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What's our role on the world's culture stage?
June 04, 2007
Christopher Hume

Toronto isn't the only city that likes to think of itself as "creative."

It isn't the only one that sees itself as a home for the arts.

And it's not alone in having spent a fortune ensuring that there's some substance to these claims.

But at a time when cities are locked in fierce competition amongst themselves for civic supremacy, has Toronto done enough?

We have been on a spending spree the likes of which has never been seen in these parts. And indeed, the figures are impressive by Toronto standards: the Art Gallery of Ontario, $254 million; the Royal Ontario Museum, $270 million; the National Ballet School of Canada, $106 million; the Royal Conservatory of Music, $110 million; the Ontario College of Art & Design, $40 million; the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, $20 million; the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, $175 million, plus the other projects in the work. All in, we've spent about $975 million on the cultural infrastructure.

But to put things in perspective, consider that the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, which reopened in 2004 after a total remake, raised nearly $900 million (U.S.) for the project. Even at today's exchange rate, that's more than $950 million Canadian – for a single building.

No, Toronto isn't New York, but New York is the competition.

But, you argue, American cultural institutions depend on private philanthropy because the government gives relatively little.

That's only half true; the MoMA, for example, received $65 million (U.S.) from the City Of New York. By contrast, not only did the City of Toronto give nothing to local cultural projects, it charged development costs from all and even levies an encroachment fee on the ROM because the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal extends into city-owned air space.

Are these the actions of a city committed to the arts?