Almost half of visual artists who responded to an online survey by the Canada Council for the Arts earlier this month indicated they had applied or would be applying for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to replace lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The survey showed 48 per cent of Canadian visual artists who responded to the council’s survey were seeking the benefit, offered by the federal government to workers who have been laid off or lost their income due to COVID-19. That compares to a low of 27 per cent for writers and a high of 70 per cent for those in the circus arts sector.
As well, the survey suggests that 35 per cent of visual arts organizations had already or would be applying for assistance under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which provides funds to employers to keep workers on their payroll.
The survey, managed by Toronto-based Forum Research, sent the survey to some 30,000 clients of the Canada Council. Within 48 hours, more than 7,500, or 27 per cent, had replied, offering what the report calls “a quick snapshot” of the arts sector. No information on the margin of error was included in the preliminary report released this week.
Source: Canada Council for the Arts