Grant funding has been announced for some local organizations.
Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae announced a total of $235,000 to support festivals, and events that create and attract jobs, bring visitors and boost economic development.
Funds are dispersed through the province’s Experience Ontario program.
Stratford Festival will receive $125,000 while Stratford Tourism Alliance and Here for Now Theatre will each get $55,000.
“Our tourism industry employs a lot of people and provides many good-paying jobs locally,” Rae said. “Our government will continue to support this vital sector as it emerges and rebuilds from the pandemic years.”
Stratford Festival Executive Director Anita Gaffney said the festival’s economic impact is $276 million, according to a recent study. It generates 1,466 full-time jobs.
Tourism contributes to 360,000 jobs and generates more than $35 billion of economic activity in the province.
The program, established in 2007 as Celebrate Ontario, has invested more than $284 million towards more than 3,600 Ontario festivals and events.
