13^th Annual Arts Day at the City: “ArtsWeek”

The 13^th Annual Arts Day at the City became “ArtsWeek” as meetings took place October 21 – 30, 2024 with a launch event hosted at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Key Messages:

• Arts are an Investment: The arts and culture sector is a proven driver of economic growth and community wellbeing. Investing in the arts isn’t a handout – it’s creating jobs, fostering local business, and building healthier, more engaged communities where residents are happier and less isolated.
• Support the new Action Plan for Culture in Toronto: We support the new City of Toronto Culture Plan and the increased investments it will make in Local Arts Service Organizations (LASO) and in the Toronto Arts Council (TAC). An increase to TAC funding will flow through to artists and organizations throughout Toronto, as well as complement the increase to LASO funding, ensuring the Culture Plan reaches its full potential by connecting artists and communities city-wide.
• Fund now for the Future: Art for everyone everywhere! Culture Connects is an ambitious plan and the initial new investments are a welcome start. After years of underinvestment, however, Toronto’s arts sector is struggling to survive. We strongly recommend that City Council front-load the full $10M increase to TAC this year so that artists and cultural organizations will have the resources they need now to thrive into the future.

Related Documents

11^th Annual Arts Day at the City

The 11^th Annual Arts Day at the City took place on November 1, 2021 and was hosted virtually on Zoom and Kumospace.

Key Messages:

• The arts and culture sector is committed to being integral to and supportive of the City’s pandemic recovery
•  The arts and culture sector are a crucial part of the well-being of all Torontonians as they contribute to economic growth, create vibrant communities, and are key to the post-pandemic recovery of the City
• The arts and culture sector contributes $6.3 billion towards Toronto’s GDP
• Arts and culture bring health and well-being to neighbourhoods throughout Toronto, and advance the City’s equity, access and inclusion goals including reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
• 89% of Torontonians believe that the arts make Toronto a better place to live, work, visit and create

The Ask:

1. A new Culture Plan that includes meaningful consultation with the community and that clearly established targets for core initiatives, such as; removing barriers to access, annual funding increases, the creation and preservation of arts space, enhanced outreach and grassroots engagement across the entire city, as well as the creation of a new Live Arts Development Officer position to champion the sector.
2. The continued championing of arts and culture by Toronto City Council, including support  for a Basic Income Guarantee.

Related Documents

10^th Anniversary Arts Day at the City

The 10^th Anniversary Arts Day at the City took place on November 4th, 2019 at Toronto City Hall

Key Messages

• The arts matter in Toronto, with 174,000 Torontonians employed by the Arts and Culture Sector, which contributed $11.3 Billion to Ontario’s GDP
• However, 62% of Toronto’s artists and art workers make less than Toronto’s living wage ($45,000 annually) and 73% of artists and arts workers have thought about leaving Toronto due to cost of housing and lack of affordable art spaces.

The Ask:

Approval of $2 million investment in the 2020/21 budget and to drect city staff to work with our community to set future investment targets and an implementation plan to achieve: 

• Culture for all Torontonians, no matter where they live in the city, 
• To maintain and create new accessible, sustainable spaces for Toronto’s creative sector
• Develop creative talent to strengthen Toronto’s cultural workforce and increase diversity and representation in the sector

Related Documents

9^th Annual Arts Day at the City

The 9^th Annual Arts Day at the City took place on February 8th, 2019 at Toronto City Hall

Key Messages

• The arts a a jobs magnet for Toronto 
• Toronto’s arts sector has a strong and land-standing commitments to equity and inclusion City funded arts grants attract additional investments to Toronto 
• Can Toronto match Calgary City Council’s doubling of its funding to Calgary Arts Development?

The Ask:

1. Continue to champion increased investments in the arts
2. Increase arts investment by $2 million 
3. Develop a new Culture Plan for Toronto

Related Documents

8^th Annual Arts Day at the City

The 8^th Annual Arts Day at the City took place on November 23, 2018 at Toronto City Hall.

Key Messages:

• After 14 years of working together, in 2018 we look forward to City Council achieving its target of $25 per capita, with the induction of the final $2 million in arts funding
• Access to the arts for all Torontonians is a central focus for artists and organizations living and creating in every ward across the city
• The success and growth of the culture sector has been integral to building Toronto’s global brand and reputation as one of the most livable cities in the world
• Toronto’s artists and organizations are leaders in collaboration and cross-sectoral partnerships that act as agents of social change

The Ask:

1. Include the final instalment of $2 million in the 2018 budget
2. Commit to instating annual increases of $2 million to account for population growth, inflation, and to ensure the momentum and growth of the sector is maintained.

Related Documents

7^th Annual Arts Day at the City

The 7^th Annual Arts Day at the City took place on December 9, 2016 at Toronto City Hall.

Key Messages:

• Arts and culture help to strengthen Toronto communities
• Municipal investments in the arts and culture helps the community leverage more revenue
• The investments in the arts and culture received to date are already paying dividends

The Ask:

1. As a result of population growth and inflation, meeting the equivalent of 2003’s $25 per capita goal would require an additional $25 million investment.
2. New investment in the arts and culture will help Toronto achieve its strategic priorities, including ensuring that every Torontonian has access to cultural participation in the City, support the development of new creative clusters and cultural hubs that can foster job creation and economic growth, support organizations as they expand their programming to welcome even more residents and tourists to Toronto’s vibrant cultural scene, as well as solidify Toronto’s Growing international reputation as a creative capital.

Related Documents

A Timeline of Arts Day at the City

14^th Annual Arts Week at the City – October 20-24, 2025

13^th Annual Arts Day at the City – renamed “Arts Week,” October 21-30, 2024

12^th Annual Arts Day at the City 

2022 – Election Year, no Arts Day

11^th Annual Arts Day at the City – November 1, 2021 – First fully virtual Arts Day 

10^th Anniversary Arts Day at the City – November 4th, 2019

9^th Annual Arts Day at the City – February 8, 2019

2018 – Election Year, no Arts Day

8^th Annual Arts Day at the City – November 23, 2017 – Achieved $25 per capita by 2018

7^th Annual Arts Day at the City – December 9th, 2016

6^th Annual Arts Day at the City – November 9th, 2015

5^th Annual Arts Day at the City – February 12, 2015

2014 – Election Year, no Arts Day

4^th Annual Arts Day at the City – November 8th, 2013

3^rd Annual Arts Day at the City – November 13, 2012 – First time meeting with a majority of City Councillors

2^nd Annual Arts Day at the City – November 14, 2011

1^st Annual Arts Day at the City – January 7th, 2010

Archived Documents

Provincial Advocacy

Arts Build

ArtsBuild was formed in 2000 and TAPA has been engaged with ArtsBuild since the beginning. The ArtsBuild Advisory Committee were instrumental in creating ArtsBuild and continue to provide the grassroots support and motivation for ArtsBuild Ontario. It is through their wealth of expertise and their front-line understanding of their member’s needs that ArtsBuild works on behalf of arts organizations across Ontario.

Current documents