Toronto Star

Toronto is proud of its reputation as a city of culture. It commissions studies about the virtues of creativity, hands out arts awards and even puts up banners proclaiming that this is a community "(a)live with culture." But putting Toronto's money where its (big) mouth is can be a different matter. For example, in the past few years, the city has collected nearly $5 million from the big cultural building projects now underway. At the Royal Ontario Museum, building and legal fees, approvals and permits of one sort or another have cost $1 million. Same thing at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the National Ballet School. The Art Gallery of Ontario has spent $700,000, the Royal Conservatory of Music $600,000 and even the little Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art had to cough up more than $100,000. Clearly, the city does well from these schemes even before they open their doors to the public.