SIX CANADIAN COMPANIES WILL BE CELEBRATED WITH A GLOBE AND MAIL BUSINESS FOR THE ARTS AWARD, FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ARTS

The Globe and Mail Business for the Arts Awards recognize companies that show outstanding commitment to the arts in Canada. These companies know the extraordinary impact the arts can make in Canadian communities: sparking creativity in children, providing jobs, drawing tourists, ensuring the vitality of urban centre, and providing new ways of seeing ourselves as Canadians. The purpose of these awards is to honour the contribution these companies make through their partnerships.

AWARD FOR BEST ARTS/ENTREPRENEUR PARTNERSHIP
Raymond James for the 'Touched by Fire' Campaign, nomination by the Mood Disorders Association

AWARD FOR MOST EFFECTIVE CORPORATE PROGRAM
TELUS, nomination by LuminaTO with support from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Canada's National Ballet School, Soulpepper Theatre Company.

AWARD FOR MOST INNOVATIVE MARKETING SPONSORSHIP
Xstrata Nickel for the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour, nomination by the Canadian Opera Company.

AWARDS OF DISTINCTION:  RBC, Canadian North Airlines, and Quality Inn Pres-du-lac.

The Award for Best Entrepreneurial Partnership will go to Raymond James. This award recognizes a business that has sparked on a creative idea and made it happen. The award winner will have taken an entrepreneurial approach to partnering with the arts and realized a challenging project or goal which had not been tried before. Raymond James was nominated by the Mood Disorders Association for their sponsorship of Touched by Fire, an initiative to stimulate and publicize the art created by people with mood disorders. The partnership took a leap of faith on the part of Raymond James but in supporting this organization, together the initiative has taken off and touched hundreds of lives. The partnership promotes more than the artistic cause but also furthers the awareness and support for mental health.

The Award for Most Effective Corporate Program will go to TELUS. This award recognizes a business that has implemented an in-depth, long-term and comprehensive program to foster the arts and culture sector in Canada while meeting corporate objectives. TELUS has been nominated by Luminato, with support from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Soulpepper, and the National Ballet School for the tremendous investment in the arts through their community giving program. The company’s outreach is significant in scope including the funding of the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning (RCM), TELUS Youth Outreach Program (Soulpepper), Student Partnership Fund (NBS) and TELUS’ founding support of Luminato, Toronto’s Festival of Arts & Creativity. TELUS has made investing in the arts a main pillar of their corporate giving in communities across Canada in an effort to nurture healthy, sustainable communities for today and tomorrow.

The Award for Most Innovative Marketing Sponsorship will go to Xstrata Nickel. This award recognizes an innovative partnership with the arts where both the business partner and the arts organization benefit from a unique marketing venture. Nominated by the Canadian Opera Company (COC), Xstrata Nickel is being recognized for its sponsorship of the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour. Although the pairing of the two organizations seems unlikely, given one is a century old art form and the other is a mining enterprise, in fact, the partnership was a logical one. The COC was hoping to reach schools in Northern Ontario to introduce opera to many who might not otherwise have access to the opera. Xstrata Nickel was able to open the doors to Ontario’s Northern community and bring an exciting experience to hundreds of children. The story of this partnership is a reminder that sometimes synergies can be found in unlikely places.

Each of the four winners will receive a Globe and Mail Business for the Arts Award, created by sculptor Nobuo Kubota, on October 29th at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The evening will also include a celebration of A. Charles Baillie as the 2009 Edmund C. Bovey Award winner and Marcello Cabezas as the 2009 Arnold Edinborough Award winner.

Members of the Jury for the 2009 Globe and Mail Business for the Arts Awards were: David Banks, Director, Business for the Arts, Thomas Bogart, Executive VP & Chief Legal Officer, Sun Life Financial, Leila Fenc, Director, Community Investment & Deloitte Foundation, Deloitte, Andrew Gorham, Review Editor, The Globe and Mail, Jean Giguère, Arts Summit Chair & former Chair of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Jim Jennings, General Manager & Associate Publisher British Colombia, The Globe and Mail.