Good morning! This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements and other government-related news for professionals in the performing arts, museums, theatre-operators, event-spaces, Canadian and Francophone trad media and social media publishers, and broadcasters. Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to track other GR news in industries related to Arts & Culture? Don’t miss this week’s updates in Hospitality.

Dates: 2025-07-20 to 2025-07-26

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🇨🇦 Canadian Federal GR News
• 🇺🇸 US Federal GR News
• 🗺️ Canadian Provincial GR News
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

Canadian Federal GR News

Federal Funding Announced for Just For Laughs Festival

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, disclosed a combined $1,859,000 in funding for the 2025 and 2026 Just For Laughs Festival. Of this, $1,359,000 is a non-repayable contribution through the Quebec Economic Development Program for event promotion and marketing, as well as new product development. Additionally, $500,000 is allocated by Canadian Heritage from the Canada Arts Presentation Fund for this year's edition. The event, promoted as the world’s largest comedy festival, continues to generate significant economic impact in Montreal and Canada’s arts ecosystem. Federal support is structured to broaden audience access to bilingual programming and to promote both established and emerging talent within the comedy segment. Stakeholders in the cultural and festival sector noted the promotion strategy and diversity of programming as drivers for audience engagement and tourism.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Canada to Announce Rural Broadband Expansion in British Columbia

The Government of Canada, represented by Secretary of State Buckley Belanger, together with British Columbia’s Minister of Citizens’ Services Diana Gibson, will announce new measures to improve high-speed Internet and mobile connectivity in rural regions of the province. The event is scheduled for July 28 in Armstrong, British Columbia. The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to enhance digital infrastructure, with the specific objective of expanding broadband access to underserved communities. The announcement signals another round of federal-provincial collaboration targeting the reduction of connectivity gaps, which has been cited by cultural, media, and creative industries as essential for remote operations and digital production capabilities.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Federal Government Announces $3.2 Billion for Newcomer Economic Integration Services

Minister Lena Metlege Diab, of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced over $3.2 billion in funding across more than 520 organizations outside Quebec over three years to promote newcomer integration and address labour shortages. The funding is aimed at settlement services including licensing and certification support in regulated professions, job-specific and general language training in both official languages, and initiatives assisting French-speaking newcomers outside Quebec. New investments are intended to facilitate accelerated entry of skilled immigrants into sectors experiencing high demand, such as health care. Arts and culture stakeholders may benefit from expanded language education programs and community integration initiatives, with sector organizations eligible for tailored support under regional strategies.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Minister Michel Set to Participate in Black Communities Event in Montréal

Health Minister Marjorie Michel will deliver remarks at the Foundation for Black Communities’ Black Ideas Grant 2.0 event in Montréal on July 24. Minister Michel is standing in for Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families. The event is expected to touch on federal priorities related to supporting Black Canadian cultural, economic, and social initiatives. Attendance and programming at this event may attract sector organizations seeking partnership and funding opportunities tied to federal community-support programs.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

CRTC Posts New Broadcasting Applications, Radio Licensing Decisions

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) posted several applications for licence renewals, amendments, and complaints between July 4 and July 17, 2025. Applications include those from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for CBTE-FM in Crawford Bay, BC, and CINA in Mississauga, Ontario. Mondo Globo Inc. seeks regulatory consideration for MTV Lebanon and OTV Lebanon on a national basis. Notable decisions include licensing for Bell Media’s CFTE and CKST in Vancouver and administrative approvals for CIAM Media & Radio Broadcasting Association in Alberta. The CRTC continues to accept interventions and replies on posted applications, with deadlines in August and October.

Sources: Gazette, Part I: www.gazette.gc.ca

CRTC Reissues Notice to Interested Parties on Public Proceedings

The CRTC reminded stakeholders that all detailed regulatory decisions, notices of consultation, policies, and orders are now posted directly on its website. Practitioners and organizations are able to access documentation relevant to ongoing and concluded proceedings through the Commission’s online Public Proceedings & Hearings portal. Abridged versions of these official documents are summarized in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

Sources: Gazette, Part I: www.gazette.gc.ca

Statistics Canada Launches Indigenous Languages Data Visualization Tool

Statistics Canada launched an interactive data visualization tool mapping Indigenous languages in Canada. Stakeholders in cultural preservation and language education have access to a new resource supporting both programming and advocacy for Indigenous language retention. The tool provides granular, publicly available data for cultural organizations, educational institutions, and policy makers.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

New Economic and Social Reports Available from Statistics Canada

Six new articles have been released in the July 2025 edition of Economic and Social Reports by Statistics Canada. Topics covered are not specified in the public release summary, but the monthly series routinely includes analysis of labour, education, cultural participation, and language usage patterns. These reports may feature indicators relevant to arts, media, and heritage institutions.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

Federal Announcement on Health Services for Francophone Minority Communities

Health Canada issued advance notice of an upcoming federal announcement supporting access to health services in Francophone minority communities. Several regions with arts and culture organizations serving Francophone populations may anticipate tailored measures promoting programs in official languages or facilitating service delivery for linguistic minorities.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

US Federal GR News

United States Withdraws Public Broadcasting Funding as Part of $9 Billion Aid Bill

President Trump signed legislation cancelling $9 billion in foreign aid, which includes cuts to public broadcasting funding. The measure, enacted this week, removes federal financial support for multiple public media initiatives domestically and abroad. The withdrawal of US funding may have implications for cross-border cultural programming and the financing of arts projects involving American partners. The elimination of public broadcasting subsidies is expected to affect industry participants with exposure to joint US-Canadian public content initiatives.

Sources: Canadian News Outlet: www.thestar.com

Canadian Provincial GR News

Alberta Maintains Record-High Arts Sector Funding

Alberta’s government confirmed a record $36.1 million budget for the arts in 2025, including a $4.5 million increase for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, which supports over 400 organizations and individual artists through grants.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.alberta.ca

Ontario Invests $45 Million in Non-Profit Arts and Heritage Organizations

Ontario will distribute over $45 million through the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Grow grants to 140 non-profit, Indigenous, and small municipal organizations, funding projects in arts, culture, heritage, and youth engagement.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.ontario.ca

BC Government Advances Filipino Cultural Centre Following Community Survey

The BC government will work with Filipino community organizations to advance plans for a provincial Filipino cultural centre, acting on a public engagement survey that registered more than 1,200 responses and multiple roundtable discussions.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.bc.ca

French Language Access Enhanced for Saskatchewan Residents

Saskatchewan made additional government website content available in French, with machine translation as a supplement where professional translation does not exist.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.saskatchewan.ca

What We're Reading This Week

• One in Eight Language Education Programs Shut Down: Immigration Policy Putting Canada's Official Languages Sector at Risk: Analysis examines the impact of recent immigration policy changes on language education providers.
• Celebration of Light’s funding woes a sign of trouble for arts and culture sector: Vancouver's major event faces funding shortfall, underscoring sector-wide financial pressures.
• Governor-General’s awards celebrate artists, Together for Tomorrow gala raises funds for education: National awards event highlights achievements and sector fundraising efforts.
• One man's mission to preserve almost-forgotten music scene: Profile of an individual preserving regional music heritage.
• Is Substack the future of media?: Commentary explores changes in digital publishing platforms and implications for journalism.
• Philanthropist Wendy Schmidt insists science and immersive media can inspire action for the planet: Philanthropy and immersive arts intersect in efforts to drive awareness.
• Philanthropist Wendy Schmidt insists science and immersive media can inspire action for the planet: Second mention in technology and creative sector coverage.
• Philanthropist Wendy Schmidt insists science and immersive media can inspire action for the planet: Media sector discussion on immersive content and advocacy.

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