The national director’s blog: | Canadian Conference of the Arts

Halifax

February 16, 2012 I have always loved Halifax for its friendly atmosphere, the quality of its cultural life and its restaurants. In fact, I must confess that I have a soft spot for Nova Scotia where, over the years, I have spent four summer holidays. But it is the first time that I set foot in the Neptune Theatre where, after a short interview for Radio-Canada’s television services, I join the thirty people or so who have gathered in one of the rehearsal rooms on the third floor of this vast building in the heart of old Halifax. Erika...

Québec City

February 14, 2012 Bonhomme Carnaval was back in storage, the sky was pure blue and the air icy cold when I arrived in Québec City on Sunday. I come here invited by the network of Québec independent presenters (RIDEAU) to be a panellist at their annual gathering. I seize the opportunity to meet a number of people in the province’s old capital who have an interest in the future of the CCA. Monday starts early: an all-morning workshop starting at 8:30 am, preceded by breakfast with fellow panelists and the moderator. The theme of the...

Moncton and Charlottetown

February 12, 2012 Last Wednesday in Moncton was as busy as I said it would be in my last blog! Three presentations back-to-back in the City Council Chambers (clearly a favoured venue for this visit to New Brunswick). The day begins at 10 am with a meeting in French, my first since Saint Boniface. Over thirty people listen attentively to my presentation and I am a bit discombobulated by their quietness. What has happened to the Acadians I have grown to know? Not very much like them to stay silent! But things warm up a bit and I answer...

New Brunswick Tour – Part One

February 9, 2012 I finally have some free time to tell you about my tour of New Brunswick: what a heavy agenda that was! This is the only province where I have visited three cities: Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton. All in all, five public presentations, five small group meetings, and some 125 people heard the CCA message over those three days… not counting those who followed one presentation on Twitter (more about that in a moment)! It all started in Fredericton where I arrived on Sunday night and was joined on Monday morning by my...

The National Director’s Blog – On the way back from Edmonton

February 2, 2012 EDMONTON – My too-short visit to Edmonton was a fitting conclusion to a very exciting week in Alberta. I arrived in the provincial capital Tuesday night on the Red Arrow bus from Calgary (what high quality travel on board of those buses, something to shame Voyageur services back East!). Tom McFall, Executive Director of the Alberta Craft Council and CCA Board member, was waiting for me at the station and after dropping my luggage at the hotel, we went out for dinner to prepare the meetings he lined up for me: not a...

The National Director’s Blog – On the Red Arrow bus from Calgary to Edmonton

January 31 CALGARY – Ah Calgary! What a warm welcome, and I am not referring to the spring-like temperature or the radiant sunshine of the past two days! It began yesterday at the airport where Michael Green, Curator and Artistic Director for Calgary 2012 was waiting to take me to my hotel and it went on until Tom McCarthy, General Manager of Calgary Arts Development, dropped me at the Red Arrow bus terminal today. I was welcomed with open arms in this modern metropolis in expansion mode. Calgary is proud of being a 2012 Cultural...

From the traveling desk of Alain Pineau – Written from the tarmac in Winnipeg

January 27, 2012 WINNIPEG – The weather gods are no longer smiling upon me! Freezing rain in Toronto and Ottawa means that I have at least three hours of leisure time at the Winnipeg airport: who knows at what time I’ll get home today! I may as well take advantage of this delay to blog on my short visit in Manitoba’s capital. CCA Board member Nicole Matiation and Thom Sparling, Executive Director of the Arts and Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba (ACI) prepared a fully loaded agenda for me. Thursday morning started with...

From the traveling desk of Alain Pineau – Latest news from Regina

January 24, 2012 REGINA – The weather gods have been good to me so far. While Saskatchewan was a frigid -40º C last week, today was a balmy –2º C and the sun was shining bright and warm, certainly more pleasant weather to deal with as Marnie Gladwell generously drove me from meeting to meeting. I must say that when it comes to making sure not a second of my stay here is wasted, Marnie has very few rivals. She had us booked from 8 in the morning to 6 at night, with barely a break for a soup and a sandwich at noon....

From the traveling desk of Alain Pineau – A full day in Saskatoon and off to Regina

January 23, 2012 REGINA – So here I am, finally settled into my hotel room after a three hour bus ride that took me from Saskatoon to Regina with my knees pressed against the seat in front of me. At least I had internet access along the way so I could catch up on the day’s e-mails and read an excellent interview by Greg O’Brien from cartt.ca with Konrad Von Finckenstein, the chairman of the CRTC whose term is finishing up in a few days. It was a long and busy day! I was up at 6 a.m. for a telephone interview with Radio-Canada in...

From the traveling desk of Alain Pineau – January 23, 2012

SASKATOON – Already time to head back to the airport. My only week in the office between January 9 and February 21 has gone by like a flash of lightning: so many things to do before returning to the on-the-road virtual office, hostage to technological hazards and human frailty! So, back to the national tour: after Victoria and Vancouver, BC, on to Saskatchewan and Manitoba. I knew my first stop, Saskatoon, was referred to as the City of Bridges. Last Friday, I learned on CBC’s National that it is “the most tunefully suggestive city...