FOPL sent the following welcome welcome letter to Minister Michael Tibollo, Minster of Tourism, Culture & Sport today.

Tibollo Welcome Letter – final

November 7, 2018

The Hon. Michael Tibollo,

Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Hearst Block, 9th Floor

900 Bay Street

Toronto, Ontario M7A 2E1

 

Dear Minister Tibollo:

RE: Congratulations and Introduction to FOPL

We wish to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and look forward to working with you to ensure the continued sustainability of Ontario’s public library systems in hundreds of communities across Ontario.

FOPL represents Ontario’s over 300 public library systems exceeding 1,100 branches in virtually every Ontario community including First Nation reserves.

Public libraries are Ontario’s farthest-reaching, most cost-effective local resource for Ontarians. Public libraries reach over 98% of Ontario residents, and 3 out 4 Ontarians access their local public library including participating in 242,000 programs in communities of all sizes across the province. Ontario’s libraries are community hubs that help residents of all ages thrive, providing programming that respond to local needs, including job and skills training, small business support, language education and children and youth programming. Libraries connect Ontarians, regardless of where they live, to world class information and resources, access to the internet, and more. Every dollar invested in libraries generates over $6 in local economic impact benefiting regular Ontarians.

We understand that you have had the opportunity to attend the opening of the Vellore Village branch of the Vaughan Public Library and meet with Vaughan Public Library CEO Margie Singleton. The significant positive impacts that Vaughan Public Library is making in its community are likewise happening in communities across Ontario. Alongside our partners at the Ontario Library Association, we would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to share our insight into the impressive, locally-driven impacts of Ontario’s public libraries. There are opportunities to work together to cut red tape and ensure the local term sustainability of public libraries, especially in smaller towns, rural communities and Northern Ontario. We are happy to work with your office to coordinate the details.

We look forward to working closely with you to ensure that local public libraries are able to continue supporting the learning, economic and community development in of the people of Ontario in the communities where they live.

Sincerely,

Stephen Abram, MLS

Executive Director

789 Yonge St.

Toronto, ON M4W 2G8

 

sabram@fopl.ca

stephen.abram@gmail.com

Cel: 416-669-4855

Home: 416-533-4855

FOPL: 416-395-0746

 

Cc:

Shelagh Paterson, Executive Director, Ontario Library Association

Kevin Finnerty, ADM, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Julia Merritt, Chair FOPL, CEO Stratford Public Library

The Federation of Ontario Public Libraries is a non-profit with a mandate to benefit Ontario Public Libraries through advocacy, research, and marketing.

La Fédération des bibliothèques publiques de l’Ontario est un organisme à but non-lucratif. Elle a comme mandat, de répondre aux besoins de toutes les bibliothèques, en concentrant leurs efforts dans la recherche, en marketing et en agissant comme plaidoyeur.