Research and reports

Ottawa has the potential to be a music city and one of Canada’s most important music hubs. It has a rich music history. It is home to thousands of talented musicians. It has dedicated music entrepreneurs, established music institutions, and emerging music scenes.

The Connecting Ottawa Music: A Profile of Ottawa’s Music Industries report is a first step in looking at how Ottawa can better cultivate the potential of its music industries. Commissioned by a small group of Ottawa music organizations, funded by the Province’s Ontario Music Fund, and supported by goals of the City’s Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture (2013-2018), this report is targeted to a broad audience and contains recommendations both for the local music industries and the City of Ottawa.

The Ottawa Culture Research Group (OCRG) was founded in 2016. Originally initiated and facilitated by the City of Ottawa’s Cultural Development & Initiatives Section, the OCRG brings together many partners to work on culture-related research, data analysis, and reporting. The Group includes representatives from multiple City of Ottawa departments, the federal government, the cultural sector, the academic community, and community organizations.

The OCRG website includes research and reports that reveal the state of Ottawa’s cultural sector and cultural workers.

The Canada Council for the Arts website contains a wealth of arts research information. Search the database, find out about trends and issues, as well as many other useful research links.

Another source of reports and research is the National Trust for Canada (formerly Heritage Canada) website which has library, publications and heritage links.

The Arts and Heritage Development Branch Annual Reports outline the accomplishments of Cultural Funding, Cultural Development & Initiatives and the Public Art Program.

2019 Annual Report

This 2019 Annual Report [ PDF - 3.6 mb ] holds a mirror to some of the ground-breaking activities that happened last year. However, it is being released during an unprecedented period of transformation and uncertainty due to the global pandemic. This must be acknowledged.

2018 Annual Report

2018 was a defining year for the Arts and Heritage Development Unit. As you read this 2018 Annual Report [ PDF - 3.33 MB ], you will discover how the leadership and commitment of our staff has culminated in important relationship building with equity seeking communities; and progress on many initiatives that build a stronger and inclusive community.

The City of Ottawa collaborates with artists, the cultural community, and many others, to develop and preserve local arts, heritage and culture.  

On February 8, 2012, Ottawa City Council approved the six-year action plan for arts, heritage and culture.  The renewed plan builds on Ottawa’s strengths, reflects its unique and authentic identity, aims to build pride in Ottawa as a vibrant, cultural city, and sets out a path aimed at leveraging opportunity.

The renewal process brought together the strongest diversity of representation and participation ever for municipal cultural planning purposes in Ottawa:

Algonquin Anishinabeg First Nation communities; First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals and communities; representatives of the Anglophone and Francophone cultural mosaic; diverse citizenry from rural, suburban and urban neighbourhoods; new Canadians and arts, heritage, festival and fair representatives.

The plan includes four strategies:

• Celebrate Ottawa’s unique cultural identity and provide access to culture for all
• Preserve and develop cultural and creative places and spaces
• Get the word out about Ottawa’s vibrant local culture and unique identity
• Invest in local culture and build cultural leadership

Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture [ PDF 1.6 MB ]