Confederation Centre gets extra $1M from federal government

The Confederation Centre will get an extra $1 million from the federal government over the next two years, in addition to the $3 million the centre receives annually for its programming.

The funding,promised in the 2019 federal budgetand coming fromthe federal government'sCanada Arts Presentation Fund,was announced Wednesday morning by Charlottetown Liberal MP Sean Casey and outlined in a written news release.

The Confederation Centre said the funding would "support operations at the centre."

"This funding is critical for enabling us to continue offering arts, heritage, and education programs, which affect communities locally and nationally," said centre CEO Steve Bellamy in an email to CBC.

"Now it's true, we don't yet have enough funding and revenue to be sustainable for the long term, but this two-year commitment from Canadian Heritage goes a very long way to helping us work toward our goal of long-term sustainability."

Money for festivals and events

Casey also announced the government would give $738,600 in the coming year to organizations that host festivals and cultural events in P.E.I.

"This funding will support 42 arts and heritage celebrations and promotional projects, as well as support arts and culture festivals for residents throughout the province,"the release said.

That money will come from the local festivals component of the government's Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program, as well as the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and is funding the government provides annually, the release said.

The release said there will be more funding announced soon for arts, culture and celebrations in "less affluent regions" of Canada.

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