ONTARIO SUPPORTING FIVE FESTIVALS AND EVENTS IN MISSISSAUGA-LAKESHORE

Nearly $300,000 in funding will help reconnect communities and boost Mississauga-Lakeshore’s economy

MISSISSAUGA – Ontario is investing more than $48 million to help festival and event organizers carry out innovative and safe experiences that help create great Ontario staycation experiences for visitors and stimulate local economic growth. Funding from the Reconnect Ontario program will support events in Mississauga and enable recipient organizations to expand programming to draw visitors who will stay longer in local accommodations, eat in restaurants, shop at local retailers and support main street businesses.

“For nearly two years, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted tourism and culture – two major industries that bring our communities to life, and Ontarians together,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “By supporting festivals and events through the Reconnect Ontario program, our government is delivering a much-needed boost to the sector as we continue to recover from the effects of COVID-19. We are supporting organizations across the province that are finding new, innovative ways to safely reconnect Ontarians – helping them to engage with their communities and creating local jobs.”

Rudy Cuzzetto, MPP for Mississauga-Lakeshore, announced today that the following local events are receiving funding support:

  • $84,878 for the Paint the Town Red Port Credit Community Association’s Paint the Town Red, Port Credit’s Canada Day Celebrations;
  • $63,085 for the CreativeHub 1352’s Mississauga Festival of Trees;
  • $59,940 for the Port Credit BIA’s Winter IN The Port;
  • $53,280 for the Crane Creations Theatre Company’s Bridges Festival; and
  • $38,443 for the Sawitri Theatre Group’s Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival (MMFF).

“Our government recognizes the important contributions that festivals and events make to local communities,” said Cuzzetto. “I am pleased that we are supporting event organizers right here at home in creating safe, innovative experiences that will help reconnect people while boosting our local economy and creating local jobs.”

Reconnect Ontario is a provincial grant program that supports festivals and events that encourage local tourism and motivate visitors to rediscover Ontario, while reconnecting people with local experiences and increasing tourism spending. The program is receiving $42.9 million in 2022 to support 547 festivals and events around the province.

Ontario is also providing $5.2 million to events through the Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster Program and to Luminato. The Reconnect Ontario – Marquee Event Fund (foramlly the Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster program) supports municipalities and organizations in Ontario that host large-scale, high-impact signature events.

Congratulating John Bozzo, Chair of Paint the Town Red, Port Credit’s Canada Day Celebrations

Congratulating Arun Pillai, Treasurer of the Crane Creations Theatre Company

Quick Facts

  • Tourism is a key economic driver in Ontario, supporting approximately 395,000 jobs and generating over $38 billion in spending.
  • This investment is a continuation of the historic one-time COVID recovery funding announced in 2021 that more than doubled the annual funding usually provided to festivals and events.
  • In 2021, due to overwhelming demand, the government provided a historic $49 million through the Reconnect Festival and Event Program (now Reconnect Ontario) and the Reconnect Ontario – Marquee Event Fund (fomally Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster).

Contact

Office of Rudy Cuzzetto, MPP
Mississauga-Lakeshore
(905) 274-8228