Canadian Heritage Releases 2017 Report on Heritage Institutions

The following is partially excerpted from a communication issued by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

RJ Haney Heritage Village & Museum in Salmon Arm. | Image: Destination BC.

The Department of Canadian Heritage has announced the release of the 2017 report on the Government of Canada Survey of Heritage Institutions (GCSHI), which collected financial and operating information for the 2015 data year as well as building and capital infrastructure information for the 2017 data year on not-for-profit heritage institutions, including museums, art galleries, archives, historic sites, zoos and botanical gardens.

Highlights from the survey include:

• Museums and other heritage institutions in Canada generate over $2.5 billion in revenue.
• Attendance to all heritage institutions reached a record 75.3 million in 2015.
• There were over 203 million online visits to heritage institutions in Canada in 2015.
• Heritage institutions received approximately 1.2 million research requests in 2015.
• The heritage sector employs more than 36,300 people.
• The heritage workforce is made up of more females (66%) than males (34%).
• 4% of heritage workers self-identify as a visible minority.
• Over 115,650 volunteers contributed over 6.6 million volunteer hours in 2015 (the equivalent of 3,200 full-time positions).
• Nearly 38% of all heritage institutions stated that their buildings and capital infrastructure are less than adequate.

Check out the full report here for more findings from the survey.