Innovation in the arts, heritage, and entertainment in each province since 2020

Self-reported innovation since the start of the pandemic

Last week, my analysis of pan-Canadian statistics showed that arts, heritage, and entertainment organizations and businesses have been innovation leaders in Canada since the start of the pandemic. Among 16 industry groups, organizations and businesses in the arts, entertainment, and recreation were second most likely to have introduced an innovation in their products and/or processes since 2020 (37%), behind only the information and cultural industries group (41%). These percentages are much higher than the average for all industries (24%).

Today, I highlight statistics for each province and find that …

In every province, since the start of the pandemic, the rate of innovation in the arts, heritage, and entertainment has been above the provincial average.

In some provinces, the difference between the arts, heritage, and entertainment industry group and the provincial average is substantial. In other provinces, the difference is very small. Full details are provided below.

In addition to the statistics, I highlight a few stories of innovation in each region during the pandemic, based on our major research project released earlier this year.

Like last week, today’s statistics are based on the following question from a Statistics Canada survey of organizations and businesses with at least one employee, conducted between April 1 and May 6, 2022:

Since 2020, has this business or organization introduced any new goods or services innovations, or any new business process innovations?

An innovation must be new to this business or organization, but it does not need to be new to its market.

Select all that apply.

• Goods or services innovation: This refers to a new or improved good or service that differs significantly from the business's or organization's previous goods or services, with respect to its characteristics, functions or performance specifications and that has been introduced on the market.

• Business process innovation: This refers to a new or improved process that differs significantly from the business's or organization's previous business processes and that has been brought into use. Include innovations in distribution or logistics, marketing or sales methods, information and communication systems, strategic and general business management practices, or process related to product or business process development.

• Don't know

• None of the above

Note: “Arts, heritage, and entertainment” (which the survey refers to as “arts, entertainment, and recreation”) includes performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries (industry code 711); heritage institutions (code 712); amusement, gambling, and recreation industries (code 713).

Innovation in the arts, heritage, and entertainment in the western provinces

The first graph in today’s post shows that the rate of innovation in the arts, heritage, and entertainment is the same (31%) in three of the four Western provinces. However, the difference in innovation rates between the arts, heritage, and entertainment and the provincial average is larger in the three Prairie provinces than in B.C.

• In B.C., 31% of organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment reported introducing some type of innovation, compared with 29% of all organizations and businesses in the province.

• In Alberta, the rate of innovation since the start of the pandemic has been higher in the arts, heritage, and entertainment (31%) than among all organizations and businesses (26%).

• In Saskatchewan, 26% of organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment have introduced some type of innovation since 2020, compared with just 20% of all organizations and businesses.

• In Manitoba, the rate of innovation since the start of the pandemic has been much higher in the arts, heritage, and entertainment (31%) than among all organizations and businesses in the province (22%).

Data quality indicators

Canada: All = excellent (A); AER = very good (B). British Columbia: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C). Alberta: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C). Saskatchewan: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C). Manitoba: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C).

Some stories of innovation from Western-based artists and cultural organizations include:

• Vancouver-based rice & beans theatre developed a digital installation entitled “Yellow Objects” as a direct response to the pro-democracy and social justice movement in Hong Kong in 2019-2020.

• In Alberta, Enza Apa and artsPlace Canmore collaborated on a Curbside Museum project to engage a neighbourhood and “move the inside outside”.

• In 2020, Saskatoon’s Strata Festival of New Music organized, in about a month, an online Student Composer symposium as a way of continuing its training offering for young artists.

• Winnipeg’s Théâtre Cercle Molière developed closer relationships with teachers by delivering its annual Festival théâtre jeunesse in virtual form for the first time in 2021.

Innovation in the arts, heritage, and entertainment in Ontario and Quebec

The graph below shows that, in Ontario and Quebec, the rate of innovation has been substantially higher in the arts, heritage, and entertainment than the provincial averages:

• In Ontario, 38% of organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment have introduced some type of innovation since 2020, compared with just 20% of all organizations and businesses.

• In Quebec, the rate of innovation since the start of the pandemic has been much higher in the arts, heritage, and entertainment (46%) than among all organizations and businesses (28%).

Data quality indicators

Canada: All = excellent (A); AER = very good (B). Ontario: All = excellent (A); AER = acceptable (D). Quebec: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C).

Stories of innovation from artists and cultural organizations in Ontario and Quebec include:

• Tangled Art & Disability, based in Toronto, developed a “Crip Times” podcast series to maintain a connection with artists and ease the sense of isolation that impacts their communities. This work furthered the organization’s goal of ensuring that artists with disabilities are an integral part of the cultural fabric of Canadian society.

• Montreal-based photographer Kiran Ambwani developed a project called Can-Asian Artistic Resilience, which gave visibility to Asian artists across Canada, many of whom had faced increased levels of racism due to the pandemic.

Innovation in the arts, heritage, and entertainment in the Atlantic provinces

The final graph in today’s post shows that the rate of innovation in the arts, heritage, and entertainment varies considerably in the four Atlantic provinces (19% to 44%).

• In New Brunswick, the rate of innovation since the start of the pandemic has been very high in the arts, heritage, and entertainment (44%), much higher than the rate among all organizations and businesses in the province (19%).

• In Nova Scotia, 25% of organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment have innovated since 2020, compared with 21% of all organizations and businesses.

• The rate of innovation since 2020 has been much higher in PEI-based arts, heritage, and entertainment organizations and businesses (31%) than among all organizations and businesses in the province (20%).

• In Newfoundland and Labrador, 19% of organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment reported introducing some type of innovation, compared with 18% of all organizations and businesses.

Data quality indicators

Canada: All = excellent (A); AER = very good (B). New Brunswick: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C). Nova Scotia: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C). Prince Edward Island: All = excellent (A); AER = acceptable (D). Newfoundland and Labrador: All = excellent (A); AER = good (C).

Some stories of innovation from Atlantic-based cultural organizations include:

• Fredericton Playhouse connected with New Brunswick artists and gave many artists opportunities to create works by developing the InterMISSION Residency Program.

• Dartmouth-based Eastern Front Theatre created and implemented the Micro Digitals project, through which 36 theatre artists from across Atlantic Canada attempted to translate the essence of live theatre into 60-second micro digital experiences. This helped EFT achieve three short-term goals: to help theatre artists get paid, to seize the opportunity to work on theatre in the digital realm, and to create content that was free and accessible to everyone.

• The Prince Edward Island Department of Education and Lifelong Learning fostered students’ creativity during the pandemic by creating a digital edition of the PEI Student Drama Festival and ArtsSmarts programming.

• The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, by introducing Pay-It-Forward Subscriptions and developing a strong Seniors Outreach program, generated new revenue streams, sustained its concert offering at regular season levels, and reached audiences virtually in remote parts of Newfoundland and Labrador where the orchestra had never toured before.