On February 3, Ontario minister of culture Madeleine Meilleur announced a new award, the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, which would provide $50,000 to two individual artists annually. Along with professions such as writing and publishing, film and television production, visual arts, and music, practitioners in digital art and media are also eligible for the prize. Below is an edited version of the minister’s remarks, delivered at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre.

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