HEARST, Ontario, August 28, 2009 - On behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Shelly Glover, Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages and Member of Parliament (Saint Boniface), today announced funding for the Conseil des Arts de Hearst .
This funding will enable the Conseil to complete a large-scale expansion project to create the Place des Arts de Hearst , a centre dedicated to arts and culture in this Northern Ontario community. This investment, which is unprecedented in Ontario, will allow the Conseil to create a high-calibre performance facility equipped for all performing arts disciplines. The centre will also have a new professional-standard art gallery for exhibitions of Francophone visual arts.
"Our Government is committed to ensuring the vitality of minority Francophone communities," said Minister Moore. "We are proud to support the Conseil des arts de Hearst , which contributes significantly to the cultural well-being of Francophones and Francophiles in this remote community. This extraordinary project will promote the economic and cultural development of Hearst for generations to come."
"The Conseil des Arts de Hearst plays an essential role in this primarily Francophone community by promoting the region's linguistic and cultural diversity," said Mrs. Glover. "This large-scale project will make Place des Arts artistic programming, visual arts exhibitions, and activities more accessible to the public."
"Thanks to the Government of Canada, through the Cultural Spaces Canada program, the Conseil des Arts de Hearst can undertake the cultural and artistic infrastructure project that the community needs and that will make a significant contribution to the region's economic development," said Lina Payeur, Executive Director of the Conseil des Arts de Hearst .
The Government of Canada has provided $4 million in funding to the Conseil des Arts de Hearst for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 fiscal years under the
Cultural Spaces Canada program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program seeks to improve physical conditions for artistic creativity and arts presentation or exhibition. It is also designed to increase access for Canadians to performing arts, visual arts, media arts, museum collections, and heritage displays.
Deirdra McCracken
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
819-997-7788
deirdra.mccracken@pch.gc.ca Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca
