Cultural institutions across the country are shutting their doors and calling off events because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving some concerned for the health of Canada’s arts scene.
The wave of cancellations Friday came as several provinces pushed to limit the size of gatherings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The National Museums of Canada said its public institutions will be closed Saturday until further notice.
The decision impacts the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum, Ingenium and the National Gallery of Canada.
Following the federal museums, the Royal Museum of Ontario, Art Gallery of Ontario and Ontario Science Centre announced their own closures.
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Some live performance organizations say they worry for their financial future as the COVID-19 crisis has left them with empty auditoriums.
The world-renowned Stratford Festival in southwestern Ontario announced Friday that it’s closing the curtain on all performances from April 11 to May 2, as well as public events in its facilities through next month.
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Artistic director Antoni Cimolino said the COVID-19 outbreak presents the biggest challenge to the performing arts “in living memory.”
“The motto ‘The show must go on!’ is bred in the bone and it’s therefore very difficult to break out of that mindset,” Cimolino said in a statement.
“But sometimes the show cannot go on. It is extremely important for public health that we do our part.”
Executive director Anita Gaffney projected the cancellations could cost the festival and surrounding tourism economy of Stratford, Ont., millions of dollars, but maintained the move necessary to protect artists and audiences.
“Our hope is that the worst will pass and we will be able to launch our season to healthy and eager audiences soon.”
The National Arts Centre in Ottawa has also cancelled all performances and events through April 5.
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In a statement, president and CEO Christopher Deacon asked customers to be patient as the organization works to exchange or refund tickets.
The National Ballet of Canada ended its run of Romeo and Juliet on Friday. The company said it expects its June season will go forward, but is monitoring developments.
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In London, Ont., the Grand Theatre has suspended all programming for the rest of the season. The theatre asked patrons to consider donating the value of their tickets to the not-for-profit institution during this “time of crisis.”
The Canadian music industry is also pulling back many plans. On Thursday, the Juno Awards that were supposed to take place in Saskatoon over the weekend were cancelled, and on Friday numerous homegrown musicians postponed show dates, including Matthew Good, Sarah Harmer, and Chilliwack and Streetheart.
The SOCAN Awards, an industry event celebrating songwriters and composers set for March 30, was pulled from the schedule, though organizers say they are looking at how to mark the occasion “in an alternative way.”
And the Toronto Symphony Orchestra called off several performances this month. CEO Matthew Loden said patrons have the option of exchanging their tickets for an upcoming performance or a gift certificate, or donating them for charity.
“The consequences of the COVID-19 crisis on the financial health of charitable arts organizations like the TSO are unknown,” Loden said in a statement.
“While we are currently unable to provide you with the live orchestra experience, we encourage you to listen to the music that brings you the most joy and comfort.”
The concern among Canadian arts organizations is even being felt abroad as Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group temporarily suspended some of its touring shows.
The Montreal-based company said the move affects several of its big-top and arena shows around the world, including three with Canadian stops.
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They are Montreal-bound “Under the Same Sky,” British Columbia-bound “Axel” and “Crystal,” which has an upcoming date in St. Catharines, Ont.
Pop culture convention Toronto Comicon, scheduled for March 20, was also scrapped.
Organizers say fans can either transfer their ticket to Fan Expo Canada in August with no additional fees, defer their purchase to Toronto Comicon 2021, or get a full refund. All photo ops and special events will be automatically refunded.
Also postponed was the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, which was set for April 30-May 10 in Toronto. Organizers say they remain committed to bringing the films to audiences and are investigating ways to do so at a later date.
Meanwhile, movie theatres are taking safety measures to help audiences feel more comfortable.
Cineplex announced that it’s reducing the capacity of its auditoriums by at least half at theatres across the country to encourage “social distancing” in its auditoriums.
The chain said it’s also rolling out “enhanced cleaning protocols” at locations across the country, and implementing policies to ensure hourly staff don’t suffer a financial hit for staying home.
The TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto will be selling fewer tickets per screening for at least the next four weeks in a similar policy. The theatre said moviegoers will be separated by three seats to give audiences space to safely enjoy the film.
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On the small screen, The Marilyn Denis Show and The Social have shifted their formats to shoot without studio audiences, according to Bell Media.
The company says it’s monitoring the situation closely and will make decisions on a week-by-week basis.
Officials in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta have called for the suspension of large events and public gatherings of more than 250 people.
Ontario’s Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Minister Lisa MacLeod said in a statement that the ministry is meeting with sector stakeholders to stay apprised of the economic impacts.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
