On November 30, 2020, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, released Supporting Canadians and Fighting COVID-19: Fall Economic Statement 2020.

Highlights from the statement include:

• Increasing the maximum rate of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to 75 per cent
• $181.5 million in 2021-22 to the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts to support the planning and presentation of COVID-19-safe events and the arts — including both live and digital — and to provide work opportunities in these sectors
• Extending the current rates of the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support until March 13, 2021
• Creating the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP) – a new program for the hardest hit businesses, including those in sectors like tourism and hospitality, hotels, arts and entertainment
• Expansion of the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program, allowing qualifying businesses to access an additional interest-free $20,000 loan

Read more HERE.

As members may be aware, the government recently announced property tax and energy bill rebates to help businesses and not for profits with their fixed costs. Businesses and organizations required to close as a result of modified public health measures (i.e. those in areas categorized as modified Stage 2 or lockdown) are eligible for these rebates. 

The Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries has confirmed with the Ministry of Finance that museums located in regions that are categorized as control or lockdown are eligible to apply.
 
Applications can be submitted online with proof of costs. Rebates for property tax and energy costs will be available for the amount of time the organization has been shut down. You can find additional information about the program and application here.
 

December 10 2020
8:00am (EST)

The ICOM Standing Committee for the Museum Definition, Prospects and Potentials 2 (MDPP 2) is ready to launch the new process of exploring a new museum definition.On December 10, MDPP2 will present the methodology in the public webinar “Defining the museum in times of change: a way forward”. The webinar will be conducted by the two newly appointed co-chairs, Lauran Bonilla-Merchav and Bruno Brulon, and ICOM President Alberto Garlandini, and it will describe the various stages of the methodology to encourage members and Committees to actively participate in the process of creating a new museum definition proposal.

The webinar will be will be streamed with simultaneous translation in French, English and Spanish.

Read more and register HERE.

The OMA Annual Conference 2020 wrapped up last week, and we are thrilled that so many of you were part of it! In our first virtual conference, we explored new ways of bringing our sector together remotely; please let us know how we did!
 
We have received valuable feedback throughout the conference, and we are still hoping to learn more about your experience on the final day, November 26, and with the Webinar Series. The conference evaluation will be open until Thursday, December 3, 2020. The winner of the Free Conference Registration will be announced soon after.
 

The Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG) announces the call for submissions for the 2021 Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators. Founded in 2012, the Middlebrook Prize is awarded annually to an emerging Canadian curator who is under 30 with the aim to foster social innovation and curatorial excellence in Canada. Hosted and administered by the Art Gallery of Guelph, the winner is selected by a jury of arts leaders and receives a $5,000 honorarium and mentorship in the development of an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Guelph. Submissions will be accepted until January 15, 2021 at 5 pm.

Read more HERE.

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced on November 26 the reappointment of Judith Anne LaRocque as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Nature for a three-year term, beginning December 14, 2020.

Ms. LaRocque, of Hawkesbury, Ontario, has extensive and diverse work experience within the Government of Canada. In 2000, she was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, and became Deputy Minister in 2002. She subsequently served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, and more recently, as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Read more HERE.

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) announced today that it has identified Johnson Park, the City-owned property at 2077 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough, ON, as the preferred site for the building of its new canoe museum. Johnson Park is situated on Little Lake, north of Beavermead Park and south of the Parks Canada-Trent Severn Waterway head offices.

As part of the overall due diligence exploration and feasibility studies, environmental assessment and testing is scheduled to take place on the property, from November 30, 2020 –December 2, 2020. Test results are expected to be available by the end of the year.

Read more HERE.

In May 2020, ICOM released a report based on a global survey to analyse the impact of lockdowns. This follow-up report analyses almost 900 responses from museums and museum professionals across five continents, which were collected between 7 September and 18 October, 2020.

Read more HERE.

December 4 2020
12:00pm (EST)

The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) is holding an exciting online professional development event intended for the broader museum community, which will discuss important foundational issues such as best practices in governance and important trends in the museum sector as we look toward the future. The event is free and open to all.

Read more and register HERE.

At their 2020 OAAG Awards celebration, the Ontario Association Of Art Galleries announced the launch of their newly designed brand, Galeries Ontario Galleries, which will continued to be rolled out in the coming months.

Read more HERE.

The Wallace Foundation has published several reports that offer insights into building audiences for the arts:

• Audience Building and Financial Health in the Nonprofit Performing Arts: Current Literature and Unanswered Questions
• Taking Out the Guesswork: A Guide to Using Research to Build Arts Audiences
• The Road to Results: Effective Practices for Building Arts Audiences

Read more HERE.