The ED Report, March 2021

Dear friends and followers of the BC Alliance,

February flew by faster than a hungry cheetah and although we’re all still cooped up inside our respective home-workplaces, the signs of Spring are everywhere. As well as the croci and the bird song, one of my favourite things about February is the returning light, which means that we now have one hour and two minutes of daylight more than we had in January. Gotta look on the bright side.

We’ve had another busy month at the BC Alliance, including our Digital Ladders ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions; the launch of our Spring Workshop series; and an ongoing series of meetings with local and federal stakeholders regarding our Everyday Creativity research project. The first phase — a general population survey by Nanos with 500 BC residents — is almost complete as we assimilate the data for our interim report. Those findings will be shared in one of our upcoming weekly newsletters, so stay tuned.

I was invited to represent the arts and culture sector at the newly formed BC Industry Engagement Table, along with Ministers Ravi Kahlon, Harry Bains, and Melanie Mark as well as Dr. Bonnie Henry and representatives from all sectors of the labour force. The group aims to share best practices and challenges to reduce transmission of the virus, provide input on the impact of public health measures, and identify opportunities to work with other industry associations on communications. I’ve had the opportunity to hear directly from Bonnie Henry about the difficulty of controlling transmissions and getting vaccines into the arms of the most vulnerable. All of that information has made me realize two things: how lucky we are to have a compassionate, intelligent and experienced Provincial Health Officer, and how important it is for our sector to be ready to re-open when it’s safe.

I am also part of a smaller working group in conversation with the Provincial Health Officer to keep them well informed about the significant impact of our sector on BC’s economy and on the mental health of British Columbians. It’s important for the PHO to understand that we respect and abide by their orders, and prioritize the safety of the public and our cultural staff above all else.

I had the opportunity to invite a dozen colleagues to meet with BC Gaming staff (Interim Executive Director David Pyatt and Denise Mahon, the new Manager of Policy and Community Outreach) to address some of the challenges our sector faces with Gaming Grant applications. We requested clarification and in some cases reconsideration of the eligibility criteria concerning issues around collaborations (particularly with Indigenous and Immigrant populations), innovations to existing programs, and the value of social impact measurements.

Valerie Sing Turner, a champion when it comes to speaking up for marginalized communities, raised the issue of systemic racism and the additional barriers these communities face when applying for gaming grants. Her organization, Visceral Visions, works with Indigenous and racialized artists and communities; and she pointed out that BC Gaming’s requirement of "broad community benefit” is actually detrimental to programming that was originally conceived to fill gaps in government services, the health of the organizations themselves, and the communities they are mandated to serve.

I recently had the great pleasure of hosting the virtual launch of Suzanne’s Keeptwo’s book, We All Go Back to the Land, which is chock-a-block full of historical events and Indigenous teachings, and is a valuable reference for land acknowledgements. I also attended a webinar on the same topic lead by Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee, who spoke with clarity and depth about “building good relations” after Chief Janice George shared stories of place and repatriated ancestral remains.

I look forward with excitement to the time, in the not too distant future, when we will be able to gather again. I really miss the thrill that live performance offers and the camaraderie of our community. Take care and see you soon. 

Brenda Leadlay
Executive Director
BC Alliance for Arts + Culture