ArtsVote Across Ontario

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

With the province’s municipal elections now just a month away, many of the province’s ArtsVote coalitions are hosting events, surveying candidates, and making sure that arts and culture are part of the election conversation.

What’s happening in your community?  Here are a few updates from active ArtsVote communities.

Kawartha Lakes: Mayoral and council candidates were surveyed, and results will be compiled on the Kawartha ArtsVote website.

Kingston: The official launch of the Kingston ArtsVote campaign was on Saturday, September 13 at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.  They’re surveying candidates, and launched a video talking about the arts in Kingston.


Mississauga: The Mississauga Arts Council held a Mayoral forum in early September; the event will be re-broadcast on Rogers Cable on October 4, 5, and 8.

Niagara: September 18 featured the launch of a new website in Niagara and supporters are pledging support through a picture campaign.  They have also issued surveys to candidates for ArtsVote report cards.

Peterborough: ArtsSpace hosted an event for mayoral and town ward candidates to speak about Arts and Culture in Peterborough.  The event was live-streamed, and the recording is available on ArtsSpace’s Ustream channel.

Toronto: The ArtsVote Toronto mayoral debate is on September 29 at the Toronto International Film Festival Bell Lightbox, moderated by Damian Abraham, the lead vocalist of the band Fucked Up.  ArtsVote report cards from candidate surveys will be shared in October.

Windsor and Region: The Arts Council of Windsor and Region has been collecting proposed questions from the community, and are now issuing surveys to local municipal candidates in Windsor, Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh, Leamington, Kingsville and Amherstburg.