John Schoales

John has worked in industry development in the public sector for multiple ministries at the federal and Ontario provincial levels. He has focused on creative industries development, inclusion, and systemic bias in cultural and creative industry policy in Canada. He is currently an Adjunct Professor teaching government advocacy in the creative industries in TMU's Creative Industries program.

ryerson.academia.edu/JohnSchoales (external link, opens in new window) 

Creative industry development, public policy, diversity and inclusion, ethics

Explore Grant research project partner - Structural Inequalities in Canada’s Creative Industries: Challenges and Opportunities.

Structural Inequalities in Canada’s Creative Industries: Challenges and Opportunities

Canada’s creative industries grapple with entrenched inequalities shaped by age, gender, racialization, residency status, and intersecting identity markers. These systemic barriers undermine individual careers as well as the sector’s capacity for innovation and growth, necessitating structural reforms. This exploratory study of structural equalities in Canada’s creative industries will provide a foundation for future initiatives in this area.  

To attract and support creative thinkers and makers from diverse cultural backgrounds, it is essential to understand Canada’s current sociocultural landscape, demographic composition, and economic conditions, as well as the industry’s challenges and barriers based on both existing data and professionals’ perspectives. 

The objectives of this research project are to identify emerging and current structural inequalities in the creative industries and to explore current practices, challenges, and opportunities from professionals’ perspectives.