Respond to the MTCS Discussion Paper by March 20

OMA Responds to MTCS:
Telling Ontario's Stories in the 21st Century:
A discussion paper for Community Museums and Heritage Organization 

Click here to read the response

We want to hear from you: 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DiscPaper
 
The OMA is pleased to share its response to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport Discussion Paper: Telling Ontario’s Stories in the 21st Century (read the response HERE).
 
Thank you to the organizations that shared their responses with us by emailing them to communications@museumsontario.ca (it’s not too late to send yours!).
 
The discussion paper was intended for heritage and museum organizations across Ontario. 

Given the restricted timeline, we are aware that not all interested parties were able to respond. Please complete this quick, anonymous survey to help us understand how many people were able or unable to respond and if you are interested in regional consultations for the review and update of the museum and heritage funding programs. 
 
Take the survey here before the end of March (March 29): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DiscPaper
 
The information gathered in this survey will be for the OMA’s internal use only and will inform our discussions with the Ministry.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS) released Telling Ontario’s Stories in the 21st Century : A Discussion Paper for Community Museums and Heritage Organizations, to consult with all museums on the Ontario Culture Strategy and its recommendation to “review and update provincial funding programs for community museums and heritage organizations to build capacity, strengthen leadership and support more diverse organizations”.  

 

   We invite members to share your response with the OMA by copying communications@museumsontario.ca

The OMA Council will be meeting with Minister Vernile and Ministry Staff to further engage in the development of the renewed funding model for Ontario Museums, as identified in Ontario's Museums 2025: Strategic Vision and Action Plan

For any questions or comments, please contact Marie Lalonde, Executive Director, mlalonde@museumsontario.ca, (416) 348 8672 or toll free ON 1 866 662 8672. 

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    Background

    The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport released Telling Ontario’s Stories in the 21st Century : A Discussion Paper for Community Museums and Heritage Organizations, to consult on the Ontario Culture Strategy and its recommendation to “review and update provincial funding programs for community museums and heritage organizations to build capacity, strengthen leadership and support more diverse organizations”.  

    This recommendation is welcomed by Ontario’s museum sector and the Ontario Museum Association is working in close collaboration with the Ministry. It responds to museums priorities and is central to Ontario’s Museums 2025: Strategic Vision and Action Plan; the sector road-map developed with broad consultation and surveys of hundreds of museums across the province, and guided by a task force of sector leaders.  Consultation included additional input from interviews with key cultural stakeholder from all 3 levels of government, provincial heritage organizations, associations of libraries and art galleries, arts councils and arts service organizations, and many other partners, to ensure a strong foundation for museums to move forward with this vision.

    The development of Ontario’s Museums 2025 was also inspired by innovative work in other jurisdictions in Canada and abroad, and is recognized as the sector plan so that museums continue to play a fundamental role in creating dynamic communities, contributing to a prosperous knowledge economy,  and building public value, becoming increasingly relevant to all Ontarians.
     

    Resources

    We encourage museums to refer to Ontario’s Museums 2025 action plan in their response, as it provides the framework and direction for the renewal of the funding model and programs, and this for all Ontario museums.  The vision and action plan outlined focus on well- identified desired outcomes resulting in

    For each of these outcomes, the document further provides detailed actions that respond to the questions raised in the Discussion Paper Telling Ontario’s Stories in the 21st Century.

    We also encourage responses to take support information from documents and resources available from the OMA website, such as:

     

    Renewed Funding Model Components

    Important components of a renewed funding model for the Ontario Museum Sector:
    • Informed by current data, collected and analyzed by funder for benchmarking (i.e. libraries)
    • Considers all museums in the province (recognizing diversity and community relevance)
    • Employs funding best practices and looks to successful models (Ontario Arts Council)
    • Adequate, equitable, stable and consistent operating funding and program criteria (Ontario Heritage Act funding formula)
    • Responsive to the changing nature of Ontario and museum operations and capital needs
    • Transparent in decision-making (assessment) on funding
    • Assessment by peer review
    • Streamlining and equalizing grants and application processes
    • Equitable, with consistent eligibility criteria for all museums
    • Enhanced accountability in decision-making and reporting
    • Aligned with municipalities
    • Based on sector-identified standards and performance measures
    • Fosters success through support mechanisms
    • Multiple-year funding
    • Diversified mix of funding
      • Operating
      • Capital, infrastructure - storage
      • Project (for audience development, community outreach, reconciliation, innovation, core museum functions: conservation, care of collections, exhibits, digital and virtual renewal; employment and succession planning)
    • Reflects Ontario Culture Strategy goals by supporting collaboration and partnerships within the broader cultural sector (moving away from silos ie. archaeology, libraries, archives etc.)
    • Inflationary adjustments
    • Inter-ministerial legislative and program complementarity with consistent application (i.e. property tax exemption)
    • Improved collaboration between levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal) ensuring that museums receiving provincial funding do not see reductions in local contributions
    • Ongoing access to expert practitioner advisory services
     
    For any questions or comments, please contact Marie Lalonde, Executive Director, mlalonde@museumsontario.ca and  Michela Comparey at partners@museumsontario.ca or by phone at: 416-348-8672