Canada's Economic Action Plan @ Canadian Heritage

The Department of Canadian Heritage has implemented five initiatives from Canada's Economic Action Plan:

1. Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (formerly Cultural Spaces Canada)
2. Canada Arts Training Fund (formerly National Arts Training Contribution Program)
3. Canadian Television Fund and Canada New Media Fund
4. Magazines and Community Newspapers
5. Special Olympics Canada

Please visit the Economic Action Plan website for more information on the other initiatives of the Government of Canada.

1. Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (formerly Cultural Spaces Canada)

Over the next two years, Canada's Economic Action Plan will allow the federal government to stimulate the economy through investments in cultural infrastructure by covering certain infrastructure costs of community cultural and heritage institutions. The government is providing a targeted investment of $60 million over two years.

Please visit the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund website for more information on this program.

Please consult the backgrounder on the Economic Action Plan website to see a map of projects funded so far.

2. Canada Arts Training Fund (formerly National Arts Training Contribution Program)

Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government increases its support for the Canada Arts Training Fund (CATF) by $20 million over the next two years, that is an additional $7 million in 2009-2010 and, in 2010-2011, the renewal of the existing $6 million as well as $7 million in supplementary funding. This funding raises the program's annual budget 41 percent, from $17.1 million to $24.1 million. It will enable the CATF to provide enhanced operating support for the organizations it funds, increasing their stability and competitiveness in the long term and strengthening their capacity to deliver expected results.

Please visit the CATF website for more information on this program.

Please consult the backgrounder on the Economic Action Plan website for an update on the state of implementation of this initiative.

3. Canadian Television Fund and Canada New Media Fund

The Canada Television Fun (CTF) provided funding support to Canadian television productions in various genres, including drama, children and youth, documentary, variety and performing arts in both official languages, as well as Aboriginal languages. The Canada New Media Fund (CNMF) provided funding support to encourage the creation and development of Canadian interactive digital content products, such as games, webisodes and interactive Internet sites.

The merger of the CTF and the CNMF to the Canada Media Fund (CMF), announced on March 9, 2009, allows Canadian viewers better access to Canadian programming on all media platforms.

The year 2009-2010 was one of transition. In order to minimize disruption to the business cycles of both the television and interactive media sectors, the CTF and CNMF continued to operate under the status quo for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The reformed and integrated Canada Media Fund is now fully implemented and in place as of April 1, 2010.

Through Canada's Economic Action Plan the Government will provide a total of $228.6 million to this initiative in the first two years.

Please visit the CTF website for more information about this program.

Please visit the CNMF website for more information about this program.

Please consult the backgrounder on the Economic Action Plan website for an update on the state of implementation of this initiative.

4. Magazines and Community Newspapers

Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government will support continued access by Canadians to magazines and community newspapers over the next two years. This initiative will cost an estimated $30 million.

This initiative will be carried out in two phases. Funding in 2009-2010 maintained the budget of the Publications Assistance Program, which provides postal subsidies to publishers of magazines and community newspapers. The $15 million in new funding will replace the amount previously contributed by Canada Post, which ended on March 31, 2009, and will be in addition to the $60 million the Department of Canadian Heritage is already providing annually to support periodicals through the Publications Assistance Program and the Canada Magazine Fund.

In 2010-2011, the Canada Magazine Fund and Publications Assistance Program have been replaced by a new program called the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF).  This fund modernizes and simplifies the government's approach to supporting periodicals, while building on the success of the previous programs.

Please visit the CPF website for more information about this program.

Please consult the backgrounder on the Economic Action Plan website for an update on the state of implementation of this initiative.

5. Special Olympics Canada

Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government increased funding for Special Olympics Canada to $1.5 million for 2009-2010. Support for Special Olympics Canada was increased to enable the organization to support increased sport participation by Canadians with an intellectual disability. Increased support will be provided for priority initiatives, such as Special Olympics Canada's 2010 National Summer Games, development and strengthening of Special Olympics programs in provinces and territories, and the potential addition of programming for new sports.

Please visit the Sport Canada website for more information about their various programs.

Please consult the backgrounder on the Economic Action Plan website for an update on the state of implementation of this initiative.