Annual Report

2012-2013

Blue Metropolis at a glance

Blue Metropolis Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 that brings together people from different cultures to share the pleasure of reading and writing, and encourages creativity and intercultural understanding. The Foundation produces an Annual Literary Festival of international caliber and offers a wide range of educational and social programmes year-round, both in classrooms and online. These programmes use reading and writing as therapeutic tools, encourage academic perseverance, and fight against poverty and social isolation.

Our values Cultural and linguistic diversity

Promoting reading among young people

International exposure

Quality, tolerance and inclusion

The Board of Directors joins me in congratulating the Blue Metropolis team on a wonderful 15th edition. In particular, I would like to thank the Foundation’s employees as well as all our partners from the private and public sectors, all of whom are indispensable in helping us carry out our mission.

In addition to the artistic quality of the 2013 Festival, with its wealth of themes and activities, I would like to highlight a number of significant accomplishments on the financial and administrative front:

A 36% increase in box office revenues and in registration for our writing workshops

A 28% increase in book sales at the Festival

Independent and private revenue amounting to 52% of the Festival budget

An operating surplus that will go toward reducing the accumulated deficit

A number of new directors who have joined the Board of Directors

I would also like to point out that the corrective budgetary measures put in place in 2010-2011 did not in any way compromise Festival programming or the running of our educational and social programmes. Furthermore, our administrative costs are now less than 17% of the Foundation’s total costs.

Blue Metropolis Festival is one of the Canadian literary scene’s most remarkable events, with its multiplicity of languages, authors who come from the world over, and an attendance of 22,000 festival-goers for each of the last two editions.

Join us again in 2014 for a new multilingual adventure!

Cameron Charlebois

A Word from the Chair of the

Board

A number of new individuals who have joined the Board of Directors

52% of budget from private sources

Congratulations!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Cameron Charlebois President of the Board

Peter Daniel Vice-Chair of the Board Principal, Ilian Consulting and Management, Inc.

Christophe Roubinet Trésorier du CA Directeur adjoint à l’investissement en charge

du développement d’affaires, Filaction

Pierre-André Themens Secrétaire du CA Associé directeur, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg s.r.l.

Margaux Chetrit Director of cultural affairs at the Consulate General

of Israel in Montreal and President of Three Matches

Louise-Ann Maziak Vice President, National Accounts, Quebec,

TD Commercial Banking

Robert Spickler Gestionnaire d’entreprises culturelles

Stephen Powell Associate Professor of English Literature

at University of Guelph

Ellayne Kaplan

The year 2013 has been marked by a flourishing Blue Metropolis Festival that has matured and branched out, while bringing together a wide range of people. Choosing once again to hold the adult branch of the Festival at Hotel 10, a downtown boutique hotel, we succeeded in creating an event that was intimate, lively and festive, with a 55% increase in attendance at the hotel. In addition, this year the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival, which opened with a wonderful exhibition by illustrator and author Philippe Béha, reached more than 8,000 parents and children.

For this 15th anniversary edition, we also created six new educational programmes, with a focus on issues of concern to young people (such as anorexia, suicide and bullying) and based on values that the Festival seeks to promote, such as tolerance and intercultural bridge-building.

A vibrant 15th edition of the Festival

A word from the president and managing artistic director

We are also very proud of our media coverage, estimated by an independent firm to have an economic value of $1.3 million1.

Finally, I would like to underline the establishment of an important partnership with the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, which led to the creation of the Mental Health and Literature track, which included 10 events. Among them were workshops, courtesy of the Douglas Institute, given by Annie Heminway to close to 50 counsellors, community workers and teachers, on how to use our Web platforms aimed at young people at risk.

William St-Hilaire

BLUE MET PERMANENT STAFF

William St-Hilaire Présidente, Directrice générale et artistique

Florence Allegrini Directrice des opérations

Gregory McCormick Director of Programming

Manuel Nicolaon Coordonnateur - Financement public et bénévoles

Line Richer Productrice déléguée – Festival des enfants 1 Direction Communications Stratégique -Press review analysis 2013

Highlights of the 2013 Festival

A 38% increase in box office revenues

More than 22,000 festivalgoers, including children’s Festival attendance, with a 55% increase in attendance at Hotel 10 (Festival headquarters)

Partnership with the prestigious The Walrus magazine and Mountain Lake PBS

A stronger connection between the Children’s Festival and the adult branch of the Festival, including the presence of international authors who have published books for children and adults

Inauguration of a new international prize – the Premio Metropolis Azul (for Spanish-language writing).

Creation of our Jewish Arts Digest, Almemar, with the aim of promoting young authors and artists from Montreal’s Jewish community (and with a number of corresponding Festival events).

Children’s Festival programming

More than 8,000 parents and children in attendance at the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival

Presence of our two honorary spokespersons for the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival, which resulted in strong media coverage

New partnerships with major publishing houses on the occasion of their anniversaries, leading to strategic bridge-building with major players such as Gallimard Jeunesse and La Courte échelle

Colm Toibin Writer, winner of the 2013 Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand Prix

Hisham Matar Writer, winner of the 2013 Blue Metropolis Al Majidi Ibn Dhaher Arab Prize

Sergio Ramirez Writer, winner of the 2013 Premio Metropolis Azul

The honorary spokespersons for the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival Monique Polak et Phillipe Béha

A 38% increase in box office revenues More than 22,000 festival-goers, with a 55% increase in attendance at Hotel 10 More than 8,000 parents and children in attendance at the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival

Quebec Roots – Retrospective exhibition of the last 7 years

From the Far North to James Bay to the Lower North Shore, travel across Quebec via this retrospective exhibition that includes the best writing and photography from the last seven editions of Quebec Roots.

A project made possible with the support of the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport.

Libres comme l’art Author-in-residence Catherine Kidd at Lindsay Place High

School, concluding with a poetry performance by students at the Festival. This residence allowed students to use writing to deal with serious issues such as suicide, anorexia, bullying and homophobia through writing.

A project made possible with the support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal.

ARTchives Make your mark and you might go down in history! In

collaboration with the McCord Museum. Anglophone students from the Montreal area created and illustrated their own archival documents. The project took the form of an exhibition held at the McCord Museum during the Festival. A project made possible with the support of Canadian Heritage and in collaboration with the McCord Museum.

Romeo and Juliet Conflict, impossible love affairs and amazing adventures:

watch trailers produced by anglophone and francophone students after completing a collective news-writing project in French. Watch the trailers at bluemetropolis.org/romeoetjuliette-videos

A project made possible with the support of Canadian Heritage.

Tranches de vie Moving and unusual accounts of the meeting of two solitudes:

anglophone students reach out to francophones from their community. Visit these photo and audio portraits created by students at tranches-de-vie.ca. A project made possible with the support of Canadian Heritage.

Homophobia An English-language Web platform dedicated to helping

young people and their parents combat homophobia through the use of selected novels and stimulating writing exercises.

Sponsored by the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport.

Innovative and moving education and social programmes

Since its founding, Blue Metropolis has launched 37 educational and social programmes, both online and in the classroom, reaching over 16,000 young people and their teachers across the country and in both official languages. The goal of these programmes is to foster a love of reading and writing, promote social inclusion and tolerance, combat poverty and encourage young people to stay in school. These programmes use reading and writing as well as media such as video, photography and drawing.

Our achievements in 2012-2013

This year, independent and private sector revenue made up to 52% of the Foundation’s entire budget.

The Perfume Stories event achieved its goals of filling the hall and meeting its targeted fundraising objective. The evening also proved to be a first-rate literary event, with readings from the classics on an evocative theme: perfume.

A second fundraising event was added this year: Forbidden Fruit, presenting the best of erotic literature from times present and past, and generating real interest, revealing the fundraising potential of such an event.

Michael Crelinsten Executive Director of the Jewish Public Library

David HomelPresident, QWF

Sheila Fischman Translator

Javier San Juan President and CEO, L’Oréal Canada

Alan Shepard President and Vice-Chancellor, Concordia University

William StrawDirector, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada

Successful fundraising

Our Revenues

Our Ambassadors This year was marked by the production of video clips for our 15th anniversary, featuring

15 Ambassadors sharing their literary passions. To discover or rediscover at bluemetropolis.org/festival/ambassadors

Forbidden Fruit

Perfume Stories

Private: 52 %

Federal: 28%

Provincial: 11%

Municipal: 8%

Foreign governments: 1%

GOVERNMENT

Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal - CRÉConseil des arts de MontréalConseil des Arts du Canada/Canada Council for the ArtsConseil des arts et des lettres du QuébecConsulat général d’Allemagne à MontréalConsulat général d’Autriche à MontréalConsulat général d’Espagne à MontréalConsulat général d’Italie à MontréalConsulate General of the United StatesConsulat général d’Israël à MontréalConsulat général de France à QuébecConsulat général du Portugal à MontréalForum Culturel AutrichienInstitut Italien de Culture de MontréalMinistère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du SportMinistère de la Culture et des CommunicationsMinistère des Relations internationales, de la Francophonie

et du Commerce extérieurMinistère de la Santé et des Services sociauxMinistère du Conseil exécutifPatrimoine canadien/Canadian HeritageTourisme MontréalVille de Montréal

MEDIA | PROMOTION

CBC Radio One/Société Radio-CanadaACCENTI MagazineDirection Communications StratégiquesFuguesLa PresseLe LibraireLouis-René Lamarche LRL, OpticienLORI MagazineMaisonneuve MagazineMountain Lake PBSMontreal Review of BooksSociété de transport de Montréal – STMThe GazetteThe Walrus MagazineVie des arts

Thank you to all our partnersIn kind or cash, contributions received before February 2013

$200 - $999Benjamin & Nancy Smith Claudia Rawas Propriétés ELSAC Inc. Centrale des syndicats du QuébecFondation Pierre Desmarais BelvédèreFondation de St-Denys-GarneauGiorgio ArmaniJulie Keith Lussier, Séguin c.a. sencrlMary Kay LowyMaurice Forget Marguerite Blais Mark Gallop Patricia Claxton Pratt & Whitney CanadaRobert Graham Sylvie Chagnon The Hay Foundation

$1,000 - $4,999 Alliance Prével Inc.Cidrerie Michel JodoinConcordia UniversityDeirdre Stevenson DJS HoldingsEssence WorkshopFilactionGabriel SafdieIsabelle ÉlieJoan F. Ivory Jonathan Sigler Allliance Prével Inc.Letko, Brosseau & Associés inc.Narcisse et ÉchoPierre-André ThemensPeter DanielRobert et Cecil RabinovitchSheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership The Postmedia Network Foundation William St-Hilaire

$5,000 - $9,999Cameron Charlebois Fondation Jeunesse-VieP.C Chadha Family Foundation Trust FundPower Corporation of Canada Telus CommunautaireThe Jarislowsky Foundation The Phyllis Lambert Foundation Zeller Family Foundation

$10,000 - $24,999Amazon.caDavies Ward Phillips & VinebergEric T. Webster Foundation Fondation du Grand Montréal Ginny StikemanR. Howard Webster Foundation The Cole FoundationThe Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation

$25,000 - $75,000Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and HeritageGroupe Banque TD

DONORS AND PARTNERS

AELAQAlto ÉditionsANEBAppetite for BooksAssociation nationale des éditeurs de livresATTLC/LTACBiblioasisBibliothèque ApothicaireBibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec - BAnQBibliothèque publique juiveBrick BooksBusiness Development Bank of CanadaCentre AfrikaCentre de ressources de l’espagnol de l’Université de

MontréalCentre Entr’AdosCercle culturel catalanChapters/IndigoCommunautoCommune de Rueil MalmaisonCommunity Learning Centres - CLCDC BooksDrawn & QuarterlyDutch Foundation for LiteratureÉditions RoselinEditors Association of CanadaÉcole Saint-AnselmeÉcole Saint-Louis

English Language Arts NetworkEspace La FontaineEUNIC CanadaExile EditionsFrye FestivalGai ÉcouteGoethe-InstitutGuernica EditionsHemsing AssociatesHotel 10 Institut Ramon LlullInstitut universitaire en santé mentale Douglas Las Américas LtéeLa Bibliothèque ApothicaireLEARNLa maison bleueLibrairie GallimardLibrairie MonetLibrairie OlivieriLibrairies indépendantes du QuébecLinda Leith Publishing Inc.Lisez l’EuropeMaison de la culture FrontenacMaison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-RoyalMaison ThéâtreMcCord Museum / Musée McCord d’histoire

canadienneMédiathèque de Rueil-Malmaison

Médiathèque en études catalanes de l’Université de Montréal

Médiathèque Portugaise des Études lusophonesMondo InOpen Letter BooksPEN QuébecPenguin-CanadaPlaywrights Guild of CanadaQuattro BooksQuebec-BavièreQuebec English School Network – RécitQuebec Writers Federation – QWFRoom to ReadRuth ShineSalle de spectacle Maison ThéâtreSantropol RoulantSegal CentreSpacing MontrealTel-jeunesThis Really Happened Vues d’Afrique

Blue Metropolis would like to thank all thelibraries that took part in the event and especiallyMr. Ivan Filion, chef de la division des programmeset des services aux arrondissements et bibliothèquesà la Ville de Montréal.

PROGRAMMING

BLUE METROPOLIS FOUNDATION

2012-2013 2011-2012

TOTAL TOTAL

INCOME

GENERATED INCOME

Independant Income 49 435 5% 43 928 4%

Private Financing 478 058 47% 468 640 46%

TOTAL GENERATED INCOME 527 493 52% 512 568 50%

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Federal Grants 283 898 28% 275 000 27%

Provincial Grants 106 608 11% 177 264 17%

Municipal Grants 82 000 8% 59 405 6%

Foreign Governments 8 916 1% 4 590 0%

TOTAL OF GOVERNMENT GRANTS 481 422 48% 516 259 50%

TOTAL INCOME 1 008 915 100% 1 028 827 100%

EXPENSES

COSTS OF PROJECT EXECUTION

Program and Events Fees 615 651 62% 608 125 60%

Communications Fees 196 235 20% 199 439 20%

TOTAL PROJECT EXECUTION FEES 811 886 82% 807 564 80%

ADMINISTRATIVE FEES 174 676 18% 208 109 20%

TOTAL OF EXPENSES 986 562 100% 1 015 673 100%

NET PROFIT 22 353 13 154

UNRESTRICTED (162 626) (176 044)

INVESTED IN CAPITAL ASSETS 13 206 13 470

ENDOWMENT 124 054 112 476

NET ASSETS (3 013) (36 944)