Winnipeg, Manitoba is a thriving Canadian city whose economy is to an important extent based upon cultural industries. After the 1970s economic crisis, the city started to reduce its manufacturing industry and to invest more in services and in cultural businesses. The city reinvented itself following the downtown rehabilitation process. This project included the rejuvenation of the Forks, a historical site which now attracts millions of visitors each year. The city also invested in its digital media educational programs in order to form skilled workers for the newest technological companies in the fields of film production, advertising, graphic design, game development and other related services. This brought international recognition and huge profits for the city. Furthermore, the city planners invested in culture by supporting museums, festivals, sports, and other visual arts, performance and historical projects which created jobs and brought important revenues for the city. The government’s efforts to develop the cultural industries of the city had a negative impact on the community as well. These threats included the suppression of the authentic culture due to an industrializing approach, which in time may have a homogenization effect on the city. However, the marginalized communities may be able to profit from this renewed cultural interest because it brings them visibility and renewed interest for their culture.
Winnipeg dominates the economic life of Manitoba, and influences the bordering provinces as well. As MacKinnon (2006) showed, the city experienced a steady economic decline in the 1970s, as a result of poverty. However, in the 1980s, the Winnipeg Core Area Initiative, a tri-level governmental agreement between civic, provincial and federal governments, provided funds for the revitalization of the inner-city. This helped to slow-down the economic decline. In the past decades, the economy of Winnipeg shifted from an emphasis on manufacturing to the development of services. This was based on the deindustrialization process which took place in the entire Canada and certain other areas of North America (Mason 1985). The shift caused some concern for many planners who perceived manufacturing jobs as “somehow of higher quality with more stable employment patterns and attracting highly skilled workers with higher incomes” (Mason 1985, p. 12). However, this policy to attract manufacturing is no longer viable. Instead, planners focused on the services sector, which depended on the population income, financial stability and the willingness of real estate firms to cultivate up-scale retail functions (Mason 1985). The author argued that the high-wage services had to be oriented towards export as a result.
In 1996, the governmental support for inner –city revitalization declined dramatically. This led to the worsening of the situation of the inner-city family income, as 50.8 of households had incomes below the low income limit (MacKinnon, 2006). In 2000, the support for the community’s economic development was renewed and diversified, materializing in enterprise and housing development, among others. MacKinnon (2006) explained that, “Winnipeg’s inner-city communities, while still troubled with poverty and crime, have seen significant improvements in those neighbourhoods where resources have been targeted. Housing has improved, arson activity is down, commercial strips are being revitalized, and high levels of social capital are being developed” (MacKinnon, 2006). Therefore, Winnipeg’s inner-city is fighting to overcome poverty, and emerging leadership gives communities hope for the future (MacKinnon, 2006). Over the past decades, Winnipeg has begun to dominate Manitoba’s demographics in what the number of people and households is concerned (Mason 1985). The shift from the rural areas of Manitoba towards Winnipeg also meant that this city became younger than the general population of Manitoba.
The present economic development is focused on programmes which are meant to empower the Winnipeg population. The city is focused on promoting educational opportunities among its large Indigenous population. Furthermore, in the past decade, $ 2.4 billion were invested into the downtown’s rejuvenation. The rehabilitation of the downtown area involved the construction of the Portage Palace, a shopping centre which spans on 3 floors, known for its skywalks, which connect the Cityplace, the Hudson’s Bay and the MTS Centre. Winnipeg’s economic growth in the past years has been facilitated by the shift towards the culture industry, which occurred progressively in the past years. Mason (1985) showed that, “consultancies, entertainment, cultural and financial services are prime examples of the economic activity essential for the economic future of the city” (p. 12). This prognosis came true because today, the city is taking full advantage of all these resources, particularly in the context of technological advancements which allow the city to advertise its rich culture industry throughout the world. Thus, in the past years, Winnipeg formed partnerships linking companies with the national data center and the University of Winnipeg, and creating different other types of public-private partnerships in order to ease the supply of skilled employees (Jung, 2016).
Currently, Winnipeg has built a strong image on the global scene by promoting its rich cultural industry, which increases the dynamic life of the city, and gives it a strong identity. The cultural industry employs approximately 12, 000 people in more than 2, 000 business establishments. Due to its emphasis on cultural industries, Winnipeg has been called the “Cultural Cradle of Canada” (Economic Development Winnipeg, 2011). As part of its strategy to grow its cultural industries, Winnipeg has focused on the Forks, a historical gathering location. While 6,000 years ago, the Aboriginal people used the Forks as a trading location, today it represents the cultural and touristic center of the city. More than 1, 000 visitors see the Forks every year. The rehabilitation of this downtown space for public events and festivals led to the creation of an interpretative park, a skateboard park, a historical port, and an area for hosting year-round festivals (Economic Development Winnipeg, 2011).
There are more than 200 days of festivals per year, which tells a lot about the city’s commitment to the culture industry. Among these festivals, the most prominent ones are the Festival du Voyageur, Folklorama and the Winnipeg Folk Festival. The Folk Festival, which takes place in July, is one of Canada’s outdoor music festivals. More than 70, 000 people attend to the festival each year, of which 5, 000 are visitors. The festival generates $ 25million and creates 244 job opportunities for the entire Manitoba province (Economic Development Winnipeg, 2011). Another important festival is the Winnipeg Music Festival, which was held for the first time in 1919. For the 23 days of the festival, the event employs 23 venues, and has the reputation of encouraging high standards of musical excellence.
Winnipeg also prides itself with “its cultural successes such as the Winnipeg Ballet and its dedication to building the Canadian Museum for Human Rights “(Jung 2016). The city is also known for its theatres and dance companies. Opera and choral performance have several well-established representatives in the city. One of the most important aspects of Winnipeg’s cultural landscape is its public art program, which includes museums and galleries (Economic Development Winnipeg, 2011). The government periodically launches calls for artists to realize the visual arts projects of the city. The authorities usually draw from a local pool of artists, but they may also launch national calls.
The 35 museums of the city celebrate the province’s past and cultural diversity. The museums celebrate the aboriginal culture, the francophone heritage, the Ukrainian heritage, the Chinese heritage, as well as the Mennonite heritage, and many other cultures which have contributed to giving the city its specificity and uniqueness. The authorities’ strong support for museums in recent years demonstrates the fact that culture represents an important and very profitable industry for Winnipeg. Mitchell et al. (2015) showed that, as part of its election campaign, the Conservative party promised to spend up to $ 15 million per year in order to support local museums. The Museum of Human Rights is perhaps the most important realization of the city from this perspective. This national museum is the first federally funded cultural venue of the type, which is located outside the capital (Economic Development Winnipeg, 2011). This museum is intended to attract visitors from the entire world and to give birth to fruitful discussion on the respect of human rights at a global scale.
One essential aspect of Winnipeg’s culture industry is its interactive digital media (IDM) sector. The employment in advertising, creative design, and information systems design continue to grow (Economic Development Winnipeg, 2011). Jung (2016) showed that, “a workforce trained in digital skills is a cornerstone of Intelligent Communities” (n.p.). The investment in cutting edge educational programs in new technologies prepared the city’s IDM companies to compete on the global scene. Some examples of important film companies in the city include Les Productions Rivand, Buffalo Gal Pictures, and Mid Canada Productions, among others. The interactive digital media sector has been involved in advertising, marketing and promotion, informational technology development, post production and gaming development. However, there is a very dynamic collaboration among different branches of this sector, “which resulted in award-winning advertising, gaming, and online application products that reflect the level of expertise and knowledge base resident in Winnipeg” (Economic Development Winnipeg, 2011, p. 47). Game development is also an important sector in the field, attracting worldwide interest and offering many opportunities for investment.
The politicians used culture in order to promote the development of local economy. The creation of flagship museums and the establishment of festivals are two most important ways in which the government contributed to change. The key to the successful economic revival of Winnipeg and to its stability is the diversity of its industries. The cultural industries of the city are clustered under the broad spectrum of creative industries. The cultural industries are meant to serve the local community, but most importantly, their development tries to attract the attention of visitors from other towns and countries.
The developers encouraged the emergence of a successful creative class by means of a strategy which focused on increasing the educational opportunities of young people who wanted to enroll in creative work programs. Furthermore, apart from forming a skilled creative class, the authorities also tried their best to retain them. The Altus Clayton (2008) organization showed that, “providing an attractive range and mix of housing that appeals to various affordability ranges is an important component of this, as is the development of cultural institutions and amenities to help to appeal to the important creative class segment” ( n.p.). This shows that the government understood the value of a creative class strategy. However, it is worth noting that the government does not have a creative class strategy for street artists or for the promotion of a dynamic street life where culture can flourish naturally. Rather, it is focused on the development of particular creativity professions and artists who may contribute to the growth of the cultural industries directly.
The official efforts to promote tourism and economic growth have had a negative effect on the city’s most vulnerable inhabitants. First, the gentrification of the inner city represents a threat for the poor people in the area, who have seen the prices of accommodation increasing to the extent that they could no longer live there. For example, the famous Autonomous Zone (A-Zone) has been long acknowledged as a neighborhood where activists tried to oppose the advancement of capitalism. However, despite their attempt to control gentrification, “driving low-income renters out as upscale businesses move in and raise property values” (Rabble 2011, n.p.) became a common problem in A-Zone as in many other locations of the city. While trying to fight against gentrification by supporting the poor people of the neighborhood, the members of an activist organization based in the A-zone admit that fighting against this process is extremely difficult. For example they showed that most of their clientele and members are white middle-class individuals, and that in this way, they also unwillingly contribute to gentrification.
In addition, by industrializing the cultural products of the city, the authorities endanger the authentic culture in favor of artificial, mass produced goods, which come to stand as actual symbols of culture. This phenomenon is typical for all the major touristic cities in the world, where the cultural elements of the city are being transformed into economic assets. For example, the souvenir industry has developed immensely in the past years. The tourists buy souvenirs in order to take away with them a piece of the culture of that place. However, most people ignore the fact that the souvenirs are mass produced, often in China, and have nothing to do with the cultural space in which they were bought. At the same time, locally produced crafts are so expensive that many tourists avoid buying them, despite their value, particularly because they have much cheaper alternatives.
Therefore, the minority population seems to be undermined by the development of the culture industries. Culture industries employ highly-skilled employees, as compared to other industries who may employ semi-skilled or unskilled workers. The emphasis on cultural development has isolated the poor, who may not have money to spend on entertainment as White middle- class individuals do. Consequently, they cannot take advantage of the cultural venues and become more and more isolated within their communities. While the opposition to the city’s cultural policy has been low, certain activists and political opposition parties did express concern regarding the culture industries development. They condemned the process of gentrification for example, or the lack of modernization of the museums policy, which remained unchanged for the past 40 years (Mitchell et al 2015).
If I were in charge of the city planning, I would place more emphasis on the creation of an authentic street culture, which seems to be missing from the current cultural development policy of the Winnipeg authorities. While the authorities focus on the development of highly skilled digital media workers, on the organization of large-scale events, and the establishment of museums, they ignore the roles of small-scale crafts, a lively street culture, and authentic cuisine. The most important benefit of this industry however, is the potential of helping the minority groups to gain more visibility and status in the society, due to the development of cultural heritage sites, as tributes to different cultural heritages. However, museums suggest that these cultural influences are part of the past when in reality, their representatives are still present in the city, and continue to struggle for recognition. A museum that recognizes their contribution is not particularly beneficial for the living minority populations who struggle to survive. Rather, events that focus on the cultural diversity of the city should represent an important aspect of the development strategy, because this approach would ensure that the different ethnical and racial groups of the city are equally able to take advantage of the cultural industries.
The Toronto renaissance project may also serve as a model for a cultural-led initiative in Winnipeg. As Jenkins (2005) showed, Toronto’s cultural renaissance has determined the undertaking of a major building project, which hoped to make the city more unique. The Toronto officials hoped to build landmark buildings which could function as “brands” or symbols that could be easily associated with the city. While, as Jenkins (2005) explained, there is a danger here to fall into the trap of becoming too ‘flashy’ or superficial, a landmark is essential to any large city which hopes to become an important touristic attraction on a global scale. Such examples include Paris, with its Eiffel Tour, and New York, with its Statue of Liberty, to name just a few. Another interesting strategy in Toronto was the creation of an “Avenue of Arts”, which had the role of attracting tourists (Jenkins 2005). However, such an initiative may serve a double goal, because it could also represent a place where authentic culture could flourish, and where minority artists could easily expose their works and crafts, thus gaining recognition and participating in the cultural development of the city equally.
Therefore, as shown above, the development of the cultural industries in Winnipeg, Manitoba, demonstrates how a city could successfully develop their services sector by making use of culture to increase their economy, and by promoting the city’s uniqueness outside the province, and even outside the country. The emphasis on digital media has created strong economic development. Also, the downtown rejuvenation, which included the rehabilitation of the Forks, and the establishment of the Museum of Human Rights, all contributed to the city’s economic rise. However, while middle-class Whites may take advantage of the entertainment opportunities offered by the new cultural landscape, the poor and minority groups in general may be isolated within their inner city neighborhoods, and may continue to be discriminated despite overall economic and cultural growth. A cultural development strategy which puts an emphasis on authentic culture as well, and allows minority groups to participate more substantially to the cultural life of the city, would be profitable for the city on the long-term.
References
Altus Clayton. (2008).City of Winnipeg comprehensive employment lands strategy. Retrieved from: http://winnipeg.ca/ppd/planning/pdf_folder/EmpLandStrategy.pdf
Economic Development Winnipeg. Inc. (2011). Winnipeg: cultural industries. Retrieved from: http://www.economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com/uploads/files/EDW_Culture_Sector_Profile.pdf
Jenkins, B. (2005). Toronto’s cultural renaissance. Canadian Journal of Communication 30(2):n.p.
Jung, J. (2016). Canada’s intelligent success in economic development. Economic Development. Org. Retrieved from: http://economicdevelopment.org/2016/03/canadas-intelligent-success-in-economic-development/
MacKinnon, S. (2006). The social economy in Manitoba: designing public policy for social inclusion. Horizons 8(2):26-66. Retrieved from: http://ec.msvu.ca:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10587/345/Special%20issue%20on%20the%20social%20economy.pdf?sequence=1#page=26
Mason, J. (1985). Economic trends for Winnipeg to 2000. Occasional Paper No. 10. Winnipeg: Institute of Urban Studies. http://winnspace.uwinnipeg.ca/bitstream/handle/10680/937/111-1985-Mason-EconTrendsforWinnipegto2000-WEB.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Mitchell et al. (2015). It’s time for a new cultural policy. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved from: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/Its-time-to-review-our-cultural-policy-325819421.html
Rabble News. Winnipeg’s Autonomous one celebrates 16 years of building alternatives. Retrieved from: http://rabble.ca/news/2011/10/winnipegs-autonomous-zone-celebrates-16-years-building-alternatives
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