A new $225.8 million plan will support the Quebec cultural community, hard hit by the pandemic, said Minister of Culture and Communications Nathalie Roy on Sunday.
The plan, which uses money allocated in the very recent 2022 budget, will be phased over three years.
A first component of $123.3 million will be used to “implement safety nets, develop new clienteles” and fight against the labor shortage affecting the community, explained the minister.
In addition to improving measures already in place, such as the Emergency Fund for artists and cultural workers in the performing arts, the money will also “support clienteles that were not historically funded”, such as “small venues theaters and alternative venues”.
A second component of $79.5 million will aim to encourage cultural revival, in particular by financing “more shows with more artists and performers, more tours and more promotion,” said the minister. She said she wanted to help emerging creators in particular, by allocating funds for their artistic projects and by making the first parts of shows “eligible for assistance with the representation of the Society for the Development of Cultural Works”.
A third and final part, of $23 million, will aim to encourage international influence, but also innovation.
Thus, the Minister announced funding for “all types of digital production, such as virtual reality, immersive installations, podcasts”.