Ontario's report on the economy's long term prospects -- the place of the broader cultural sector

Ontario released its long term report on the economy last Friday, a report designed to highlight the challenges and opportunities facing the province over the next 20 years.

The report provides an extensive in-depth look at the many factors and influences expected to affect Ontario going forward. Chief among them of course are demographic shifts, the changing global economy and increased competition from rapidly emerging economies.

It’s nice to see that culture, more specifically the digital sector and parts of cultural industries, are expected to continue playing a key role in Ontario’s economic prospects. Acknowledging that Ontario’s economic success is “increasingly dependent on knowledge, creativity and innovation” the buzz words ‘du jour’, Ontario’s Long term report on the Economy notes that entertainment and creative services are expected to lead job creation and output growth over the long term. Pointing to digital media, and film and music production, the Report suggests these sectors will continue to be strong global competitors.

Where this leaves the rest of Ontario’s cultural sector is not addressed. The Report does make clear that the Ontario government sees cultural tourism as an area of significant potential, pointing to the Province’s cultural attraction agencies. The combined impact of smaller institutions, museums and arts organizations across the Province is not acknowledged in the Report.

The juxtaposition of creative industries and cultural tourism in this report is consistent with the outline of Culture Minister Michael Chan’s new responsibilities as outlined by the Premier. The resulting challenge for heritage, arts and smaller segments of the cultural industries, the part that provides texture, richness and colour to Ontario, will be to ensure that Minister Chan and the Ontario government continue to see and understand the full scope of cultural activity across the Province and the contribution it makes in every corner of Ontario.

It’s a tall order for the cultural sector in the current fiscal and policy environment in Ontario and Ottawa.