Photo courtesy of Aaron PowerLast year, Drake's October's Very Own collective was awarded $300,000 in provincial government funding for the purpose of putting on their annual OVO Fest. It was the first time they were awarded with the grant money, and as of right now, it remains the only. According to this list of recipients for the 2015-2016 festival season, OVO Fest received zero dollars in government funding as part of the Celebrate Ontario program.This means that the Kevin Hart comedy show on August 1 and the two-day concert held on August 2 and August 3 at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre with J.Cole, Big Sean, Jeremih, YG, and special guests, will be funded privately. That shouldn't be a problem considering the rapper earned $33 million in 2014, according to Forbes. In addition to playing Toronto's OVO Fest, Drake is scheduled to headline New York's Governors Ball, London's Wireless Festival, and Coachella in Los Angeles—which is taking place this weekend.In the past I've openly wondered if OVO Fest was still good for Toronto, and whether Drake was doing a disservice to the city by receiving government funding while purposefully throttling the attendance by not moving to a bigger venue. But now that the festival is being privately funded, I retract that question. If he's paying for it, Drake can have his festival in his friend's unfinished basement and charge $5,000 a ticket if he wants, as he owes nothing to any taxpayers.The Celebrate Ontario is a grant designed to “enhance programs, activities and services that will lead to long-term improvements. This support helps grow tourism in the province by making it easier for festival and event organizers to offer new and improved experiences that will attract more tourists and increase visitor spending.”Recipients of this year's grant include Canadian Music Week ($90,000), The Ottawa Jazz Festival ($270,000), NXNE at Yonge-Dundas Square ($247,500), and The Canadian Tulip Festival ($270,000).Slava P is a writer living in Toronto - @SlavaP
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