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Why Not Theatre, Canadian Urban Institute and Entremise today announced the formal launch of the National Meanwhile Space Network–Le Réseau National des Lieux Transitoires (NMSN–RNLT), a nation-wide collective of arts and non-profit organizations (NPO)  working to find affordable space solutions for artists and nonprofits, with a particular focus on meanwhile-use strategies. ‘Meanwhile use’ refers to the use of property that is temporarily unoccupied, as witnessed in the recent trend of pop-up shops, galleries and cultural spaces.

The NMSN–RNLT will focus its initial efforts on connecting independent artists and non-profits to otherwise unused government-owned space. To this end, the network has issued an open letter to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, MP, requesting federal support for this vital initiative. 

The open letter asks the Ministry of Infrastructure to provide: 

– FUNDING to build sustainable infrastructure to support a meanwhile-use program, including an accessible meanwhile-use app to match artists/non-profits to available space; 

– RESEARCH support to compile a comprehensive inventory of temporarily vacant government-owned spaces; and

– ACCESS to the Ministry’s unused government space for meanwhile use, especially heritage properties.

Currently, many government spaces sit empty between leases for long periods, sometimes for a year or more. Implementing a meanwhile-use model would take advantage of these unoccupied spaces to provide affordable workspace for artists and non-profits, thereby improving living conditions for vulnerable artists, reducing non-profit organizations’ overhead and aiding in COVID-19 recovery. Meanwhile-use also provides a host of economic, social and community benefits, animating neighborhoods and vacant spaces, preserving heritage buildings, engaging local communities, and promoting a more equitable, accessible and sustainable arts and NPO sector. 

In addition to invaluable quality of life benefits, the Government of Canada reports that the arts sector provides 630,000 jobs and $54.6 billion in economic activity in Canada. According to the Toronto Arts Foundation, arts and culture contribute $11.3 billion annually to Toronto’s GDP. Moreover, every dollar the City invests in the non-profit arts sector generates $12.46. At the same time, 73% of artists have considered leaving Toronto for financial reasons, with 47% of those artists citing a lack of affordable creative space as a key factor. This disturbing trend is echoed in cities across the country. By working with government agencies to improve access to affordable space, the National Meanwhile Network aims to address this scarcity, ensuring that artists and non-profits can thrive in our cities, and continue to contribute to healthy and vibrant communities.

“In creating the National Meanwhile Network, we hope to tackle an existential challenge facing the artistic and non-profit community head-on,” said Why Not Theatre founder Ravi Jain, “the inability to sustain our work amidst rising rental prices, gentrification and economic instability, which has only been exacerbated by COVID-19. We welcome and urge arts and non-profit organizations looking to strategize in the realm of meanwhile space to join the network, and call on our governments and the commercial real estate industry to support our efforts to address space insecurity for vulnerable sectors that exist to support the common good.” 

“Real estate vacancy is a systemic problem and it is through the creation of this network that we wish to bring together all the stakeholders of this vision,” said Co-Executive Director of Entremise Marie-Josée Vaillancourt. “Together, we will be able to make federal and provincial public institutions aware of the value and development opportunities of their underutilized real estate stock for the benefit of communities, the preservation of our heritage buildings and the enhancement of our living environments.”

About the Meanwhile Network/Le Réseau National des Lieux Transitoires 

NMSN–RNLT is a collective of organizations that are working on finding more affordable space models for artists, social organizations, and startups with a focus on meanwhile-use strategies.

NMSN–RNLT was formed under the initiative of Why Not Theatre and the Canadian Urban Institute while working on the Space Project (whynot.theatre/space), a research project on meanwhile-use as an affordable space model for artists and arts organizations. By bringing together organizations across the country, all of whom were working on affordable space solutions, NMSN–RNLT became a place to address common barriers and share knowledge, information, and solutions. Founding members include: Why Not Theatre (Toronto, ON), Entremise (Montréal, QC) , ArtsBuild Ontario (Kitchener, ON), cSPACE (Calgary, AB) Calgary Arts Development (Calgary, AB),  The Arts, Culture & Creative Industry Development Agency (Brampton, ON), and Arts Habitat (Edmonton, AB). 

For more information or to join the National Meanwhile Network/Le Réseau National des Lieux Transitoires, visit the network’s newly launched website at nmsn-rnlt.ca or [email protected].