News & Updates
3/9/2009
BC Arts Council call to action!
Dear Victoria Symphony patron:
As you may know, the British Columbia legislature has passed a budget which cuts provincial funding for the arts by 40% in 2009/10 and further in the following two years. Because you love the arts, you understand that this funding (which for the Victoria Symphony makes up nearly 10% of our annual budget) is absolutely vital.
In response to these severe cuts, we ask you to raise your voice in protest, and send the Government the loud and clear message that the arts are vital to the economy, vitality and well-being of all British Columbians.
We have prepared a sample letter, addressed to Bill Bennett, the provincial Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts. You can use this letter as is, or personalize it in any way you wish; then please mail it to Mr. Bennett’s office, and if you can, send copies to your MLA, to Premiere Gordon Campbell, and Finance Minister Colin Hansen. Make sure to include your name and full address (including postal code) in the letter. Ask your friends and members of your family to do the same. The appearance of large amounts of mail on the desks of members of the Government and Legislature are a powerful stimulus to action.
You can find contact information for your local MLA at the following link: http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm. The letter and these instructions also appear on our web site, www.victoriasymphony.ca.
Finally, if you do not receive a response in two weeks, we strongly encourage you to follow up by telephone with Mr. Bennett and/or your local MLA representative. Do not let your voice be ignored!
For all of the Victoria Symphony family, we thank you for your support.
The Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts
PO Box 9071 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E9
Dear Minister Bennett:
I am writing to urge the provincial government to reinstate funding to the British Columbia Arts Council in Budget 2009 and beyond.
Although the one-time funding of $7,000,000 will cushion the devastating blow that these cuts will cause during the first year of the budget, it will fail to provide the long-term financial stability that the arts sector desperately needs. The proposed cuts of more than 40% from current levels in the budget’s second and third year will destroy any attempt towards ongoing sustainability for arts organizations.
As you know, the arts are a vital economic engine in the BC economy. The sector has grown faster than the provincial GDP over the past decade, currently generates $5.2-billion dollars annually, and employs 117,000 people. The arts are equally important to both urban and rural communities: the University of Northern BC recently released a report proving that the arts are just as important to residents in small urban and rural areas as they are in the big cities. Funding the arts is an investment in our province’s economic future. Your own ministry’s research has proven that grants to the arts community are more than repaid through provincial tax revenues. The arts have proven their ability to leverage provincial support into other levels of funding: from local and federal governments, foundations, corporations, and individuals. This keeps ticket prices low, which enables people of all income levels to take advantage of the many health and lifestyle benefits that many studies have shown the arts provide.
Yet artists remain at the lower end of the income scale: the average income for an artist in Canada is $22,700 – less than two-thirds the Canadian average. A reduction in funding, especially in a recessionary period when other sources of revenue are in flux, will mean fewer performances, fewer concerts, fewer showings, and result in increased unemployment, and an even lower average income for artists.
In this current economic climate, where other sources of arts income are eroding, this is not the time for the provincial government to be cutting back their support as well. I urge the government to live up to Minister Hansen’s own words in his budget speech: “The arts help to shape our vision of who we are. They bring to life the concept of culture, and — just as important — bring us together, entertain us, intrigue us, and challenge us intellectually.”
Sincerely,
Cc:
The Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia
PO BOX 9041 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
The Honourable Colin Hansen
Minister of Finance
PO BOX 9048 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W9E2
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Some Facts About the Arts
•Arts and culture make up an important sector in Canada’s economy, creating $84 billion dollars a year in direct and indirect output – 7.4% of this country’s GDP.
•British Columbia residents’ spending on culture is four times the amount spent by all levels of government.
•On a per capita basis, British Columbia’s expenditure on culture ranks second-last among the provinces and territories.
•British Columbia has the highest concentration of artists of any province.
•The Arts have proven to have a positive impact on individual and community health, marginalized groups, youth at risk, and the elderly.
•Youth with high involvement in the Arts had significantly higher marks, lower drop out rates and lower reported boredom rates than those with low involvement in the arts.
•The tourism industry will need to attract 84,000 workers to meet the government’s goal of doubling tourism by 2015. Attracting workers will have a significant impact on provincial GDP.
•Culturally rich communities attract creative people; a highly creative workforce attracts business.
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1 Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada’s Creative Economy [The Conference Board of
Canada, 2008]
2 Hill Strategies 2005
3 Statistics Canada, Government Expenditures on Culture 2005-06
4 Hill Strategies 2007
5 Arts and Culture in Medicine and Health [Cooley & Associates, Victoria, 2003]
6 Involvement in the Arts and Human Development: General Involvement and Intensive Involvement In Music and Theatre Arts [James S. Catterall et al, UCLA, 1999]
7 A Case For Investing in Arts, Culture and Heritage Infrastructure [Vis-à-vis Management Resources Inc.,
2007]
8 The Rise of the Creative Class [Richard Florida, New York, 2002]
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