Mississauga East—Cooksville MP Peter Fonseca (middle) said with the funding Crane Theatre Company plans to expand the annual puppetry festival in Mississauga through projections of short films, large-scale outdoor puppetry in public areas. – Peter Fonseca photo
By Qiam Noori. Mississauga News. Friday, March 31, 2023
Company plans to expand their annual puppetry festival
“Crane Creation Theatre Company in Mississauga has received close to $200,000 in funding, as part of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund that supports small tourism-related businesses.
Peter Fonseca, Mississauga East—Cooksville MP, announced the funding on behalf of Filomena Tassi, minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
“Our government recognizes that tourism is vitally important to the vibrancy and economic health of communities across southern Ontario,” Tassi said in a news release. “I am committed to helping businesses find new and innovative ways to recover and thrive once again.”
“Investments through the Tourism Relief Fund help ensure that the region’s tourism sector will be well-positioned to welcome back visitors today and, in the years, to come.”
Fonseca said with the funding, the company plans to expand their annual puppetry festival in Mississauga through projections of short films, large-scale outdoor puppetry in public areas, light pole banners and more.
“With this funding, Crane Creations Theatre Company will have the resources to introduce new tourism offerings and enhance their existing efforts to attract more visitors to Mississauga,” Fonseca stated.
Andreja Kovac, artistic director of the theatre company, said such supports are a critical step in introducing Mississauga as a tourist destination for families.
The tourism industry accounts for $39.4 billion of Ontario’s gross domestic product and supports more than 820,000 jobs.
The Government of Canada’s $500-million Tourism Relief Fund is helping tourism-oriented businesses and organizations recover from the pandemic and prepare for future growth, with a minimum of $50 million of the fund allocated to supporting Indigenous-led projects or Indigenous-focused projects.”
