Live Event CommunityThe COVID-19 pandemic presents a number of overlapping and unprecedented challenges, impacting all parts of Canadian life: how we socialize, how we work, how we get our essentials, and how we maintain our overall health and well-being.
WellCan, brought to you by a community of partners, provides a hub for mental health resources and tools to help all Canadians maintain positive mental, physical, social and financial health during the COVID-19
pandemic.
One-stop-shop government resources in response to COVID-19, and where and how to access them
We are in extraordinary times with a sector (and society) faced with unprecedented obstacles and changes. AND YET we are an extraordinary sector, filled with extraordinary people, and we need to all work together to weather this storm. LEAN was formed as an immediate, ad hoc, pro bono response network to help arts organizations, big and small, deal with what is coming at them.
WHO ARE WE?
We are former arts leaders who care deeply about our sector. We have a network of hundreds of years of experience among a selection of phenomenal volunteers who all feel as we do. We believe in service leadership – now more than ever in this extraordinary time. We are offering our services in this crisis environment – the help each other get through it to help make sure we all end up standing at the end of this.
This initiative was pulled together by The Lean Team: Celia Smith, Michele Maheux and Jeanne LeSage.
A letter from grassroots arts initiatives struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic Attention:
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Canadian Heritage
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1A 0A6
Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca
The Honorable Lisa MacLeod
Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries
438 University Avenue
6th Floor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5G 2K8
Lisa.macleodco@pc.ola.org
Ministers,
We, the undersigned, represent a diverse spectrum of small, grassroots, and community-based arts initiatives, and we are writing to draw your attention to the vital role of our work, especially at this time, as many of us are focused specifically on working with marginalized communities, and with some of our most vulnerable citizens. We are community organizers on the front lines, and often the most accessible point of personal support for artists and communities, and we fill an important gap by engaging groups that have been historically excluded within conventional cultural institutions. For example, research from Canadian Art (2015) found that only 11% of solo exhibitions at major Canadian public art galleries centered on non-white artists. They also found that gallery management in Canada is disproportionately dominated by white arts professionals. Meanwhile, our initiatives are often led-by, and specifically geared to engaging non-white artists, and, in addition, many of us focus on engaging those identifying as LGBTQ, disabled, and those experiencing systemic barriers to participating in the arts.
We fully support all responsive funding programs intended to stabilize the arts and cultural sector, as well as charities and nonprofit organizations, and of course we support all programs providing emergency relief to individuals facing sudden income losses. However, as unincorporated, or smaller arts initiatives often working with small project grants, fuelled by small donations, and volunteer hours, yet playing a vital role in the arts ecosystem often without any sustainable funding, we encourage policy-makers and public funding agencies to ensure that our work is not overlooked in the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we come together as a sector to weather the storm, we fear that, without immediate and accessible support during, and after this COVID-19 pandemic, many of our groups will be all but wiped out, which would result in major gaps in the cultural ecosystem, leave many communities in disarray, and ultimately push many vulnerable citizens further into isolation.
We are creative, resilient, and we have proven track records creating big impacts with small investment. So we ask you, at this pivotal time, to acknowledge our work, and–in addition to the support for established arts organizations, cultural institutions, nonprofits and charities, as well as all the help going to businesses–make sure that we, too, are able to access the basic resources to continue operating in our unique and intimate roles in communities, and for the artists who need us now more than ever.
Thank you,
Please sign at the link below
What do you need to create and share art during the COVID-19 pandemic? CARFAC Ontario is collecting information from artists about their most urgent needs, and any identified new resources that will allow them to continue producing and presenting work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This information will be consolidated, and shared with arts councils to advocate for and inform any necessary modifications to their guidelines and granting programs, and to assess the need to create new funding streams.
For example, are you suddenly in need of a new computer, or new software? Do you require specific technology to collaborate with others remotely? How do you imagine publicly presenting your work if physical spaces are closed? Are there new materials or resources you suddenly find yourself needing (i.e. home studio equipment)? And are there any ways that arts councils can alter their funding criteria, guidelines, and programming to better respond to your needs?
Please note, we are looking for information exclusively about creating and sharing art; this is not intended to inform the creation of an emergency relief fund.
We will not share your personal information.
If you have any questions, please email:
Jason Samilski
Managing Director, CARFAC Ontario
jason@carfacontario.ca
Learn about funding that families can apply for if they have children who are not in school or child care because of coronavirus (COVID-19). Find out if you are eligible and how to apply.
The uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 is being felt around the world. Loss of income, or the potential loss of income, and the decline of retirement and other savings, has many of us anxious about our personal financial situations. To help ease the stress on employees and members, Eckler’s free webinar on managing through difficult times, provides a concise overview of the information needed to create a personal financial plan, and provide some peace of mind.
We recognize that personal circumstances are unique and, as such, the webinar is not intended to provide individual financial advice or products. We encourage you to reach out to your employer or plan sponsor, your financial institution or creditors with specific questions or review the publicly available information on the government of Canada website.
If you have questions or comments about the information provided in the webcast, please connect with
us here.
The Government of Ontario wants to protect consumers from being exploited for the products they need in response to COVID-19.
Please take a moment to report anyone charging inflated prices after Mach 17th, 2020.
Emergency benefits: What each province is offering during the COVID-19 pandemic
Every Canadian who is losing income due to the pandemic is eligible to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which offers $2,000 per month for up to four months. Applications are expected to open in April. The government has said that applications will be able to be made through CRA MyAccount or My Service Canada Account or by calling a toll-free number that has not yet been announced.
This document is adapted from information compiled and published freely by Dr. Jennifer Robson, Associate Professor of Political Management at Carleton University.
Dr. Robson is not affiliated with this website or its publishers. Any errors or omissions in adapting Dr. Robson’s are the sole responsibility of Live Event Community.