Cultural Access Program Brings $20 Tickets to Newcomers
Canoo app gives recent permanent residents and new citizens discounted or free access to 2,000+ cultural events across Canada.
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A free app called Canoo is making Montreal's cultural scene accessible to newcomers, offering them discounted or free admission to thousands of performances and exhibitions across Canada.
Created by the Canadian Citizenship Institute, Canoo gives recent permanent residents and new Canadian citizens four years of access to over 2,000 cultural activities. The program has nearly a million subscribers, including 100,000 in Quebec—yet many discover it by chance.
Amparo Aguado, who arrived in Quebec from Spain 12 years ago on a working-holiday permit, learned French, obtained permanent residency, and became a Canadian citizen two years ago. She stumbled upon Canoo unexpectedly. "It wasn't announced," she said. "When I discovered it, I thought: this is incredible." Since then, she has attended multiple Danse Danse performances, visited Montreal museums, and while traveling in Vancouver, found a free ticket to the Vancouver Film Festival through the app.
Organisms like Danse Danse have distributed roughly 800 tickets through the program since 2024 and received the Communauté prize this year for their work with newcomers. "There's no language barrier in dance," said Pierre Des Marais, artistic and general director. "It lets people see artists who sometimes come from their own country."
The impact creates habits. Des Marais noted that users return and often become subscribers. Early on, when tickets were free, 50 percent of users didn't show. Once Danse Danse set a price—first $15, then $20—attendance jumped. "Once someone has paid, even a little, they come," he explained. "Everyone comes."
Marion Riberolles came from France in 2015 for a master's exchange at the University of Montreal and stayed. Now a museologist at the Musée de Lachine, she uses Canoo regularly. "In Montreal, I didn't have the landmarks I had in France," she said. "Going to a show at $80 or $100, you don't necessarily do it. But at $20, yes—and I always bring friends." She credited the program with easing her integration: "The cultural and artistic world of Montreal isn't that big. You see the same people. To integrate, it helps."