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London Fanshawe MPP - Khalil Ramal - Constituency Update McGuinty Government Supporting Festivals and Events In Local Communities April 15, 2009 Ontario is helping enhance and improve London festivals and events in order to attract more visitors to the City. The province is investing $146,625 to support the enhancement of the Home Country Folk Festival, Bluesfest, Indiafest, Festa Italiana and Expressions in Chalk which will help to boost the local economy by attracting new audiences and generating more economic activity in the community.
This is part of the Celebrate Ontario 2009 program, which is providing $11 million to 224 festivals and events across Ontario – an increase of 150 per cent over last year. Celebrate Ontario 2009 was originally announced as a $9 million program. However, in recognition of the significant impact that these community events have on local economies, the government has decided to invest an additional $2 million in this year’s program to help make this impact felt in more communities across the province. “These celebrations are valuable economic contributors to our community. Our government is pleased to help it grow and expand so that our community can increase its competitive advantage in the tourism market and strengthen its economy.” Khalil Ramal, MPP (London-Fanshawe) “We’re thrilled and excited about this funding that will allow Bluesfest to attract a larger audience. We are working to draw visitors from a wider region and boost London’s economy while providing world-class entertainment.” Chris Gould, Director of Bluesfest …/2
300,000 people in Ontario are directly or indirectly employed by the tourism industry In 2007, tourists spent over $22 billion in Ontario Since 2007, Ontario has invested a total of $25 million for festivals and events through Celebrate Ontario. Last year, 90 festivals and events were funded through Celebrate Ontario 2008. In the 2008 Ontario Budget, the McGuinty government committed to stable and ongoing funding of the Celebrate Ontario program. Discover things to do in Ontario. Read about Celebrate Ontario success stories. See the full list of Celebrate Ontario 2009 recipients.
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