June 3, 2020

As we make sense of recent tragic and painful events surrounding the death of Tony McDade, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and closer to home Regis Korchinski-Paquet and D’Andre Campbell (and so many before them), I grieve for the lives taken. Together with Toronto Arts Council I stand up and join Black and Indigenous communities in support of justice, human rights, equality and empathy.

As a Black woman, I know all too well the extent of the inequalities and the extra burden that Black people have to constantly navigate and deal with every time that we step into the world. The quotidian micro aggressions, Anti-Black racism and systemic injustice continue to be painful realities for all of us in Canada.

As President of Toronto Arts Council, I assure you of our commitment to continuing to champion the principles of equity and inclusion in all that we do in support of the artists, arts organizations and residents of Toronto that we proudly serve. Speaking from my heart, we will continue to be a catalyst for change in our city.  

These events also serve to heighten our awareness of the challenges presented by the pandemic which were already threatening so many in our sector and beyond. Toronto Arts Council will uphold the principles of our Equity Framework as we respond to these new realities. I am proud of the work we have accomplished to date, and commit to continuing to work towards a better future for all our communities with a shared vision of building a better world.

Gaëtane Verna
President, Toronto Arts Council