Statistics Canada Issues Report on Arts and Culture in 2020

Image: BBC.

Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the only constant has been change. The provincial government has recently announced the B.C. Vaccine Card, which provides proof of vaccination in order to access certain indoor and outdoor spaces. Among these? Theatres, galleries, cinemas, art classes, and all manner of other venues and gatherings that encompass arts and culture.

Obviously, the implementation of this mandate will have effects on all industries, including the cultural sector. With that in mind, it feels like an opportune time to look back at where we’ve been, to ensure we know where we’re going.

In August 2021, StatCan released Financial impacts of the pandemic on the culture, arts, entertainment and recreation industries in 2020, a report penned by Marie-Christine Bernard and Megan McMaster. Here are some of the findings.

First, some news that will likely be very unsurprising: despite government assistance, operating revenues, salary, wage, commission and benefit expenses fell in all industries (except for the operating of sound recording).

The industries and organizations that were able to best weather the storm were those who embraced the digital transformation already underway at the beginning of the pandemic. It should be noted, however, that the expansion of digital services like video-on-demand, music streaming, and e-books did not always translate into earned revenues.

On individual industries: book publishing suffered unique challenges, having already been in a transition from brick-and-mortar stores and print publishing to an increasingly digital market. Hurdles included distribution supply challenges and the delay or cancellation of book launches, writers’ tours and marketing plans. Similar challenges were encountered among newspaper and periodical publishers; however, this industry benefitted from having downsized and restructured in the years leading up to the pandemic.

For motion picture exhibition services (e.g., movie theatres), operating revenue plunged 69.2% in 2020 at the national level due to the closure of theatres and public events. Salary, wage, commission and benefit expenses fell by 62%.

Large live events such as theatre plays, dance performances, music concerts and sports events were cancelled for the season across Canada because of business and gathering restrictions. Some businesses were able to innovate digitally, but in the end, the overall trend was negative. This was ameliorated by assistance like the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy, which more than half of active businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector received in 2020.

The report concludes on a note of uncertainty: many challenges remain, even as live events and marketplaces finally reopen. One in four Canadians is considering a change of jobs, rending the labour force uncertain. And for those working in venues like non-digital publishing, the pandemic has exacerbated an already turbulent time of transformation.

We remain optimistic and resolved, however, about the capacity of our sector to use our creativity to navigate this time of rapid change.

To read the report, click here.