Aging Cultural Assets - Canada, 1961 to 2007

The Simon Fraser University 'Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities' published 'Under Construction: The State of Cultural Infrastructure in Canada' in 2008. Along with various appendices, it is the most comprehensive report available on the topic. Appendix A, by Maria Waltman Dashko, reviews and analyses data sources, including the following table that looks at the average age of Canada's culutral assets from 1961 to 2007.

In general, the significant aging of these assets occurred from the early 1990's on as government funding for new facilities diminished..  By 2007, the average age of a Canadian performance venue was 8.8 years older than it had been in 1976.  Librairies, museums, science centres, and public archives are also aging. Ironically, the only category where the average age of new development is decreasing relates to historical sites - not the age of the historial site itself, but the average age of improvements to and developments on those sites.

    Average age in years of Canada's Cultural Assets
                                - 1991 to 2007

Source: http://www.cultureandcommunities.ca/downloads/Under-construction/AppA-State-of-Data.pdf