In Ontario...

The population is incredibly diverse: 50-60% of all immigrants to Canada settle here, and some 100 languages and dialects are spoken.

1,829 youth experienced another community, language or culture in 2003/04 through our Youth Exchanges Canada program.

The Canada Council for the Arts granted $41.7 million to 660 arts organizations and 624 artists in 2003/04.

183,729 students enrolled in French immersion in 2002/03, up from 12,764 in 1978.

Information on 659 Ontario museums, including virtual exhibits, is available online at www.virtualmuseum.ca.

404 amateur athletes were funded through our Athlete Assistance Program in 2004.

Ontario has the largest concentration of the film and television labour force and of distribution and production firms in Canada.

Ontario

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The Canadian Heritage family, which includes the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the CBC and other major national cultural institutions, plays a key role in the cultural and civic life of Canadians.

We work together to promote culture, arts, heritage, official languages, citizenship and participation, multiculturalism, Aboriginal, youth, and sport initiatives. Canadian Heritage fosters creativity, innovation, linguistic duality and cultural diversity with a view to connecting Canadians to each other and the world.

Our services are available from offices all over the country, including London, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Sudbury and Thunder Bay.

Highlights

Interactive Treasures
With funding from Cultural Spaces Canada, the Waterloo Regional Children's Museum was able to renovate 13,000 sq.ft. to expand its range of programming. The museum's interactive exhibitions offer a blend of art, science and technology.

International Music Day Celebrates Canadian Hip Hop
Through support from Canadian Heritage, Toronto's Inner City Visions uses hip hop to engage youth and mobilize communities. The organization celebrated International Music Day on October 1, 2004, at the University of Toronto. The "standing room only" event included a session on the emerging voice of Canadian hip hop and performances by local hip hop artists.

Supporting visible minority francophones in Ontario
The Official Languages Support Program is helping identify and address socio-economic exclusion faced by visible minority francophones in Ontario. In 2004/05, the Program provided $114,500 to the Centre des jeunes francophones de Toronto to assist in the creation of an umbrella organization able to represent the interests of ethnocultural francophone communities.

Council of Agencies Serving South Asians
The high demand for physicians and surgeons has highlighted the barriers faced by internationally trained professionals upon immigration to Canada. To help address this issue, Canadian Heritage funded the Association of International Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (AIPSO) to undertake policy analysis and advocacy, to perform consultations, to produce media promotion, and to develop public forums on the issue.

Cross Cultural Arts
Arts Presentation Canada's contributions to the London Committee for Cross Cultural Arts contributed to the development of a new Latin festival, Fiesta del Sol, and an off-season World Music Series, in addition to the city's anchor festival, Sunfest.

De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Theatre Group
Aided by Canadian Heritage, the De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Theatre Group was able to purchase and renovate a heritage building on Manitoulin Island to serve as a training facility and studio. It is the first Aboriginal arts training facility outside of Toronto to be fully owned and operated by Aboriginal people.