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From Heritage Canada Press Release at http://www.pch.gc.ca/newsroom/news_e.cfm?Action=Display&code=5N0321E

Minister Frulla Announces Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2006
OTTAWA, November 23, 2005 -- Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women Liza Frulla today announced the names of the five communities that will be the Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2006. The following communities have been designated:

- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
More than 125,000 population category -- maximum contribution: $2 million

- St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
50,000 to 125,000 population category -- maximum contribution: $750,000

- Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec
Less than 50,000 population category -- maximum contribution: $500,000

- District of West Vancouver, British Columbia
Less than 50,000 population category -- maximum contribution: $500,000

- Wikwemikong, Ontario
Less than 50,000 population category -- maximum contribution: $500,000

The winning municipalities and Aboriginal community will receive contributions from the Department of Canadian Heritage of up to $2 million, enabling them to undertake a range of cultural and artistic activities.

"The Government of Canada has made a commitment to give all Canadians access to the arts and culture, as well as to encourage creativity and excellence," said Minister Frulla. "The Cultural Capitals of Canada recognize and highlight the important role municipalities play in the arts and culture. They provide their residents with access to the arts and enable them to explore the rich diversity of our culture. At the same time, they give our artists an opportunity to demonstrate their talent."

Unanimously recommending the successful applicants to Minister Frulla was an independent advisory committee composed of the mayors of the Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2005. Experts in the field of arts and culture acted as advisors.

The Department of Canadian Heritage launched the Cultural Capitals of Canada program on May 31, 2002. The program is open to municipalities, First Nations governments, and Inuit and Métis communities.

The program highlights applicants' past achievements that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the arts and culture. The funds enable recipient communities to hold special events that celebrate the arts and culture and to organize activities that create a legacy for the future and ensure that arts and cultural issues are integrated into municipal planning. Designations are awarded based on merit, the quality of the project proposal, and the applicants' earlier achievements.

The deadline to apply for a 2008 Cultural Capital of Canada designation is March 15, 2006.

Please visit the Canadian Heritage Web site at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Media Room for backgrounders attached to this release. They summarize the projects of the successful applicants, indicate the maximum amount that can be awarded to each Cultural Capital, and include a complete list of this year's applicants.

Funding under this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

Information:

Jean-François Del Torchio
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for
Status of Women
(819) 997-7788

Jean-Guy Beaupré
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-9314

FACT SHEET - 1

Cultural Capitals of Canada 2006

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Category: Population over 125,000
Maximum contribution: $2 million

With all the brilliance to be expected of a city with such a rich cultural heritage, Saskatoon will be sparkling for its 100th anniversary celebrations. Among the many projects scheduled are the Centennial Celebrations, which will include a humorous look backward at Saskatoon's history; a national symposium on Aboriginal performing arts; and a strategy for creating an arts and cultural district especially for cultural meetings and exchanges. With its residents' overflowing energy and great creativity, Saskatoon is truly the picture of a cultural capital.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Category: Population between 50,000 and 125,000
Maximum contribution: $750,000

St. John's is noted for its residents' pride in and commitment to the arts and culture. Important initiatives in 2006 will seek to attract as many people as possible to arts and cultural events in the area. Among the many projects planned is the expansion of the summer noontime concerts, an initiative that involves presenting concerts, stories, and theatre with free admission. The "St. John's, Cultural Gateway to the Province" project will promote the province's shows and cultural activities. The creation of cultural tourism infrastructure will provide a lasting legacy, bearing witness to the city's support for the arts, heritage, and cultural groups.

District of West Vancouver, British Columbia
Category: Population under 50,000
Maximum contribution: $500,000

The celebrations being planned will delight people of all ages and backgrounds, with activities designed to bring everyone together. This dynamic community will add new activities to its extensive cultural programming. The Symposium on Aboriginal Sculpture will provide mentorship opportunities for young Aboriginal artists so that they can preserve ancestral techniques and knowledge. Booktopia will expand its literary activities targeting young people. The summer festival will feature a world music component celebrating and recognizing the many professional artists from West Vancouver's various ethno-cultural groups. The activities will reflect the community, and everybody will be invited to take part. The programming recognizes that culture is essential for a dynamic society.

Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec
Category: Population under 50,000
Maximum contribution: $500,000

The town of Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce is well known for its entrepreneurship and famed as a centre of ceramic art. The theme "The History of Entrepreneurship," is an invitation to travel through time, following the development of the first craft businesses. An original initiative will allow veteran craftspersons from the best-known ceramics centre of the time, Céramique de Beauce, to pass on their know-how to high school art students by reproducing five collectors' pieces. In addition, a series of concerts, shows, and art exhibits will demonstrate that work can be combined with fun. The people of the town and surrounding areas and all Canadians will be invited to celebrate the growth of a region through its folk culture and its traditional crafts, which reflect the original form of artistic expression of our country's founders.

Wikwemikong, Ontario
Category: Population under 50,000
Maximum contribution: $500,000

The reserve of Wikwemikong, located on Manitoulin Island, is noted for the vitality of its culture and the quality of its traditional art. This community of 6,800 people will host many workshops for exploring the diversity of traditional arts, Aboriginal dance and lodge construction. Further, the cultural festival programming will be expanded so that visitors can learn about the traditions of other Aboriginal communities, including Inuit throat singing. Finally, visitors will be able to take part in a colourful fall fair, highlighting the farming heritage of this dynamic community. All the activities will encourage community members to learn more about their culture, their history and their language, and will cast light on the contribution of the Aboriginal community to Canada's history.

FACT SHEET - 2 -

Applicant communities -- Cultural Capitals of Canada 2006

Since 2003, the Cultural Capital of Canada designation has been awarded to individual municipalities or groups of communities with qualifying proposals. The proposals are for activities that seek to celebrate and build a lasting legacy for the arts and culture. Awards are divided into three categories based on population size.

Population Over 125,000

Calgary, Alberta
Laval, Quebec
Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Population 50,000 to 125,000

Strathcona County, Alberta
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Population Under 50,000

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
District of West Vancouver, British Columbia
Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec
Trinity, Newfoundland and Labrador
Wikwemikong, Ontario
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From the January 2006 issue of Birchbark News at http://www.ammsa.com/birchbark/birchbark-Jan1-2006.html

January - 2006

Community gets cultural funding

By Cheryl Petten, Birchbark Writer, Wikwemikong

Members of cultural organizations on Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve will be able to spend less time trying to raise funds and more time planning and holding events in 2006, thanks to funding from Canadian Heritage.

The money-a maximum of $500,000 according to the press release from Canadian Heritage-comes along with the community's designation as one of five Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2006 and is to be used to fund cultural and artistic activities.

Doris Peltier is program manager of the Wikwemikong Heritage Organization (WHO), the organization that submitted the winning application to Canadian Heritage. Peltier stressed that putting together the application was a team effort, with a number of community organizations contributing. That same team effort will be present throughout the year as each of funded activities takes place.

Some of the funding will be spent on the community's annual cultural festival, which celebrates its 46th anniversary in 2006. The festival, scheduled to be held Aug. 5 to 7, will not only provide a showcase for the songs, dances, arts and culture of the Anishnabe people, but will also feature exhibitions of Inuit culture.

"We'll be doing Inuit dance and drum demonstrations and will also be providing Inuit traditional games as workshops to the youth of the community."

Organizers of the festival try to feature different cultures in the event each year, Peltier said. "I think it helps provide not only the visitors to the community, but our community members, with the option to see different cultures that might not be accessible to get to."

A seven-week cultural awareness conference is also planned, scheduled to run from June 21 to Aug. 4. There will be a different theme for each week of the conference, based on the Seven Grandfather Teachings-love, respect, humility, bravery, honesty, truth and wisdom.

"We'll start off with lodge building, and hopefully once the lodge is completely covered, that's where we will conduct most of our workshops," Peltier said. "The Seven Grandfather Teachings workshops will be done within that teaching lodge, as well as talking about the seven clans-the origins of the clans, the different clans-so that people can come in and begin to understand what their clan is and what their responsibilities are."

The conference will also teach participants about moccasin making, traditional dance, traditional arts, harvesting of wild plants and traditional cooking.

The Wikwemikong Agricultural Society will be hosting a rodeo as a way of recognizing the important role agriculture played in the history of the community, Peltier said. In addition to the rodeo events themselves, there will also be opportunities for people to learn more about that agricultural tradition.

"They will be having information booths set up and talking about 4-H and how we want to bring that back to the community, and things like that."

Wikwemikong artists will also take part in commemorating the Cultural Capital of Canada designation by hosting an art show.

Currently these are the only events in the works, but Peltier is hopeful the funding from Canadian Heritage will allow the community to organize even more cultural and artistic events throughout 2006. To keep track of any new events or activities added to the schedule, she advises people to check in periodically on the WHO Web site at www.wikwemikongheritage.org.

The other cultural capitals of Canada for 2006 include Saskatoon, which will receive up to $2 million, St. John's, which will receive up to $750,000 in funding, and Saint-Joseph-de Beauce, Que. and the District of West Vancouver, B.C., which will each receive a maximum contribution of $500,000. The 2006 cultural capitals of Canada were selected by an advisory committee comprised of representatives of the 2005 cultural capitals of Canada- Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, Ont., Toronto, Victoria, Annapolis Royal, N.S. and Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Que.