DARTMOUTH: The federal government is investing $100,000 towards the expansion of the Halifax Busker Festival over to Alderney Landing in Dartmouth.
The announcement of the non-refundable support was made by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Dartmouth MP Darren Fisher on behalf of Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the ACOA.
In a release, the federal government said the COVID-19 pandemic has had an undeniable impact on Canada’s tourism sector. The Government of Canada has helped keep tourism businesses open and the Tourism Relief Fund will help them be even better positioned to welcome back guests.
The support for the Busker Festival comes through the Tourism Relief Fund.
The expansion includes international busker and music performances at Alderney Landing and Ferry Terminal Park in Dartmouth.
The funding will enable the Festival to hire 10 to 12 new contract staff, secure high profile performers and embark on a marketing compaign to local, national and international audiences. Attracting more people to the Festival will benefit businesses in both Dartmouth and Halifax, where the Halifax Busker Festival began 36 years ago.
Launched in July 2021, the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) was created to help organizations and businesses in the tourism sector adapt their operations to meet public health requirements, offer innovative products and services to visitors and prepare to welcome back travellers.
The TRF is administered by Canada’s regional development agencies (RDAs) and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
Quotes
“As we recover from this pandemic, we are focused on being there for the tourism sector. With the support announced today, tourism businesses and organizations in Dartmouth and the rest of the Halifax Regional Municipality will be able to prepare for the future. This is an important step in the recovery effort that will allow visitors to discover the world-class tourism experiences Atlantic Canada has to offer.”
- The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA
“The Canadian tourism sector continues to be one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are fully committed to supporting businesses and organizations through these challenging times, keeping safety as the top priority while ensuring they get support to quickly recover, innovate their products and services, and thrive.
The Tourism Relief Fund will help businesses adapt, make improvements, and be ready to welcome back guests. It also feeds into a broader strategy to help the sector survive the pandemic, recover and grow. The Canadian economy will not fully recover until our tourism sector recovers.”
- The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
- Darren Fisher, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for Dartmouth
