November 6, 2026 The Honourable Zee Hamid Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming 6th Floor, 438 University Avenue Toronto, Ontario M7A 1N3 RE: Strengthening Ontario’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Economy Dear Minister Hamid, Congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) looks forward to working with you to strengthen these sectors, drive growth and support vibrant communities across Ontario. I am writing on behalf of the OCC’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism (ACT) Working Group, which brings together industry and academic leaders to advance practical, evidencebased solutions. Together, Ontario’s creative and tourism sectors contribute almost $62 billion to GDP and support nearly 600,000 jobs. Yet fragmented planning, underinvestment, workforce shortages and limited access to global markets constrain growth. We encourage action in three areas: 1. Create a coordinated culture and tourism strategy. Treat the arts, culture, tourism and creative industries as critical parts of Ontario’s economic infrastructure, and align sector development, workforce planning and investment. We recommend: •
Adopting a provincial strategy that drives year-round activity and positions Ontario as a leading cultural and tourism destination.
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Expanding flexible training pathways with industry and post-secondary partners, while recognizing relevant technical roles as skilled trades, and improving labour market data.
2. Boost trade, investment and global competitiveness. Ontario’s cultural and creative industries can attract investment, reach new markets and strengthen the province’s global profile. We recommend: •
Creating dedicated funding for international marketing, touring and trade missions.
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Providing stable, multi-year funding for provincial cultural and creative agencies and programs (e.g., Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Creates, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund).
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Enhancing Ontario’s competitiveness by raising the base rate for the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit to 40 per cent and the Ontario Production Services Tax Credit to 25 per cent.
3. Strengthen regional tourism and cultural development. Cultural communities and regional tourism assets drive growth across Ontario, revitalizing downtowns, bringing new life to neighbourhoods, and restoring revenue for local businesses struggling with a lack of foot traffic, the homelessness and mental health crises, and infrastructure and transportation gaps. We recommend: •
Working with Regional Tourism Organizations and local economic development offices on regional cultural tourism strategies.
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Using surplus public land and assets to create affordable, multi-use cultural spaces to maintain arts and cultural talent, organizations and activities in their communities.
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Improving regional transportation and connectivity to enhance tourism.
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Leveraging economic development and immigration programs to attract and retain arts, cultural and creative workers in rural, northern, remote and Indigenous communities.
Treating these sectors as core economic drivers will attract investment, create jobs and strengthen communities. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these recommendations and how the OCC and its ACT Working Group can support implementation. Sincerely,
Daniel Tisch, APR, FCPRS, ICD.D President and CEO Ontario Chamber of Commerce CC: Miriam Kramer, Executive Director, Government & Community Relations and Public Policy, OCAD University; Chair, Arts, Culture and Tourism (ACT) Working Group