further details will be announced in the near future.

Quotes

"The Confederation Centre of the Arts is a unique creative and performance centre for all Canadians. Festivals and cultural events in Prince Edward Island also contribute to this cultural economy by highlighting the value of our communities, our diversity and the tremendous talent of our artists. I invite all Canadians to take advantage of the summer season to discover what is happening in their communities and across the country."

­­—The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism

"Cultural industries are vital to the economy of Prince Edward Island. This $1 million in additional funding for the Confederation Centre of the Arts will support more diverse cultural offerings. In its last budget, the Government of Canada made the cultural sector a priority. These investments will help more than 40 festivals and events provide enhanced programming for the island's residents and tourists. These events are great opportunities to get together with family and friends to celebrate our culture and our heritage."

—Sean Casey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament (Charlottetown)

"Confederation Centre of the Arts is grateful to the Government of Canada for recently announcing$1 million in funding over two years to support operations at the centre. This funding is critical for enabling us to continue offering arts, heritage, and education programs, which affect communities locally and nationally. As the national memorial to the founding of Canada, the Confederation Centre brings regional artists to the national stage, and national artists to the region. We are proud to play a significant role in the growth of culture, tourism, and the economy."

—Steve Bellamy, Chief Executive Officer, Confederation Centre of the Arts

Quick Facts

The projects received funding through the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and its sub-component, the Fathers of Confederation Building Trust.

The Fathers of Confederation Building Trust is a single-recipient program that supports the activities of the Confederation Centre of the Arts as the only national monument commemorating the Fathers of Confederation.

The Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program increases opportunities for local artists, artisans, heritage performers and arts specialists to be involved in their community through festivals, events and projects.

The Canada Arts Presentation Fund supports organizations that stage professional arts festivals and performing arts event series, as well as for organizations that offer support to arts presenters.

Every year, the Government supports more than 650 festivals and performing arts events in more than 250 communities across Canada, through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program.

The additional investment of $50.25 million over two years (2019–2020 and 2020–2021) announced in the last budget includes $16 million for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund; 14 million for the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program and $20.25 million for the Celebration and Commemoration Program.

Associated Links

Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage

Canada Arts Presentation Fund

Confederation Centre of the Arts

Data Table

Program	Total Amount
Fathers of Confederation Building Trust	$3,500,000 (2019–2020) $3,500,000 (2020–2021)
Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage (2019–2020)	$421,100 27 projects
Canadian Arts Presentation Fund (2019–2020)	$317,500 15 projects

Fathers of Confederation Building Trust

Recipient	Project	City	Amount
Fathers of Confederation Building Trust	Confederation Centre of the Arts programming	Charlottetown	$3,500,000 (2019–2020) $3,500,000 (2020–2021)
Total			$7,000,000

Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage

Recipient	Project	City	Amount
Abegweit First Nation	Abegweit First Nation's 21st Mawiomi/Powwow	Scotchfort	$15,300
Annual Abegweit Pow Wow Committee	27th Annual Abegweit Pow Wow	Charlottetown	$12,300
Art in the Open Inc.	Art in the Open	Charlottetown	$27,500
Centre Expo-Festival Center Ltd.	Country Music Festival	Wellington	$4,000
Centre Expo-Festival Center Ltd.	Festival des Fêtes	Wellington	$3,000
Cloggeroo – The Island Folk Festival Inc.	Cloggeroo – the Island Folk Festival	Georgetown	$27,200
Comité organisateur du Jamboree atlantique des violoneux	Atlantic Fiddlers Jamboree	Wellington	$9,300
Conseil Rév. S.-E. Perrey Inc.	Festival Hivernal 2019	Tignish	$5,200
Coopérative de Développement Culturel et Patrimonial de Mont-Carmel Ltée.	Grand Ruisseau Song Festival	Mont-Carmel	$8,000
Exposition agricole et le Festival acadien de la région Évangéline Inc.	The Evangeline Area Agricultural Exhibition and Acadian Festival	Abram-Village	$17,600
Friends of Montague Summer Days Festival	Montague Summer Days Cultural Festival	Montague	$18,300
Friends of the Farmers' Bank of Rustico	Acadian Harvest Festival	Rustico	$5,500
Island Fringe Festival Inc. (The)	The Island Fringe Festival	Charlottetown	$5,200
La Belle-Alliance Ltée	Festival de la citrouille – Les couleurs de l'automne	Summerside	$16,100
Lennox Island First Nation Annual Pow Wow	19th Annual Lennox Island Pow Wow	Lennox Island	$10,800
Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI Inc.	11th Annual Charlottetown/MCPEI Powwow	Charlottetown	$12,600
Pride PEI	PEI Pride Festival | 25 years	Charlottetown	$102,500
River Clyde Pageant (The)	The River Clyde Pageant	Charlottetown	$17,500
Souris Special Events Committee	11th Annual Mermaid Tears Seaglass Festival	Souris	$5,000
Souris Special Events Committee	39th Annual Souris Christmas Festival and Parade	Souris	$3,000
Souris Special Events Committee	Music in the Park Series	Souris	$2,400
St. Louis Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Festival	St. Louis Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Festival	St. Louis	$7,000
St. Peters Area Development Corporation	The Frank Ledwell Storytelling and Comedy Festival	St. Peter's Bay	$3,800
St. Peters Blueberry Festival and Homecoming Committee Inc.	St. Peters Bay Wild Blueberry Festival and Homecoming	St. Peter's Bay	$2,600
Summerside Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Co-operative Association Limited	Summerside Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival	Summerside	$5,700
West Prince Bluegrass & Music Co-Operative Limited	Red Clay Bluegrass Festival	Tignish	$11,500
Wyatt Heritage Properties Inc.	Summerside Arts Festival	Summerside	$62,200
Total			$421,100

Canada Arts Presentation Fund

Recipient	Project	City	Amount
100570 P.E.I. Inc.	TD PEI Jazz and Blues Festival	Charlottetown	$8,000
Association du Festival Évangéline de musique bluegrass et traditionnelle Ltée	Festival Bluegrass Évangéline	Abram-Village	$10,000
Atlantic Presenters Association Inc.	APA Programming and Services	Charlottetown	$120,000
Belle-Alliance Ltee.	2019–2020 programming	Summerside	$10,000
Big Field Traditions Inc.	Rollo Bay Music Camp and Fiddle Festival 2019	Rollo Bay	$5,000
Carrefour de l'Isle-Saint-Jean	2019–2020 programming	Charlottetown	$10,000
Coopérative de développement culturel et patrimonial de Mont-Carmel Ltée	Mont-Carmel Summer Concert Series	Mont-Carmel	$10,000
Indian River Festival Association Inc.	Indian River Festival	Indian River	$37,000
P.E.I. Arts Guild Inc.	The Guild Festival 2019	Charlottetown	$5,000
Prince Edward Island Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Society Incorporated	PEI Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Festival	Dundas	$10,000
Regional Cultural / Event Centre Inc.	Harbourfront Theatre Presents	Summerside	$30,000
Small Halls Inc.	PEI Mutual Festival of Small Halls	All over PEI	$25,000
Town of Georgetown	Kings Playhouse 2019/2020/2021 Season	Georgetown	$7,500
Victoria Playhouse Inc.	Victoria Playhouse Festival	Victoria	$20,000
Watermark Theatre Inc.	Classic Music Reignited	North Rustico	$10,000
Total			$317,500

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

(media only), please contact: Simon Ross, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, 819-997-7788; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]

Related Links

www.pch.gc.ca