QUEBEC CITY – The Quebec government handed cultural institutions $110 million Monday to help them better use digital technologies.
Most of the money was already earmarked in the province’s ten-year public infrastructure plan.
Premier Philippe Couillard explained the influx of cash will help update websites, put art collections onto students’ smart boards at school, broadcast concerts and use cellphones and iPads as audio-guides in museums.
Couillard added he believes culture is a lucrative industry in Quebec and part of the solution for economic recovery.
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The industry represents 4.5% of the Quebec’s GDP, that’s more than 130, 000 jobs.
Marc Blondeau, the president and CEO of Place des Arts, told Global News he is eager to upgrade his website.
Place des Arts attracts over a million show-goers a year and he thinks an attractive, more informative website will facilitate ticket sales.
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“About 90% of our revenue is generated by our own activity,” he said.
“But to maintain the buildings, the facilities, the equipment and now the virtual equipment, you need indeed some injection of funds because this profits the whole cultural environment – all our different partners, the producers, the artists that benefit directly from this investment.”
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As to the persistent rumour that the government will close regional music conservatories, Couillard said his government wants to cut back on bureaucracy, not its cultural mandate.
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