Growing Scarcity of Infrastructure and Facilities: The lack of affordable space in Ontario has reached a critical point, increasing the burden of demand on the spaces that remain. This is further exacerbated by Ontario’s largest not-for-profit cultural space management organization, Artscape, entering receivership.
The need for Northern Arts Services Organizations
Across Northwestern Ontario, infrastructure to support arts, cultural programming, and community innovation is already in place—from galleries and community hubs to living labs and shared spaces. Yet restrictive policies and red tape prevent these resources from being used effectively by many who live in unorganized communities. Operational funding, staffing, and local control are limited, leaving spaces underutilized despite clear demand and potential.
Even when external funders like the Ontario Arts Council provide substantial support, the impact is immediately neutralized. Northern communities are legally barred from generating jobs or economic benefits, meaning that government-funded infrastructure cannot serve the people it was intended to benefit. Attempts to partner with communities that can legally receive benefits only exacerbate extraction, shifting resources outward and reinforcing inequities.
This systemic problem highlights the need for a locally grounded Arts Services Organization (ASO).
An ASO could coordinate resources, activate infrastructure, and ensure that artists and communities can sustain innovation, capacity-building, and cultural initiatives. Unlocking the potential of northern arts ecosystems is not a matter of building new spaces—it is about reforming policy, reducing red tape, and enabling communities to fully realize the benefits of existing infrastructure, talent, and investment.
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