The federal budget released last week allocates $300 million over 10 years to Canada’s cultural spaces fund, which supports the construction, renovation and equipment needs of creative hubs. The investment is aimed at nurturing homegrown talent and stimulating the creative economy by providing places for entrepreneurs and organizations in the arts to collaborate.

The federal budget also allocates $80 million over 10 years to building educational infrastructure that will help preserve the culture of official language minority communities. The funds would be available for the Canadian government to invest in projects such as early childhood centres in partnership with provincial and territorial governments.

Last year’s federal budget committed $342 million over two years to cultural and recreational infrastructure. One project that has already received support, with an investment of $4.5 million from Canada’s cultural spaces fund, is the Kenojuak Cultural Centre. Slated for Cape Dorset, Nunavut, the multi-purpose facility will promote Inuit art and local talent with exhibition galleries and studio spaces.

This year’s federal budget also noted the Canadian government’s plans to negotiate bilateral agreements with municipal, provincial and territorial partners for projects such as community and recreational infrastructure. The agreements would provide for project monitoring and cost-sharing proportions that would depend on where the investment is going. As examples, the Canadian government would fund as much as 40 per cent of projects with municipal partners and as much as 50 per cent of projects with provincial partners.