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January 19, 2009: Letter to Queen's Park
The following letter was sent to Ontario's Minister of Culture (with copies to the Premier and Minister of Finance) as they prepare to respond to the perceived economic crisis with a stimulus package. A similar letter will be sent to their counterparts in Ottawa as they prepare their budget. PWAC encourages all members to contact their Premiers, relevant ministers and MPs to make their voice heard.
Sincerely,
David Johnston
Executive Director
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Honourable Aileen Carroll
Minister of Culture
Mowat Block, 5th Floor
900 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M7A 1L2
Dear Minister Carroll,
I am writing to you on behalf of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) to ask that you in your capacity as Minister of Culture ensure that the Government of Ontario includes the writing and publishing industries and the cultural sector in general when preparing the province's proposed economic stimulus package. I'd also ask that you and Premier McGuinty make sure cultural issues are on the agenda for the upcoming first ministers' conference on the economy.
During previous economic downturns, the entertainment and cultural industries have proved surprisingly resilient, actually experiencing significant growth. As you know, investment in the arts has a high return in terms of tax revenue, job creation and indirect stimulae in the tourism and hospitality sectors. It would be a false economy to allow cultural funding to languish during the recession we would all like to avert.
Beyond the quantifiable economic benefits of funding the cultural sector are the less tangible social and educational benefits the arts bring to our society. The arts also stimulate creative and innovative thinking in other fields such as architecture and sustainable energy creating new jobs and businesses for Ontarians and Canada as a whole.
We hope we can count on you and your colleagues at Queen's Park to continue, if not increase, your support for arts and culture funding in Ontario.
PWAC, established in 1976, is the national organization representing over 600 freelance writers and journalists in Canada, over half of who m live in Ontario.
Best regards,
David Johnston
Executive Director
Tanya Gulliver
President
cc: The Honourable Premier Dalton McGuinty, Honourable Minister of Finance Dwight Duncan
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