Niagara festivals feeling impact of cuts
Fort Erie Friendship Festival manager Yvonne Hopkins says “it would have been nice” had an application for $38,000 from the province’s Celebrate Ontario fund received the green light — but that’s not the case.
She said the money would have been used for a second stage for music and to recruit a big-name band for the festival, which is in its 33rd year.
But working with a total budget of less than $200,000 — generated only by bingo revenues and sponsorships — the show must go on, said Hopkins, who is in her second year running the event.
The Friendship Festival didn’t get funding last year, either, but has received cash from the province more than once in the past few years.
“You’re competing against the bigger festivals, too,” she said when asked about the July 18 to 21 celebration not getting money from the government this year.
Other festivals across Niagara have also had to learn to live with reduced funding.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport said there is $19 million available for 2019 through the Celebrate Ontario fund.
More than $13 million will benefit 250 events in Ontario, on top of $4 million for larger “blockbuster” events. There’s an additional $2 million in the same stream to help world-renowned organizations bring their productions to Ontario.
That equates to $7 million less this year for smaller festivals, after $20 million was dispersed in 2018.
A total of $932,647 will make its way to Niagara in 2019 through Celebrate Ontario to benefit nine events in the region.
The two largest amounts are $250,000 to both the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Light Up Niagara in Niagara Falls.
The Foster Festival in St. Catharines is being supported with $55,000 and the Niagara Wine Festival will benefit from $72,000 in funding.
Port Colborne’s Canal Days will use $59,075 from the fund — nearly $25,000 less than it got last year — for three enhancements to the 41st annual marine heritage festival. A Maui Jim fishing tournament, marine-themed actors walking the festival grounds, and entertainment costs on the Sunday of the long weekend in August will be covered by the province.
“We’re now able to do more for Canal Days because of the grant,” said city spokeswoman Michelle Cuthbert.
She said the event received more than $84,000 in Celebrate Ontario funding last year.
Cuthbert said the reduced funding has “no impact” on the festival as the money is used for enhancements and new initiatives.
“We don’t rely on grant funding to sustain the festival,” she said.
Last year’s amount paid to bring in the Lettie G. Howard, an additional vessel to the canal on the weekend. It also covered the cost of iconic Canadian band Blue Rodeo, staging infrastructure at H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park, an attendance survey and advertising.
The local government has committed $303,226 to Canal Days in 2019.