Issue 19 – DECEMBER 2025

Our Business Intelligence Bulletin brings you links to research studies, industry statistics, trends, policy development, and other resources of interest to Ontario’s creative industries.

RECENT REPORTS FUNDED BY ONTARIO CREATES

AI for Administration in Ontario’s Creative Industries: A Snapshot of Current Use, Concerns, and Considerations

This report from Work in Culture explores the current use of AI tools for administrative tasks in Ontario’s creative industries. The report provides insight how organizations and individuals in the film and television, book and magazine publishing, music, and interactive digital media are using AI, to streamline tasks and manage day-to-day demands, and to help alleviate the pressure to do more with fewer resources. The results include an analysis of how and why AI is being used, ethical concerns and a suite of actions that organizations can undertake to support responsible and ethical AI adoption.

Economic Impact of Black and Racialized Production in Ontario

This report from the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for Black and People of Colour Creators (CISF) provides an economic analysis of the contributions of Black and Racialized producers of film, television and digital content to Ontario’s economy. The report highlights the role of Black and Racialized creators in driving economic activity, fostering innovation and contribution to the cultural fabric of both Ontario and Canada.

Anti-Black Racism Framework

The Black Screen Office has developed an Anti-Black Racism Policy Framework to be used by Canadian screen and cultural industries. The goal was to create a framework that cultural organizations could use to help them identify challenges and offer practical solutions to racism. The framework outlines ways to adopt and enact anti-Black racism policies, which include how to draft and design policies to enact change as well as a list of ten things every cultural organization should do in order to move beyond just statements against anti-Black racism.

DATA RELEASES

Statistics Canada released data reflecting the trade of culture and sport products for 2023. This dataset shows that Canada exports $27.1 billion in culture products in 2023, an increase of 1.3% from 2022. Within this, Ontario exported close to $16 billion worth of culture products internationally. Nationally, culture products accounting for 2.8% of all goods and services-related exports in 2023. The data also reflects that while the U.S. remains Canada’s largest trading partner, its market share of both exports and imports of culture and sports products continues to decline. The dataset also includes sector-specific information about export and import trends.

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES POLICY AND FUNDING

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) recently concluded an in-person hearing on supporting Canadian and Indigenous audio content. This hearing was part of the CRTC’s regulatory plan to implement the modernized Broadcasting Act, and specifically, to modernize the policies for radio and audio streaming in Canada. The Commission was looking to understand whether the regulatory tools available to support the creation, presentation and discoverability of Canadian and Indigenous music and audio content remained effective, as well as solicit input on types of flexible policies that could assist with the goal of supporting, promoting and making Canadian, Indigenous and French-language audio content available. Full transcripts of the hearings are available on the CRTC website, and a decision is expected in the coming months.

In terms of upcoming activities as part of this larger process:

The CRTC will be releasing a third-party research study on discoverability of traditional and online platforms in Fall 2025.
The CRTC will be holding a consultation on tailored conditions of services, which will be part of finalizing the individual contributions for both traditional and online platforms operating in Canada. This is also scheduled for late Fall 2025.
In late 2025, the CRTC will hold a series of consultations to look at how the broadcasting system can better reflect the experiences of all people in Canada and ensure access to diverse voices and perspectives.

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is currently conducting a study on the effects of technological advances in artificial intelligence on the creative industries. To date, the Committee has heard from more than 30 witnesses, many of which are Ontario Creates stakeholders. Interested parties can keep up to date with past and future testimonies online.

The federal government released its 2025 Budget, Canada Strong, on November 4, 2025. The Budget is focused on responding to significant global economic shifts (including U.S. tariff measures) and makes capital investments a priority while working to reduce operational spending. There were several commitments involving the creative industries, including:

$48 million over three years to the Canada Music Fund
$150 million over three years to Telefilm
$26.1 million over three years to the National Film Board
$38.4 million over three years to the Special Measures for Journalism component of the Canada Periodical Fund
$150 million to CBC/Radio-Canada

The full budget document can be found here.

On November 19, the CRTC released the first part of a key decision on the definition of Canadian program as it relates to audio-visual content. The decision expands the number of key creative positions included in the points system to provide more pathways towards Canadian certification, while also shifting to a minimum points threshold. The decision also includes the introduction of minimum copyright ownership requirements, creating a path for non-Canadian companies to share copyright in a production with enhanced commitments to employing Canadians and using Canadian talent. The full text of the decision can be found here: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2025/2025-299.htm

The Ontario Ministry of Finance is seeking ideas from people and businesses on how to continue protecting and building Ontario. For more information, or to participate, visit the online portal .

OTHER NEWS & UPDATES

Ontario released its 2025 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: A Plan to Protect Ontario on November 6, 2025. This release provides an update on the Province’s economic performance and outlook, specifically highlighting any changes since the publication of the last Budget, and also provides an updated description of the Province’s strategy to navigate the impact of U.S. tariffs and economic measures and general global uncertainty. The full document can be found here.