Fredericton Designated 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada

On behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, Mike Allen, Member of Parliament (Tobique-Mactaquac), today celebrated with Brad Woodside, Mayor of Fredericton, the city's designation as a 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada.

"The City of Fredericton recognizes the role arts and culture play in improving citizens' quality of life and economic development," said Minister Verner. "By establishing strong links with cultural organizations through its proposed activities, Fredericton will foster artistic excellence, innovation, and accessibility to arts and culture."

"I am very pleased Fredericton is receiving this prestigious award, which confirms the importance of arts and culture," said Mr. Allen. "The Government of Canada is proud to support cities such as Fredericton that focus on cultural and artistic vitality to improve the quality of life in their municipality."

"We are thrilled about Fredericton being designated a Cultural Capital of Canada!" said Fredericton's Mayor, Brad Woodside. "We have planned a very exciting year of cultural and heritage projects for 2009. We are eager to roll up our sleeves and get to work with our arts, culture, and heritage partners to make these projects happen. 2009 is going to be a very special year of celebrating Fredericton's heritage and culture."

The Cultural Capital of Canada designation is awarded for merit, as determined by the quality of a proposed project and earlier achievements by the candidate community that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the arts and culture.

An independent advisory committee evaluated the candidate communities and made its recommendations to Minister Verner. The committee was composed of experts in the field of arts and culture and the mayors of the Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2007.

Funding is provided to support special projects that celebrate the arts and culture. Amounts vary according to the size of the municipality.

Municipalities with a population under 50 000, like Fredericton, may be awarded up to $500,000. With this funding, Fredericton will be able to launch the Exposing Our Culture project, which proposes a diverse program that brings together music, theatre, film, and visual arts.