SAA Bulletin – March 2013 – Creative Saskatchewan Bill Introduced in Legislature
SAA Bulletin
Bill No. 89 – an Act respecting Creative Saskatchewan was introduced in the Legislature yesterday on March 26. Creative Saskatchewan is a new agency that was announced earlier this year. According to the Bill, its purpose is to:
“(a) facilitate the expansion of a business environment advantageous to the growth of the creative industry and to the growth of new employment, investment and production opportunities in Saskatchewan within the creative industry;
(b) encourage and support innovation, invention and excellence in the creative industry by stimulating creative production, format innovation and new models of collaboration among sectors of the creative industry;
(c) assist in the promotion and marketing of Saskatchewan’s creative industry and its respective products;
(d) administer financial assistance, other programs and initiatives that may be assigned to it by an Act or by the Lieutenant Governor in Council;
(e) facilitate the gathering and analysis of information, research and technological development in the creative industry;
(f) increase recognition of the creative industry as a vital element of Saskatchewan’s economy and cultural identity;
(g) enable cooperation among persons and entities within the creative industry and between the public and private sectors to encourage development in the creative industry;
(h) undertake any other activities or functions assigned by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.”
Creative Saskatchewan will be governed by a board of directors, consisting of not more than 11 members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. Not less than five of the members are to be appointed from a list of nominees provided by the creative industry – the manner of which will be prescribed in the regulations.
The 2013-14 provincial budget provided $5 million in new funding to create an investment fund for Creative Saskatchewan. The fund will be available to music, film, digital media, visual arts, crafts, publishing and the performing arts producers to bring their products to market.
A working group was established to develop the functional details of Creative Saskatchewan. The working group included representatives from the Saskatchewan Arts Board, SaskFilm, Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association, Saskatchewan Publishers Group, CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation Le Front Des Artistes Canadiens), Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association, SaskArt, SaskMusic, Dance Saskatchewan, the theatre community in Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Craft Council.
The bill goes to second reading today and will move through the legislative process this spring with the goal to have Creative Saskatchewan in place by fall 2013.
