Here’s how Mississauga plans to help creative industries struggling due to the pandemic
Published December 18, 2020 at 5:23 pm
While many industries have been hit hard by the pandemic, some have been hit harder than others.
The creative industries are one such group—live performances for music and theatre have been postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic.
As a result, the City of Mississauga has established a framework to provide support for these struggling industries.
“Our creative industries faced an unprecedented level of uncertainty when COVID-19 closed live music venues and halted film and television production. From the outset, we worked closely with these sectors to help them manage the initial impacts of the pandemic,” Mayor Bonnie Crombie said in a news release.
“While there are still unknowns about the future, with this recovery plan, the City is well-positioned to strengthen and promote our world-class creative industries, which make such important contributions to the vibrancy and economic health of Mississauga,” she continued.
The City’s Economic Recovery Pillar Framework, approved by Council earlier this year, includes five industry-specific plans—one for each of Mississauga’s major business sectors—will be led by the City’s Culture Division. It was developed with continuous engagement from business owners and key industry leaders.
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It includes three priorities:
- Building Confidence: As the pandemic continues, re-establishing public support for creative sectors is a priority.
- Removing Barriers: Reviewing and updating City policies and procedures that impede creative sectors from rebooting and growing in the wake of the pandemic.
- Attracting Investment: Ensuring Mississauga remains competitive and attractive to film and music production is vital to our recovery efforts.
“While the impacts of COVID-19 have been severe, particularly for live music performers and venues, insights from our industry partners have also highlighted opportunities,” Paul Damaso, Director of Culture Division for the City of Mississauga, said in a news release.
“These opportunities, such as providing access to sustainable funding opportunities, digital online resources and marketing support informed our plan and will help move creative industries in Mississauga towards sustained economic prosperity,” he continued.
In total, this plan identifies 16 unique action items to help the creative industries, including providing free business skills training, mentorship and grant opportunities to Mississauga music entrepreneurs through the Mississauga Business Enterprise Centre, launching a project using input from industry stakeholders and benchmarking research to identify barriers to filming in Mississauga, and developing a comprehensive strategy to support and grow Mississauga’s music sector among other.
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