THUNDER BAY — Cultural industries contributed $143.3 million to the gross domestic product of Northwestern Ontario in 2022, according to a recent report from the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) looking at the economic impact of arts and culture.
“There is a magic to the arts and culture communities of Northwestern Ontario, our geographic isolation means that we often need to create our own opportunities,” said Alana Forslund, OAC's Northern Arts Representative.
The report, ARTS Across Ontario, provides a breakdown of the arts sector contributions to Ontario as a whole, highlighting the strengths and challenges in different regions across the province while using the most recent data available from Statistics Canada.
There were 1,896 jobs arts and culture jobs in the Northwest in 2022, according to the report — approximately 2.6 per cent of the overall workforce.
The OAC includes the Thunder Bay and Rainy River districts in its Northwest region. The Kenora District, including the Sioux Lookout and Dryden areas is considered the far north.
One of the unique challenges that has been overcome in the arts and culture scene of the Northwestern is isolation, Forslund said.
“Since travelling to larger centres to experience arts and culture isn’t always an option, this isolation results in some incredibly innovative and interesting artistic work being created and shared,” she said.
Tourism in the region benefited from the arts and culture sector to the tune of $78 million in GDP, said the report, creating 560 direct jobs and another 260 indirect and induced jobs.
Forslund said between isolation and being surrounded by a vast landscape of nature, art is not something that is difficult to create.
“There is also the environment that we are surrounded by, and how that influences many artists and artistic projects,” she said.
“We see vibrant arts festivals taking place next to the shores of sparkling lakes, we see artists creating with and on the land through hide tanning camps and other eco-art practices.”
The report also highlights, the economic impact of provincially funded arts organizations.
For every dollar invested by the OAC in the Northwest, roughly $10 was generated — with $511,000 in contributions to five organizations translating into $5.3 million in GDP, according to the report.
The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra is one of those organizations.
The report quotes a teacher from the Thunder Bay Catholic School Board saying: “I left the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra performance with my heart full, it is such a nice opportunity for the kids.”
“They especially liked sitting and facing the orchestra and being so close up, I had wonderful comments from the parents as well.”
As well as operating grants to organizations like the TBSO, the OAC provides one-time project grants a to individual artists, arts professionals, ad hoc groups, art collectives and organizations.
“We often see that work funded through OAC’s grant programs, there is also a real sense of community that comes with this,” she said.
“We see arts embedded in forests, alongside rivers, in neighborhoods, parks, and community spaces,” Forslund said.
Recognizing the individuality of northern Ontario, the OAC has a Northern Arts Project program that supports the creation, production and presentation of artwork, professional development, and community-engaged arts initiatives that benefit remote and rural communities.
“Art and culture is everywhere up here, and it is all thanks to the Northwestern organizations, artists, and collectives who are working tirelessly to make it happen,” she said.
