Download a printable version of this petition here.
TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO:
WHEREAS the arts and culture sector contributes $28.7 Billion to Ontario’s GDP and creates over 300,000 jobs;
WHEREAS the Ontario Arts Council budget has not been increased at Ontario’s rate of inflation, exacerbating the income precarity of artists and cultural workers, some of whom are earning less than $25K/year, and still less for those from equity-deserving groups;
WHEREAS this income precarity worsened during the pandemic through issues of regulatory unfairness in the arts and culture sector, disproportionately impacting the performing arts sector and OAC-determined priority groups, including BIPOC, Indigenous, women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA2S+ artists and cultural workers;
THEREFORE WE THE UNDERSIGNED petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to sustain the Ontario Arts Council budget of $65M in the 2023 provincial budget and adequately invest in the arts and culture sector, including supports for equity-deserving groups, small-medium and grassroots collectives in our communities, and individual artists to ensure their personal and economic survival.