A Toronto based arts service organization The Arts Advocate provides commentary and up to date information about government policy, events and trends in the cultural sector of Ontario. At the end of December, they invited subscribers to their service to complete a short survey on the most important policy issues facing the cultural sector in 2015. We completed the survey in early January, and at that time responses showed:
| Issue | Responses (%) |
| Improved public investment through grants or tax credits | 68.0% |
| Paying artists adequate fees | 40.0% |
| Amending the Copyright Act to better protect creators and publishers | 20.0% |
| Updated cultural content regulations | 16.0% |
| Greater international presence and promotion for Cdn artists and products | 12.0% |
| Policies and programs to strengthen audience engagement | 8.0% |
For more information on the survey results, visit the Arts Advocate Blog.
Arts Endowment Fund Renewal
As the Ontario Arts Foundation actively is seeking renewal of the Arts Endowment Fund matching program, with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, we are heartened by the high degree of support for public investment in the arts. The responses are interesting and it will be interesting as the year progresses, to see which issues continue to have profile and one hopes, a policy/government response.