The Honourable Lisa MacLeod

October 30, 2020

The Empire Club of Canada Presents

The Honourable Lisa MacLeod

Chairman: Mike Van Soelen, Immediate Past President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada

Moderator
Nick Kypreos, Former NHL Hockey Player & Sports Broadcaster

Distinguished Guest Speakers
The Honourable Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, Province of Ontario
Jan Westcott, President & CEO, Spirits Canada


Introduction
It is a great honour for me to be here at the Empire Club of Canada today, which is arguably the most famous and historically relevant speaker’s podium to have ever existed in Canada. It has offered its podium to such international luminaries as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, the Dalai Lama, Indira Gandhi, and closer to home, from Pierre Trudeau to Justin Trudeau; literally generations of our great nation's leaders, alongside with those of the world's top international diplomats, heads of state, and business and thought leaders.

It is a real honour and distinct privilege to be invited to speak to the Empire Club of Canada, which has been welcoming international diplomats, leaders in business, and in science, and in politics. When they stand at that podium, they speak not only to the entire country, but they can speak to the entire world.

Welcome Address by Mike Van Soelen, Immediate Past President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada
Good afternoon, fellow directors, past presidents, members, and guests. Welcome to the 117th season of the Empire Club of Canada. I'm Mike Van Soelen, and I'm the Immediate Past President of the Empire Club of Canada, and I'm delighted to be here today to host, from Ontario Place, the Honourable Lisa MacLeod, the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Cultural Industries.

Today, I'd like to begin by acknowledging the land that we are broadcasting from. This is the Traditional Territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. For those of you tuning in from regions across the country, we encourage you to learn more about the Traditional Territories in which we live and work.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge our generous sponsors. Without them, we could not hold events like this. I'd like to acknowledge our lead Event Sponsor, Spirits Canada. I'd also like to acknowledge our Supporting Sponsors, Global Public Affairs, and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. And our Season Sponsors are also important to us: the Canadian Bankers Association and Waste Connections Canada. Finally, I'd like to acknowledge our Event Partner, Van Volkenberg Communications, who have supported us with this online space, which has become ever more important during this pandemic. Before we begin today, I'd like to help with a few logistical items. If you're finding your internet feed is, is bothered, look in the bottom right and you can adjust the different streams. And of course, if you have any questions or need any help, just click on the help button, and we'll do our best to address any issues.

With all that said, from Ontario Place in downtown Toronto, I now call this meeting to order. Few sectors have been economically impacted as significantly as tourism, hospitality, culture, and sport, as a result of COVID-19. With continued restrictions on in-person gatherings, cross-border travel, and major shifts in consumer behaviour, the sector faces enormous challenges overcoming the impact of this pandemic. It looks like it could be a long road before we turn to, to normal, which is why today's event is so important. Today's event is being live streamed from Ontario Place, a marquee tourist destination that many of us will know. It has been the source of many fond memories, whether you came here as a student, whether you came here with family. And this venue, like many others around the province, has been deeply impacted by COVID-19. Which is why, again, today's discussion is so important.

The Honourable Lisa MacLeod is Ontario's Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, and she is leading the government's response to COVID-19 for the sector. Along with her cabinet colleagues, Minister MacLeod is at the government's decision-making table, helping determine the path forward for this sector. Minister MacLeod has been a Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Nepean since 2006, and she previously served as the Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, as well as the Minister responsible for Women's Issues. She has addressed the United Nations on human trafficking as a Canadian delegate, and is a strong advocate for mental health support, anti-bullying initiatives, suicide, and drug prevention. The Minister has worked at all three levels of government, and she has received great recognition for her work, including the EV Award for Equal Voice for her commitment to women in politics. We are very fortunate to have the Minister here to hear from her directly, to speak to the issues that are so pressing in this sector. So, without further ado, Minister MacLeod.

The Honourable Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, Province of Ontario
Thank you very much, Mike, for that kind introduction, it's wonderful to see you in person. And I know there are so many more at home, over 1,200 people, who aren't able to join us today. I'm grateful to you, to Spirits Canada, TAIO, and Global Public Affairs for hosting this important address today at the Empire Club. You know, reflecting on the people who have taken this podium over the years, Sir Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Pierre Trudeau—they were here during some of the most tumultuous times in their generation. And here we are today, in the most challenging, most certainly, for ours.

This is actually my first major podium address in a year. Last year, I spoke to one of your sister clubs, and let me tell you, it felt good. Because we have a great story to tell. Because the story of the businesses, workers, volunteers, and community organizations across our heritage, sport, tourism, and culture sectors was an amazing story. It was a story about hard-working women and men delivering a spectacular bottom line in Ontario—an economic bottom line that created hundreds of thousands of jobs and generated 75 billion dollars in economic activity, and a social bottom line that made Ontario healthier, more vibrant, more dynamic, more diverse, and inclusive. A social bottom line that made an immeasurable contribution to our quality of life.

Today, the news is much more challenging. I'm not going to sugarcoat that. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit everyone. But it has hit arts, heritage, culture, sport, and recreation particularly hard. I'm not going to shy away from speaking about this challenge, the jobs and livelihood that COVID-19 has impacted, or the steps that we're going to take as a government to build resiliency for the remainder of this pandemic, while ensuring recovery for a post-pandemic environment—which might seem far off, but I can assure you will certainly come. So yes, I'll talk about the crisis. But I'll also talk about the challenges, in a moment.

First, let me remind you about how remarkable these sectors are, and how remarkable the people who work in them are. Consider this: we are talking about a $36 billion tourism sector, a $26.8 billion culture sector, and a $12.6 billion sports and recreation sector in the province of Ontario. That's over $75 billion in economic activity. But there's so much more to that story. Through sports, recreation, festivals, events, our archives, our community museums, and so many others, this ministry oversees the largest volunteer sector in the country. These volunteers are ensuring major sporting events like the Niagara 2021—now 2022—Canada Games will bring the country's best athletes to Ontario for excellence in sports. But through their volunteers, they'll also help grow their local economy, with an estimated $400 million expected to be injected into the Niagara community for the games. Our festivals, like the Toronto International Film Festival—which had to be held here, this year, at Ontario Place's parking lot—is big business. But their business is fuelled not only by ticket sales, and investments by government and the private sector, but also by volunteers that support both our creative and tourism sectors to thrive. And our local libraries and our heritage organizations in our towns, our cities, and our villages, remind us not only of our past, but so often, those curating a collection are a local historian who is dedicating not only their time but their intellect. This is impressive.

But still more incredible is that we are also the ultimate small business sector. Whether it's your local favorite restaurant that we're right now choosing to support through takeout and delivery, the artist or the band that you would follow across this great province just to enjoy their music, or the tourism attraction like the Haunted Walk in Ottawa, or the craft brewery that's locally owned and operated like the Sandwich Brewing Company in Windsor. These are all job creators who contribute to our economy, while also giving us a sense of community. And then we are also big business. Some of the biggest brands in the world. The Toronto Raptors, Air Canada, the Falls at Niagara, every large hotel chain in Ontario, the Hilton, the Marriott, the Westin, I could go on. Or theme parks, like Canada's Wonderland, or Calypso Water Park, and our artists like those on Schitt's Creek, or performers like Shania Twain. And this, of course, is all amplified by the ministry's own agencies and attractions.

This ministry literally has the province's Crown jewels. They're stored at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and McMichael Gallery. And we get to deliver programs like the Volunteer Service Awards, or the prestigious Order of Ontario. We own a lot of waterfront property, thanks to the St. Lawrence Parks Commission and the Niagara Parks Commission, and right here at Ontario Place. We have two world-class science centres, the Ontario Science Centre, and Science North, and we have one of the few botanical gardens in the world with the royal designation. The Ontario Heritage Trust, and Ontario Arts Council, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, are in every single community, building value for society. And the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, they're home to Canada's largest conventions, and bring in business travel from around the globe. With the assets I just mentioned, and the ministry staff, I have the best senior management team in the country. And they will all be part of our long-term plan for resilience and renewal, as will all of you.

We have the best partners you can find anywhere. Our inspirational volunteers, small businesses, and the major corporations that are aligned with this ministry, all have one very important thing in common: they contribute to the quality of life in our province, by enhancing our social fabric and growing the economy. They are all the reasons that we love to live where we do. But they're hurting right now, because of COVID-19 and what I call the triple threat. First, a clear public health crisis; second, a sudden and sharp economic downturn brought on to us by the crisis; and third, a massive social cost to the people of Ontario, who rely on these sectors for jobs, for fitness, for personal fulfillment, creativity, enjoyment, and a number of other reasons. COVID-19 has hit everybody hard. But it doesn't hit us all the same. Just as a virus itself hits some people far worse than others, some sectors of the economy have been hit harder than others. And the sectors that my ministry oversees have been hit hardest of all.

There's no secret as to why. High-touch sectors that depend on bringing people together are uniquely vulnerable to the spread of the disease that requires us to stay apart. Live musicians and theater companies require audiences, sports leagues and organizations require spectators and close contact among competitors, tourism operators require visitors from across our borders, airline and boat tours need to fill the majority of their seats, art and cultural festivals traditionally depend on large participation from crowds, and hotels, restaurants, and heritage sites alike, require the continued confidence of customers that they can safely gather in a common place with other visitors. All of these sectors were built on a common and correct understanding that our society works best when we come together and share experiences. When we take away the forces that bring us together, everyone suffers. In this, COVID-19 has gone beyond making us sick and closing our businesses; it has robbed us of our ability to share experiences and memories within and between our diverse communities. This is the true triple threat: a public health crisis, an economic crisis, and a social crisis all rolled into one. Each of these sectors were hit first, hardest, and will take the longest to recover. Which is why we must candidly look to the future and discuss broadly and frankly how we can re-emerge more strongly, with a better focus on the complementary nature of our partners in heritage, sport, tourism, and culture.

Today, I'm here to say everything we have built is worth fighting for: the businesses, the jobs, the contribution to Ontario. As Premier Ford has said, we're going to pull out all of the stops to help get people through this. My goal is to ensure that, when all is said and done, we come out stronger than ever. You know, the other day I was speaking to my friend Tim Hudak, and I was trying to find the right word for this ministry. I talked about culture—is it explore, is it experience? And after about a 15-minute phone call, I realized what we really are: we're hope. Hope is the lifeblood of this sector. It's what inspires musicians, filmmakers, and animators to create. It's what drives our athletes to compete. It's what piques our interest to visit new places and try new things. Maybe you're trying to produce a hit record, maybe you just want to learn how to play the guitar, maybe you'd like to win a trophy or a medal at your local peewee tournament, maybe you just want to get in better shape. Every sector that I represent amplifies the hope we all have for ourselves and for our society. And I know you are all looking for some hope in return. Hope for recovery, hope for a job when this is all over, hope that we can come together again, smiling, and making memories. It sounds corny, I know. But it is the sentimental connection you all make with your customers, patrons, and fans, that give us a quality of life in Ontario that's incomparable, and that's worth fighting for and that's worth protecting.

At the recent Tourism Industry Association Summit this week, I shared a quote from Jonas Salk, one of the inventors of the polio vaccine. He once said, "Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams a reality." Picture this: for a young child in London, driving to Hamilton to visit the African Lion Safari might be a dream come true. For another, it might be a Canadian that has excelled in high-performance athletics and might be able to represent our country at the Olympics, that would be a dream come true. It might be somebody who has aspired to perform at the Shaw Festival, or a family who has saved up for a year to stay in a hotel in Muskoka. Each of them, in their own way, are helping turn someone's dream into a reality. That's what all of you do when you open your doors. It's what you do when you welcome your guests and give them an experience that captures their imaginations. You make memories. And right now, to a province fighting a pandemic, you're their hope for when we come out of this. It's not lost on me, however, that you need hope too. So, it's my job to create an environment in a post-pandemic world for you to thrive.

Since the pandemic began, you've all inspired me with your resilience, your creativity, and your passion. What I'm about to share with you are the ideas and visions that all of you have shared with me. It may seem new, but these ideas have come from each and every person who has contacted this ministry over the past eight months. And we will make sure, over the next five years, Ontario will engage in long-term planning in the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture. We'll build this plan out over the next 18 months, three years, and five years, continually assessing four metrics. First, meeting the double bottom line. Each program we offer will be expected to foster a cultural output and meet financial accountability objectives, so that we're maximizing our investment, both in terms of our cultural identity and economic development. Our programs will aim to be attainable for all Ontarians, regardless of income or where they live. You know, the next big star might be living in a rural and remote community, or in an urban area with limited income. We have an obligation to make sure that they succeed. Our programs will aim for equity, particularly for vulnerable populations. Whether you have a special ability, you come from the LGBTQ+ community, or a marginalized and racialized community, you deserve your Ontario government to make it accessible to you. And our programs will work across the ministry, and with a whole-of-government approach, to ensure complementary funding streams and initiatives are aimed at growth and better integration in all of our sectors. This will help develop the following 15 initiatives, the first being the redevelopment of Ontario Place.

I chose today's location at the Cinosphere for two reasons, the first is in 2021, we will mark Ontario Place's 50th anniversary, and secondly, the Cinosphere adds to this historic, iconic, and picturesque property that we will celebrate. Ontario Place will be central to the recovery of heritage, culture, sport, and tourism for all Ontarians, as we move through the pandemic. And as we eye recovery, we will be focused on community building. So, we will reinforce the work of the Ontario Trillium Foundation's $83 million Resiliency Fund, and their annual $103 million budget, to best boost supports for not-for-profits who deliver important work in our neighbourhoods, like your local cadet corps, children's theater, seniors workshops, mental health supports, special abilities programming, sports initiatives, and so much more.

Honours and awards are important, as we look to the contributions our fellow Ontarians make. We will modernize this, so we can best recognize those who have selflessly contributed their time and their expertise to the advancement of their fellow Ontarians. We will also work to support Premier Ford's vision for more volunteerism in our province. In sports, we're going to strengthen our relationship between the ministry and our provincial sport organizations. Our goal will be to help sport recover post-pandemic, to encourage children and youth to be active, and to best equip our high-performance athletes for podiums around the world. Also in sport, we will leverage our relationships with our professional sport organizations, to rebuild confidence after a prolonged pandemic. In festivals and events, we will be extending our reach post-pandemic to compete for global events, when it's safe to do so. This will include a more robust sport hosting program, combined with a more ambitious and redesigned Celebrate Ontario. That means, yes, we will work with Soccer Canada to land a bid for FIFA in 2026 for the World Cup. And we're also going to be engaging with the Commonwealth Games Federation for a potential Ontario bid in 2027, or beyond.

In culture, we will continue to expand our film-friendly locations, and work with Eastern and Southwestern Ontario on film strategies to increase production. The ministry will continue to engage with the Ministries of Labour and Skilled Trades Development, as well as the Universities and Colleges Ministry, to best train those in film, television, and animation. In interactive digital media and video gaming, we will continue to pursue opportunities to integrate with the ministry's other partners, particularly in tourism and culture industries. Our five tax credits will remain stable, those are the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, the Ontario Production Services Tax Credit, the Ontario Computer Animation and Special Effects Tax Credit, and of course, the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit. We will build out a strategy with the Ontario Arts Council to preserve and protect Ontario's core cultural institutions. And in music and the performance arts, we will build out a plan to protect live music venues.

In tourism, we will continue to support our regional tourism organizations, first with hyperlocal initiatives, then eventually domestic staycations, and eventually, renewed international visits, through marketing campaigns and travel incentives. Destination Ontario will work with our regional tourism organizations and other organizations related to tourism to develop a plan to kick-start tourism in our gateway cities, Ottawa, and Toronto, while also establishing a rural and remote tourism strategy. We will create tourism trails throughout Ontario, like Music Cities, and trails for playhouses, Indigenous, Francophone, craft and culinary, LGBTQ+, and film trails, among others. They will be tasked with a 365-year-round strategy that will be highly competitive, and again, highly ambitious. We will modernize the Ontario Tourism Information Centres to amplify our pride of people, pride of place, and pride of local product. And finally, we will continue to work with all ministries across the whole of government to support hub communities in tourism to ensure housing, training, transportation, and other critical infrastructure is considered when building on our plan.

It's going to require a lot of heavy lifting to bring our vision to life. But I'm committed to putting in the long hours, and putting the right people around the table to get this done, and to get this done well. After the provincial budget next week, planning will begin for a consultation process with the industry and sector partners on how best to achieve this vision, with a white paper consultation starting in late November. The white paper, like the ideas I just shared, is built around our consultations over the past 18 months, through the 10 telephone town halls I hosted, the 14 Ministerial Advisory Committee reports, my 11-week tour across the province, and submissions to the Finance and Economic Affairs Committee of the legislature. The discussion around this white paper will take place over a four-week period leading up to Christmas, and the feedback will inform the five-year plan that will be released and costed by midwinter. This work will be done in conjunction with two teams I've appointed, the first looking at long-range planning and branding around our programs and investments within the ministry, a second will drill down into how we can best protect and build community capacity for all of our sectors at the local level.

We have been in crisis management for months. It has tested us, it has worn us down, it has shaken us. But it's also reminded me of how creative and resourceful the people are in our sectors. Our athletes make us proud to be Canadian. Our cultural and tourism attractions create memories for us, our families, and our friends. Our museums and libraries remind us of our past while preparing us for our future. And our volunteers bring out the best in us, because they are always giving the best of themselves, and they provide hope to the rest of us. They give us a reason to be excited and a cause to engage in our community, to travel our province, to try new things.

You all deserve more than just a lifeline from your Ontario government. We're not the Ministry of Survival; we're the Ministry of Hope. Our ministry long-term plan will build on that emotion and the resiliency of our sectors to come back bigger and stronger. The world in one province will emerge from this pandemic leading on the world stage with targeted measures, so our film and television productions will top ratings, our athletes will top podiums, our musicians will top charts, and places like Niagara Falls will continue to be a top global destination. We have the talent, we have the skills, we have the people. Now, we have the plan. Thank you very much.

Mike Van Soelen
Thanks, Minister, very much. The offer of hope, I'm sure, will be very well received by everyone listening today. And today really is an opportunity for me to mix sort of two of my past times as we move into the second part of today's show, because I love both politics and I love sport. So, it is a pleasure for me to introduce Nick Kypreos. He joins us today for a discussion with the minister about what we've spoke about. Of course, you may know him as a former professional athlete, sports commentator, and most recently, a supporter and an entrant in the Ontario hospitality business. Nick enjoyed a nearly 10-year career in the NHL. He played for teams including the Washington Capitals, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, and, close to my heart, the Toronto Maple Leafs. After retiring from the NHL, Nick became a well-known hockey analyst for Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada, and he was involved in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Just this year, Nick helped launch the Little Buddha Cocktail Company, a distilled cocktail company that uses health-forward and environmentally conscious ingredients. And he has just released his memoir, "Undrafted," about family, hockey, broadcasting, and what it takes to be a pro, which was released by Simon & Schuster. So, without further ado, Nick, thanks for joining us. Over to you.

Nick Kypreos, Former NHL Hockey Player & Sports Broadcaster
Thank you very much. By the way, locally sourced, all our ingredients. Let's...

Mike Van Soelen
Yes.

Nick Kypreos
...make sure we, you know....

Mike Van Soelen
And doing well at the LCBO. So.

Nick Kypreos
Thank you very much. Yes, well, thank you, Minister Lisa MacLeod, for inviting me today. You got me a little bit out of my wheelhouse. Usually, we're talking concussions, Rowan's Law, what's wrong with the Leafs' power play.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Don't get me started on Ottawa.

Nick Kypreos
No, we'll get it, we'll get the Sens and the Leafs going as well. But appreciated your words. I'm here also to support hope for many of us out there with those challenges that you just spoke of. As we look towards, maybe, a stage two, can I ask you how you feel going into our challenges now in the next little while, compared to maybe even six months ago?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah, well, first let me say thanks for doing this. And congratulations on the book.

Nick Kypreos
Thank you.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
And, you know, you kind of are the epitome of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture industries, because obviously, the book publishing, you're an athlete. And of course, your new venture is very much tourism-related with Ontario products. So, thank you for that.

Nick Kypreos
Yeah, thank you.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
You know, I think—I've been very public about this—I think the worst day of my career, my husband was with me when I said, it was the day that we had to revert back into stage two for Ottawa, Toronto, and Peel, and eventually York. Because, it was a tough decision, and it was based on the advice we received from the Chief Medical Officer of Health. But I knew it was going to impact our sectors, who had just gone through, you know, the first days of the pandemic were hard. And it was almost like every day, you know, your stomach would just drop further, your heart would drop further down, and it was so unpredictable and indeterminate. But then we had this wonderful summer, where many of our sectors were able to salvage the summer season, and there seemed to be a lot of hope and optimism. And then those numbers started increasing again. And it was just, you know, we've been through so much. So, I find that's really, really hard. And I've just been very inspired by the resiliency and the determination of the sectors that I represent. Early days in the pandemic, you would get on a phone with tourism operators, or a live musician, or those involved in sport, and it was, you know, as different as sometimes people think they are, they're all really the same. Like we, we offer a different experience. But at the same time, we're all connected. And the fact that they are now going through this again is really hard. Like, you know, the files on my desk aren't always the funnest files. Despite everybody thinking that the Minister of Culture gets to go to all these galas, right now, it's 14-hour days, trying to answer people's questions or protect them and keep them safe.

Nick Kypreos
Yeah, I want to talk a little bit about certain sectors for sure. But it was almost a little over a year ago, during your speech at the Economic Club of Canada, you announced that your ministry would be renamed from Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport to the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, and Tourism, and Culture Industries. Can I ask where that change came from originally?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah, it was, it was funny. When I moved to this ministry, everyone said, "Oh, you were demoted." And I regretted, actually, believing that for about three months. And when I started to look at the briefings and understanding how incredibly important not only that this sector is to the economy—75 billion dollars is huge, it's larger than the GDP of Manitoba—but also, the, the cultural and social impact that it has. So, it became very important for me to actually give these sectors the justice they deserved by adding heritage, to talk about the social impact and the cultural fabric, and who we are as Ontarians. And then, finally, the industries piece was remarkably important. You know, Beth Potter is here from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. And I often say on the day, March 12th, we were actually supposed to be doing a press conference to say 2019 saw tourism increased by a billion dollars in the province, from 35 billion to 36 billion. The pandemic hit, we never had that opportunity. I think that they deserve that recognition. And so, it was really important in my conversations with the Premier, and his chief-of-staff, and the Clerk of the Government, that we recognize that. And again, like, I think this is the most remarkable, and previously most understated ministry in the government. And I think through the pandemic, everyone has seen how incredibly important it is to the quality of life that we have as Ontarians, but also to the jobs and economy piece as well.

Nick Kypreos
And the industry recognition will serve them well to find their way to recovery?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
I think so. You know, previously, you know, you wouldn't have, I think, thought of this ministry maybe as a key economic portfolio, and it certainly is now. I sit on the Jobs and Recovery Cabinet Committee. When we took our sectors to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, all of the sectors had their opportunity, and I believe we had well over 240 presenters in one round, and over 160 in the other. So, I think people are getting that, that we're, you know, we're, the ultimate small business sector, we're aligned with major brands of, that that are world-renowned. And we're also heavily volunteer based. And so, I think that recognition is important for my colleagues in the legislature. But I think, as we start to see across the province, it's really important for these job creators to be recognized, as well.

Nick Kypreos
And, and of course, next week, the province is expected to release its 2021 budget. What can your stakeholders expect?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah, I teased a little bit of it out today. I think that you can see a sense from us that we're taking tourism and travel very seriously, and we want it we will want to incentivize Ontarians, when it's safe to do so, to go back to their favorite communities across the province. I think that you can see a demonstrated commitment from us for our core cultural institutions. And certainly, the community-building piece is very important. I often challenge my colleagues, not just in the government but throughout the entire legislature, to really think about what Ontario looks like 18 months from now. What do we want to preserve and protect? And a lot of those, yeah, there are small businesses. They're also airlines. So, they're also not-for-profit organizations. So, you know, so we want to make sure that those key themes are out there. We also want to make sure that some of our new creative industries that have really flourished during the pandemic are adequately supported for robust growth.

Nick Kypreos
Okay, something a little bit more around my wheelhouse.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Okay.

Nick Kypreos
We heard from the Ontario Hockey League; they made an announcement for the return to play first week in February. They want the kids in by January 8th for a training camp. Can you speak a little bit about the process and what we can expect?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Sure, well, it's wonderful to work with David Branch of the OHL. I know how important the OHL is to many communities across the province. I grew up in rural Nova Scotia, as everyone knows, and our major AAA hockey team was the big game on Friday or Saturday night. And so, I know how important it is to the cultural fabric. The challenge we have, obviously, is the healthcare crisis, first and foremost. So, we continue to work with David Branch, the OHL commissioner, and his team, and we bring their proposals to the Health Table, and we get a sense from the Health Table what they'll clear and what they won't. But we are a hundred percent committed to working with them to see if we can get a safe return to play for them. We do recognize, and haven't been that popular, probably—I'm not as popular with my own family on this—but limited contact. So, it would only be incidental contact [indiscernible] checking....

Nick Kypreos
Is that still open? I'm sorry for cutting you off, here. But is that still open for debate, on what we could look at, first week in February?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
You know, I don't see it. Maybe I could be proven wrong. However, as we start to see hot spots emerge throughout the province, and we followed the experience that they had in Québec with the outbreaks. We use the term abundance of caution quite a bit, but that I think is something that we're going to have to continue to uphold.

Nick Kypreos
Okay. And with the return also comes the thought process of bringing people together, and whether or not we're looking at how do we do that. And of course, that just doesn't stop with the game of hockey. I mean, eventually we want Justin Bieber to be playing in the arenas across...

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah.

Nick Kypreos
...our great province. So, how do we get there?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
So that's, that's a good question. It's a lengthy process. The ministry is meeting, right now, every two weeks with MLSE, the Ottawa Senators, our football teams, and anybody that has a large venue, sports-related. And so, we're working with them to see what a safe return to play would look like when it's safer to do so, and what, what it is fans in stands would look like. So, those conversations are ongoing. I know we work with Anthony Leblanc of the Senators, and with Nick Eaves of MLSE, and so many others. But we don't have an easy answer right now, and that's a big challenge.

Nick Kypreos
Okay. And as far as your stakeholders out there, short-term goals maybe in the next couple of weeks?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah, I think the short-term goal is, as we continually evolve throughout the pandemic, is making sure that we have open communication. We've tried to do that as best we possibly can. I know I'll be calling all my provincial sport organizations next week to talk about return to play and, and having health officials on that call so they can get a sense of that. Other short-term objectives, obviously, is to do a little bit more investment in sport, because we recognize the challenges that they have´ and, and then of course to get this white paper out post-budget. So, we're looking forward to the Ontario budget—I know I speak regularly with my colleague at finance, Rod Phillips, and I'm very excited about it—and then getting the white paper out and continuing the consultation. And my hope obviously is that we move into safer zones for our big cities that have found themselves into a modified stage two.

Nick Kypreos
So many moving targets, here. How do you keep your pulse on this on a day-to-day basis?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
I have an incredible team. I just I, you know, I said in the speech, I probably have this best senior management team in the province. That's, you know, ministry officials, I've got these 18 agencies and attractions that keep me very well briefed, and I've got, I have to say, like, the best stakeholders—I hope no other cabinet ministers are watching this, right? Because I don't want them to want my job. But I've got great people. They're creative, right? They, whether you're an athlete, and you're determined and driven, or you're an artist, and you're creating, or, or you're in tourism and you're creating memories for people, you're all very inspiring people, right? Your, your, your livelihood is, is all about making things better. And so, I'm surrounded on a day-to-day basis with people like that. And so, I can't help but, you know, live off and feed off of their energy.

Nick Kypreos
As far as the stakeholders that are watching today, if, how can they get a hold of you? How can they keep up, in terms of all the latest news?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Well, most of them have my personal cell phone number, as I recognized yesterday from you...

Nick Kypreos
Yeah.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
...and Jeff sent me a note. And so, I have I have a fairly wide, wide connection, so, personal touch that way. You don't get me that way, ministermacleod@ontario.ca. We'll be hosting another telephone town hall, post-the budget, and looking forward to connecting with everybody. And again, we try to maintain a fair degree of accessibility so that people, when they have issues, can get answers. Sometimes they're not the answers that they want, though, Nick.

Nick Kypreos
Okay, so we'll take a couple of questions. I can get a text on a couple of questions. But before I do that, I just want to get your thoughts on the return to play of the National Hockey League, of course, Ontario playing a huge part hosting, here in Toronto, before it moved to Edmonton. It just didn't seem possible six months ago. So, just your....

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
So, I actually really enjoyed that process, the Hub City Model. So...

Nick Kypreos
Yeah.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
...really, working with MLSE was just a treat. And I'm an early riser. And when, when Nick Eaves figured that out, my first phone call almost every morning was from Nick Eaves at MLSE. I think he knew I would be up at 6 a.m. So, it was actually, the first days of the pandemic, mostly with him, and Beth Potter, and Terry Mundell...

Nick Kypreos
Yeah.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
...from the hotel Association. Just working with everybody, before the days started. And so, that was a great process. A great degree of success. I mean, no Canadian hockey team has actually had a great degree of success on the ice, but the model...

Nick Kypreos
The model, yes.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
...was excellent. And it was, it was really great to work with them. And MLSE also helped us, you know, get with Raptors, because the NBA was a bit more advanced than other sports, in getting our training facilities up and running. So, when we were able to do that, we were able to actually help out our high-performance sport athletes as well, with the Canadian Sport Institute. So, they really helped drive this. And what's funny is, pre-pandemic, I would never have, really, worked with our professional sports organizations to the degree that we have. So, the relationships have been solidified and built, and I think that's really important as we move forward.

Nick Kypreos
And was Gary Bettman a little softer dealing with you, than he is with me?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
I actually didn't deal with him. I worked with his deputy commissioner, and that's who I was meeting with.

Nick Kypreos
Oh. Yeah. Nice guy, Bill Daly.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yes. Bill Daly.

QUESTION & ANSWER

Nick Kypreos
Sure. Okay, let's go to a question, here, from the audience. Is the industry working alongside local and federal levels in a coordinated fashion? If so, how?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah, great question. Because actually, it's very important, particularly as we have different public health units, and we have different bylaw organizations, and then of course we have some issues that are nationally similar. So, on that, with, I'll start with the local level first. We work quite well with our Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and with the mayors and wardens across the province. So, I'm thinking of Blue Mountain. When I was up there over the period of the summer, often we'd meet with the mayor and his council. Down in Niagara Falls, consistently talking with Mayor Jim Diodati, spoke with him yesterday by text. Same within Windsor, Drew Dilkins, and Marilyn Holder down in London. So, trying to make sure that we're working with them. And, and some of them have different interests. Niagara Falls really wants to talk about tourism; when you're in southwestern Ontario, it's more about film and television. So, that's great, and a good opportunity.

Now, at the federal level. I have two federal ministers, the Minister of Heritage looks after heritage, culture, and sport, and the Minister of Economic Development deals with tourism. So, we actually have a weekly call with my federal counterpart on heritage, and a bi-weekly multilateral call with my federal-provincial-territorial colleagues on tourism. So, we do share best practices, we share ideas, and we keep one another informed, and it's really, it's important. And I give a lot of credit actually to my Chief-of-Staff, Susan Truppe. She's got all their chiefs-of-staff on speed dial. So, if I have any questions, she gets those answers for them.

Nick Kypreos
Okay, one more before we have to throw it to Mike. This is a second question from Kate. Will the government consider different support programs to help businesses in the far northeastern Ontario, places like Timmins and Cochrane, and Northwestern Ontario, like Kenora?

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah, so, great to mention Kenora, because the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, who's also the Minister of Energy, Greg Rickford, lives there. And he also runs something called the Northern Ontario Heritage Development Fund. And so, he is working with our ministry to make sure that there is no overlap, and how we can best support those in the North. At the same time, we recognize that every part of Ontario is suffering right now. And particularly, our big cities, Ottawa, Toronto, Peel, and York, our biggest populations, have effectively been shuttered for a lot of their businesses, small businesses that are part of this sector. So, we want to continue to make sure we're supporting everybody. And sometimes that support means different levels of support in different areas.

Nick Kypreos
Thank you, Minister, for taking me out of my comfort zone.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
You're good at this.

Nick Kypreos
And thank you for picking Ontario Place, because I grew up here with amazing memories. And I know, before not too long, you're going to create new memories for a lot of kids, one day soon, I hope.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
That's our hope. This place is, I call it, historic, iconic, and picturesque. And Farley Flex, who's a friend of mine, he's done a few things here, he goes, "That's a great way to put it, it's called hip."

Nick Kypreos
And enjoy the book.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Thank you. I'm excited about this. This is fantastic.

Nick Kypreos
Thank you. Thank you, Minister.

The Hon. Lisa MacLeod
Yeah, thank you.

Nick Kypreos
Appreciate your time. Thank you. Mike, back to you.

Mike Van Soelen
Great, thanks, Nick, and thanks, Minister MacLeod, for this wonderful discussion. It's really great to see this conversation after your remarks, and I think our audience will appreciate you digging into the issues in as honest and forthright a way as you have. Let me now call up Jan Westcott, who heads up Spirits Canada, who is our Lead Event Sponsor, for today's discussion.

Note of Appreciation by Jan Westcott, President & CEO, Spirits Canada
Thanks, Mike. Minister, when I decided to come today, I had no appreciation of the personal resonance that I would experience. So, I was here when they opened Ontario Place. In fact, I worked here. You're all sitting there thinking, well, how could they hire an eight-year-old? I served on the board of the Trillium Foundation for five years, which was a great experience, and I saw how much great work they do around the province. And I have been a long-time Sens fan with season tickets for many years, so it has a special feeling for me today. Thank you for talking about resiliency. This is going to be critical. Thank you for talking about hope. Civilizations are based on and defined by the vibrancy of society, and that society is underpinned by culture, heritage, sports, and tourism, the ability to show people the great things that we have. So, I think you're the right minister at the right time—in fact, a great minister, a terrific champion. I'm particularly impressed that you get the need for a comprehensive approach. All these things have to fit together, the package that we live in, the benefits that it offers, come from a very complex matrix. And your remarks today told me that you understand that matrix and how you have to have a comprehensive approach. So, thank you very much, on behalf of the Empire Club, and good work. And we look forward to working with you, and helping wherever we can. Thank you.

Concluding Remarks by Mike Van Soelen
Thanks, Jan. And I should add that Jan's a fellow director at the Empire Club of Canada as well. We've really appreciated having this discussion, and we hope you got a lot out of the discussion from wherever you find yourself watching online today. On November 5th, we're going to have an event discussing the future of the workplace, and we have the Honourable Catherine McKenna from the federal government, talking to us on November 3rd about infrastructure and her portfolio. Thank you very much. This meeting is adjourned.