Require clarification on a contest for local artists to paint several concrete walls – is this a MOL contravention?

[Conner Lantz]

#80489

I am the HR Generalist at G&L and I am reaching out for assistance and require clarification; G&L decided to hold: a \”contest for local artists to paint a concrete wall\”. Community will vote and the winning artist will receive $5,000 prize. Is this in contravention of MOL? Below will show we posted 2 different times: 1st posting: I’m writing to you on behalf of G&L, a construction materials supplier with one of our main yards situated at 200 Horner Avenue, Etobicoke. We currently have a concrete black wall lining the perimeter of the premises and want to beautify the neighbourhood. Each section of the wall is approximately 18 feet wide X 12 feet high. Each artist will be given a section of the block wall to paint, adhering to the theme of ‘building our city’. We will hold a contest to allow the community to vote for their favourite panel. The winning artist will receive a $5,000 grand prize which we will match with a $5,000 donation to a local community organization. (G&L will cover up to $200 in costs for paint per artist.) Please respond by email to let me know if you are interested in this opportunity. Sincerely, 2nd posting: We are ready to finalize our list of artists to participate in the painting of the concrete block wall at 200 Horner Ave. Based on artist feedback, we have made a few revisions to the project: -The theme will be “Truth and Lies”; -No sketch is required for submittal; -Each participating artist will receive $500 for supplies; -The winner will receive $5,000 (as voted by the community) -We will donate $1,000 to a community organization. -*Painting to begin Monday, September 21* Artists must complete their panel by Sunday, October 4th As mentioned previously, each panel is approx. 18 feet wide X 12 feet high. We are looking for 8 artists total. In an effort to move this project forward, the first 8 artists to respond will be selected. We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, After each posting, we received negative responses – I have provided some: “If you still aren\’t paying artists for their work then this is a scam and will be reported as such to the city and ministry of labour. -Ted Hamer” I would love to be on your advisory board when people come up ideas like this to exploit artists. Asking artist to paint unprimed porous concrete for roughly 1$ per square foot is laughable. I assume if they are insurable is not an issue. Then let the neighbourhood decide who would win as if they are all art critics. Hilarious. Best of all you call all this an opportunity. Amazing audacity. I am going to pass, thank you. Have a great day. -Mitchell Lanecki Thank you for reaching out to me. Unfortunately, I am not interested in the project, since there doesn’t seem to be any compensation for the labour of the artists involved. If there is a recognized need for art to bring value and a sense of community to a neighbourhood, the artists participating should get paid for their work. No one would hire 5 plumbers and only pay the “best” one. I’m happy to hear that there will be a donation to a local community organization- I can imagine that it is a great help during these strange times. -Phuong Nguyen Please advise if this can be a ministry problem as stated by one of the negative responses above. Thank you. Mirella Bennati mirellab@gandlgroup.com 416-798-7050 x: 259

[Conner Lantz]

#80488

Sorry, I’m a bit confused by the question but I’m reading it as asking whether the volunteer artist competition would constitute an employment arrangement subject to the Ontario Employment Standards Act. My strong sense is that it would not. However, without understanding much more about the details of the arrangement, I can’t be 100% certain. You might want to go directly to your regional MOL office and ask them what they think. Hope that helps. Glenn

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