Dance Ontario is a member of PASO, a Coalition of Provincial Arts Service Organizations that strives to strengthen the environment for the individuals and institutions that create and disseminate the arts in this province and for public access to the arts. Our collective memberships are made up of individual artists as well as the performance and exhibition organizations that create and support artistic expression. The organization will make a submission to the Pre-Budget Consultations on February 26, 2014 in which PASO calls on the provincial government to build on the strength of Ontario’s arts sector by:
  1. Supporting youth employment in the Province through a robust community driven training/internship strategy;
  2. Confirming its commitment to the sector by increasing investment in the arts through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Sport and key agencies such as the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Trillium Foundation;
  3. Strengthening the Status of Ontario’s Artists Act through a consultative process so that it better addresses the financial challenges of artistic creation;
  1. Addressing the public perception of the value of the arts through increasing arts education in schools;
  2. Investing in adequate and affordable facilities for artists and arts organizations
We sincerely appreciate that the Government of Ontario has recognized and supported  culture’s important place in the life of the province and its essential role in building a vibrant, rich and attractive place to live, work, grow and visit.
PASO looks forward to the continued investment as part of the budgeting process.