CWC Newsletter
March 2026

Dear readers,

The 2026-2027 Membership renewal campaign is officially launched!

Join us for another year of advocacy, research and other activities to empower Canada’s cultural sector workforce.

A quick recap of 2025-2026…

Our advocacy efforts have yielded some fantastic results. We’ve obtained an increase in the Student Work Placement program for 2026-2027. We’ve also secured our funding envelopes for the Young Canada Works program for 2026-2027 and 2027-2028. Last week, our participation in the Banff AI and Culture Summit helped inform Ministers Solomon and Miller.

Our research efforts have also been worthwhile. The Individual Revenue Survey saw a massive increase in participation and we’ve prepared two other reports for the greater public.

We want to encourage you to take advantage of the member’s early access to the Student Work Placement program application starting very soon ahead of the open call to the public.

Kind regards,

Grégoire

Grégoire Gagnon, D. Mus., MPA & MBA
Executive Director, Culture Works Canada

Student Work Placement Internships

Culture Works Canada is proud to share that we have obtained $1.6M for the Student Work Placement program for 2026-2027. We thank Employment and Social Development Canada for their trust in having us deliver this program again.

Culture Works Canada members in good standing will be invited to apply for wage subsidies in the last week of March. The general public will be invited to submit applications around April 8^th. Stay tuned to avoid missing out on this wage support.

Some small changes are coming to the program for 2026-2027 Agreements:

• Businesses with 100 or more employees must meet the NET NEW criteria.
• All wage subsidies are capped at 50% with a maximum of $5k regardless of the student that is hired.
• Employment and Social Development Canada will standardize the intern eligibility period beyond graduation.

Young Canada Works Internships

Our evaluation committee has finished its work. We will be reaching out to confirm funding agreements and/or to invite applicants to join the SWP program shortly.

Wellness Hour

We thank the attendees and the Centre psychologique pour artistes for another great series of workshops!

Banff AI Summit

Culture Works Canada was proud to participate in Canada’s Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture!

We thank Ministers Miller (Department of Canadian Heritage) and Solomon (Innovation, Science and Economic Development), Senator Cormier and Parliamentary Secretary David Myles (seen below with Richard Hornsby, Chair of the Board of Directors and Grégoire Gagnon, Executive Director – Culture Works Canada) for this initiative to safeguard Canada’s cultural sector.

Thank you to all the panelists and presenters for a very insightful summit!

On the road

Not only did we visit Banff, we made stops in Victoria, Vancouver, Canmore and Calgary to discuss with post-secondary institutions, to check in on interns, employers and to promote our wage subsidy programs.

The Future of Work Canada 2026

Recognized as Canada’s premier gathering for HR and people leaders, The Future of Work Canada brings the industry’s top voices together. Leaders from across industries join forces to discuss ideas, strategies, and solutions for an ever-evolving workplace.

With three dedicated tracks: Change & Transformation, People & Experience, and Learning & Leadership, the event offers the opportunity to learn from executives and experts who are leading change, inspiring engagement, and building stronger workplaces for the future.

Future of Work Canada 2026 is taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from 7–8 April 2026. Register at: Future of Work Canada | April 2026 | Toronto.

Listings from CultureWorks.ca

Canada's national job board for the whole cultural sector!

Job Postings on CultureWorks.ca

CWC's team at your service!

Executive Director
Grégoire Gagnon

Sr. Administration Officer
Honorine Muhirwa

Administrative Officer
Marwa Alibakhiet

Administrative Officer
Kevin Gorchakov

Administrative Officer
Nicola Schneider

Webmaster
Michael Lechasseur

A list of Board members can be found on CWC's web site at www.cwc-coc.ca

Featured Organisation Plus Member

The Edmonton Arts Council (EAC) supports, promotes and inspires the arts in our city. Through ever-growing investment in artists, organizations, festivals and the greater arts community, the EAC raises the profile of Edmonton arts and culture, and brings the arts to everyday life.