Creative Construct: Building for Culture and Creativity

April 29, 2008

Thank you very much, Dr. Murray (Catherine Murray, professor and Co-Director of the Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities at Simon Fraser).

Good morning.

It’s my pleasure and honour to welcome everyone, especially our international visitors, on behalf of the Government of Canada—and certainly a pleasure to bring best wishes from the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, our Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

It’s a pleasure to be with such a prestigious group of people this morning and I’d like to recognize:

• Mayor of Ottawa, Larry O’Brien and
• Sir Ken Robinson.
  

I’d also like to congratulate the Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities at Simon Fraser University for organizing this symposium. You’ve brought in some terrific people. I’m sure everyone is in for a very enlightening and thought-provoking few days.

And I must say thank you to the Centre for the invitation to speak this morning.

This is an opportunity to talk about some of the things we do at the Transport, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio that are maybe not so well-known, but which speak to the success of Canadian communities.

One thing that is well-known is our Government’s unprecedented commitment to invest in public infrastructure in Canada—$33 billion through seven years, until 2014.

We call this investment Building Canada.

That’s a lot of money, and I think Canadians agree its money well-spent.

Canadians understand that good infrastructure is the foundation of our quality of life. It supports our economic prosperity; it supports a healthier environment; it supports stronger, safer communities.

We all understand that.

That’s why our Government is making these historic investments.
We have a responsibility to create the conditions that give Canadians the opportunity to prosper, and enjoy a quality of life that is among the best in the world.

Strong, safe, healthy communities are where that begins.

Through our Gas Tax Fund and the Goods and Services Tax Rebate, more than half of that $33 billion—$17.6 billion— will go directly to Canadian municipalities to support their infrastructure priorities.

But we recognize there is more to strong communities than good roads and efficient public transit systems.

That is why our vision of Building Canada includes more than the roads and bridges that move our people and our goods and services.

It also includes the cultural infrastructure that moves our spirits.

The infrastructure that connects us in ways that are every bit as important as an airport or a bridge—infrastructure that sustains not just our communities, but our sense of community.

Government has made clear its commitment to invest in the core National Highway System, in water and wastewater infrastructure, in public transit and in green energy infrastructure.

However, the Building Canada plan also includes additional investment categories, and cultural and sport infrastructure are among them.

And we are already moving forward with commitments in these categories, and they cover all aspects of culture:

In Montreal, we are prepared to contribute up to $40 million to join the province of Quebec and the city of Montreal in developing the Quartier des Spectacles in downtown Montreal.

This one square kilometer area is home to 28 performance halls and more than 250 cultural enterprises. It already hosts a number of international festivals—from jazz to comedy. The Quartier des Spectacles will transform the area and the vacant lands within it into a new, more people-friendly public space. It will provide a permanent home for the city’s arts festivals, and reinforce Montreal’s reputation as a cultural metropolis.

• The expansion of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Quebec in Quebec City is eligible for up to $33.7 million from the Building Canada plan. This will make it possible for the museum to build a new, 8,000 square meter pavilion.
• A new pavilion for Canadian art at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal could receive up to $13 million in an exciting project that would give a new life to the Erskine and American church. Built in 1894, it is a designated national historic site and would become a permanent home for the Museum’s impressive Canadian art collection.
• An expansion of the Art Gallery of Alberta has been identified for up to $10 million in support.
• The new Kinnear Centre for Creativity and Innovation at the Banff Centre—one of Canada’s most important arts communities—is on the list for up to $15 million.
• The Calgary Stampede Park Western Legacy Project is eligible for $15 million. Among other things, this would support the reclamation of a 14-acre brownfield, and the development of a heritage interpretive centre.
• In Ontario, the priority list includes a contribution to the construction of a new performing arts complex in Cambridge, and a centre for the performing arts in Burlington. Together, these two projects would be eligible for up to $7.5 million from the Building Canada plan.
  

These are substantial investments, and they are important investments.

These are projects that will benefit communities culturally and economically.

They will add to the vibrancy of these communities, enrich their quality of life, and help these communities explore and express their creativity and cultural heritage.

We also recognize that cultural industries also generate economic activity, attract skilled workers and draw tourists to communities. In fact, in 2004, it’s estimated that 3.1 per cent of the total labour force in Canada belonged to the cultural sector.

We are also investing in broadband infrastructure for example, to support connections of all kinds—not just economic, but cultural as well.
Last October’s announcement about the Government of Canada’s commitment to connect 100 % of Nova Scotia to broadband is a very good example.

We all know that the World Wide Web can contribute to the success of a new artist, whether it’s in the visual or performing arts. And can also help students discover masterpieces and take virtual tours of museums and art galleries around the world.

Mais nous savons qu’il y a encore plus de possibilités.
But we know there are even more possibilities.

Plus de possibilités mais aussi de nombreuses inconnues.
More possibilities, but many unknowns as well.

We know cultural infrastructure is essential to strong, successful communities. That is why we are committed to making these investments.

Mais nous avons la responsabilité d’investir de manière responsable et de façon à obtenir des résultats.
But we have an obligation to invest responsibly, and in ways that will achieve results.

Just putting up the infrastructure is not enough.

We need cultural places and spaces, but we must create them in ways that people will find engaging—places and spaces that will draw us out and draw us together.

Places and spaces that encourage human interaction and expression—the things that are the essence of community and country.

That is why symposia like this one are important.

Infrastructure Canada is proud to be associated with the Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities at Simon Fraser, which will be completing a major research project to enhance the capacity to create, coordinate and provide information on the competitive and quality of life benefits culture provides to Canada’s communities.

We need the research and the networking to help us increase our understanding of how communities work in the 21st century; how people see the place of cultural infrastructure in their communities; and how we can best support their vision and creativity.

Because, with creative and visionary cultural infrastructure, together, we will build creative and visionary communities.

Thank you very much, and best wishes for a successful and informative symposium.