Toronto – Tikok says that it is exiting the Juno Awards and several Canadian art institutes including the Toronto International Film Festival as it prepares to follow a federal order to shut down operations in Canada.
Since opening the office in Toronto and Vancouver Tikok, it has been said that it has invested millions in programs and participation supporting local artists and creators in the last five years.
But Steve De Ire, director of Tikok Canada’s Public Policy and Government Affairs, says Ottawa has now been implementing its order since last November to reduce operations on national security concerns, and Tikok has no option but to suspend those initiatives indefinitely.
Another group that will be affected is the Education Charity Musicants, which Tikokk says that it has been provided with $ 500,000 to support high school concerts.
Social media giants are Junos Partner and Juno Fan Choice Award title sponsor since 2020.
It also works with TIFF since 2022, sponsoring the programs of the festival short cuts and special presentations, and supports industry panels that depict Canadian creators.
Apart from this, the number of casualties is a Ticketkok Accelerator of the National Screen Institute, who has worked with about 400 participants since 2021.
The manager of the program, Sara Simpson-Yelvikil, calls Shutdown “sad and disappointing”, saying that accelerate has been an important source of career opportunities and mentarships for indigenous creators.
She says, “This is a very sad disadvantage of the occasion. We have hundreds of applications that come from very worthy, talented, indigenous creators in Canada.”
Tikok says that it is also out of its partnership with the organizer of EdesQ, Cubece’s Music Industry Association and the province’s top music awards Gala.
Ev Per, Executive Director of EdisQ, called the decision “adequate loss” for the organization and said that it would be a challenge to find a new sponsor before the next gala in November.
“It was a great disappointment from our side because it is a sponsor economically for us, especially these days where cultural organizations like us are struggling,” she says.
Last year, Tikokok sponsored a red-carpet livestream and planned to include a live celebrity segment in this year’s main show. Those plans are now in hold with the aim of bringing Quebec artists and music to wide global audiences.
Paar says that the partnership helped EdesQ to be visible. Last year’s Gala was viewed 6.5 million times on social media, a reach she says that was “unheard” before the ticket came to the board.
“This has become more and more difficult to reach the young people, as it is not so popular with traditional media (them),” she says.
D Aire says that the company is still challenging the order in the court and is taking the government forward to move forward.
He did not give a time that he would have to close the shop.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Ministry Canada did not immediately comment on Monday.
Last year, the government said it had ordered the air of the Canadian business performed by Tiktok after “a multi-step national security process”, but said it would not block the app.
“We think it is not in any best interest for us not to be present here,” says D Aire.
“We must be present, we should invest in cultural organizations, we must have people who are accountable to Parliament, for registers, for law enforcement. If there are concerns about security, address them.”
They argue that when the Tiktok app is available, closing its Canadian offices would mean that hundreds of jobs are lost and low support for homegron creators.
“It breaks my heart that we (these programs) are being forced to cancel,” they say, saying that the order is implemented, they cannot be committed to renewed their partnership.
“The reality is that, you need local employees to develop those things and run those things. These programs do not create themselves.”
Joshua Bloom, General Manager of Tikok Canada, argues that the presence of the stage is important for the creators, but also for local businesses and advertisers who are dependent on Canadian employees.
He cites the company’s recent economic impact report by the Consulting firm Nordicity released last month, estimating that Tikok has contributed $ 1.4 billion to the GDP of Canada since 2019.
According to the report, a joint revenue of $ 950 million was increased across the country in the advertisement of small businesses on Tikok. Nordicity says that the survey came to this figure through a combination of interviews, desk research and economic modeling.
Bloom says it has been a “stressful time” for Tikkok Canada.
“It’s difficult. I am trying to keep the team calm and feel that it is the usual business and it seems that they can only continue working for a day until the office will actually stop, if it stops,” they say.
“We are trying to install with our partners and continue to work, which require every single day.”
D Ire says that Ticketkok has proposed solutions to remove security concerns, increase transparency and to invest in Canada and maintain jobs, but that the government is very low.
“There is no really an opportunity to discuss an alternative solution with the government,” he says.
“We hope we can still avoid (a shutdown), but as it stands, real results are beginning.”