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Home | Resources > Newsletter | Synergy - March 1, 2005
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March 1, 2005 Volume 16, Number 4 Synergy, the electronic newsletter
On March 17, the Alliance for Arts and Culture will be attending a City Services and Budgets meeting at City Hall to support City staff recommendations that the cultural funding base be increased substantially over the next three years. The proposed increases are: $1 million in 2005, $2 million in 2006, and $3 million in 2007. Even though the 2005 operating grant allocations have been made, the first of the new funds would be distributed this year. It is imperative that the arts community show its support for the increases. Please write to the Mayor and City Council at mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca before March 17 to express your support. If you would like to address the issue in person please contact the city clerk (email cc@vancouver.ca) to have your name added to the list. As you know, the BC government recently announced a boost of $28 million for the arts and culture sector (see our February 15 edition of Synergy): $3 million is an annual increase to the BC Arts Council, the first significant increase in more than a decade. The other $25 million is for an Arts and Cultural Endowment Fund, which Premier Campbell announced yesterday will be distributed through the Vancouver Foundation. We are awaiting more details about how the funds will be distributed and are working to ensure these funds will be accessible by both small and large organizations in all disciplines. It is critical for future increase requests for us to thank the government for this investment. Please take a few moments out of your busy schedule, or better yet get your board of directors to write thank you letters to Premier Campbell, Minister John Les, and your MLA. Contact info can be found at: http://www.gov.bc.ca/bvprd/bc/home.do (click "contact us" in the top right corner). Some wording to help you get started:
And finally, to the federal budget, which was presented last week (see our article below for more details). It was great to see the five-year renewal of Tomorrow Starts Today, but our sector is still waiting for details on funding through Foreign Affairs for international programs, and it was disappointing to see that there was no major increase for Canada Council other than maintaining a $25 million allocation through Tomorrow Starts Today. These are exciting times. We are beginning to see that there is political recognition of the value the arts bring to a healthy society. We are on a roll and our continued success will depend upon our ability to engage the public to support arts and culture. Now more than ever it is important to integrate advocacy into each and every thing we do whether it is a speech from the stage, an artist's talk, a reading, a statement in a catalogue or program, or motivating a board of directors to form an advocacy committee. Each organization can weave advocacy into the activities it is already doing. And sometimes, like this week, it pays off. So email Vancouver City Council, thank the BC and federal governments and keep the pressure on. Heather Redfern,
IN THIS ISSUE: 1. A review of the federal budget Editor: Allison Markin 1. A review of the federal budget Finance Minister Ralph Goodale introduced his second federal budget in the House of Commons this week, and his first for the Liberal minority government. Many in the arts and cultural sector across Canada have been wondering what this budget might have in store for the sector, particularly funding for the Tomorrow Starts Today program, which began in 2001 with $560 million over three years, and was re-announced as a one year $192 initiative by Canadian Heritage Minister Liza Frulla this past December. The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) reports that Delivering on Commitments: Budget Plan 2005 does indeed include a substantial extension of Tomorrow Starts Today funding: "Budget 2005 further extends the $172 million of new funding per year for another four years, for a total of $688 million. This brings total new funding for Tomorrow Starts Today to $860 million over five years. This multi-year investment will help create stability within the arts and culture community by providing predictable levels of funding in the years to come." Rumours of a boost to CBC were met with the same single-year, $60 million funding "top-up" that has been present in the past few budgets. This would not represent any actual increase in core funding for the CBC, but would rather maintain the CBC's funding at current levels for a single year, leaving the CBC unable to make long term programming decisions, according to the CCA. What is in the budget for the arts and culture sector:
There was no action on a recommendation from the Standing Committee on Finance for the federal government to increase the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit to 30 percent, nor specific mentions to fund programs such as the Canadian Television Fund and the Museums Assistance Program. There was no mention of significant changes to EI and income tax that would affect artists, nor any clear information on the potential cuts to the Arts Promotion Program at Foreign Affairs Canada, the FAC's primary foreign policy tool to promote Canadian Culture abroad. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its annual Alternative Federal Budget, available online at http://www.policyalternatives.ca/, which included a five-year, $1 billion extension of Tomorrow Starts Today, a $250 million increase to the CBC over four years, tax relief for artists, EI reform and the appointment of a task force to address media concentration and foreign ownership of Canadian cultural industries. Abridged from the CCA Bulletin, the newsletter of the Canadian Conference of the Arts.
The City of Vancouver recently announced the appointment of Sue Harvey as its new managing director of cultural services. Ms. Harvey is now responsible for the Office of Cultural Affairs and the Vancouver Civic Theatres, as well as the City's planning process for Hastings Park and the Pacific National Exhibition. The City supports arts and cultural activities through a number of grant support programs to non-profit arts and cultural organizations; through the City's planning processes which ensure art is in the public realm; and through the operation of the Vancouver Civic Theatres. City Council recently approved the creation of a Creative City Task Force composed of community representatives, elected officials and senior City staff to develop a new cultural vision for the City. Ms. Harvey will manage the City's strategic planning process and co-chair, with Councillor Jim Green, the Task Force. Ms. Harvey has been with the City since 1993, starting out as a cultural planner. Prior to joining the City, she was director of operational planning for the Ballet Opera House Corporation, and assistant producer of the EXPO 86 World Festival.
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada's latest newsletter reports that a recent survey by mall developer Taubman Centers and the United States Department of Commerce shows that culture is good for shopping. According to the survey, "cultural shoppers" added at least two more nights and had higher on-average spending levels that general travelers and shoppers. Shopping continues to be the number one activity for visitors to North America (the survey was conducted in the British, Japanese, Mexican and German markets), but adding a cultural element to an itinerary may increase spending and length of stay.
The Vancouver Multicultural Society is creating a directory and database of Lower Mainland Multicultural Artists. If you'd like to be added to the list, please contact the Society for more information. They'd like to hear from all artists - no matter the discipline, language, or level of training. Email info@urbancultures.ca or call 604-731-4648. The Vancouver Sun reports that BC's tourism industry is receiving $17 million in additional cash to promote travel throughout the province, in addition to the doubling of Tourism BC's budget to $50 million, which was announced earlier. The new funding was announced by Premier Gordon Campbell at the 12th annual BC Tourism Industry Conference in Vancouver, and includes $2 million for each of six regional destination marketing organizations, $2 million to build a new visitor information centre in Osoyoos (including a First Nations interpretive centre), $235,000 for a new visitor centre in Golden, and about $3 million to install new gateway signs at all major highway entry points into BC. The five-metre high signs will welcome visitors to BC and proclaim it "The Best Place on Earth."
New Westminster's Massey Theatre, according to a news release, has been working towards a July, 2007 closure as part of the rebuilding of the New Westminster Secondary School site and the addition of an arts centre. The intended closure was to be for one year. The theatre has learned that the School District project team working on the renovation strategy has revised its plans and the theatre may be forced to close as early as July, 2005, with demolition and construction to begin in September. In addition, the School District has informed the theatre's society board that completion cannot be guaranteed before January, 2008. The theatre, on behalf of its many community and regional clients, is protesting the length of notice it received as well as the length of the proposed closure. The theatre's society has suggested a closure of July, 2006 with completion in the fall of 2007 as a more workable alternative. Massey Theatre currently hosts an average of 220 events annually and its audiences number more than 150,000 each year.
Vancouver Civic Theatres, the body that operates the Orpheum, Queen Elizabeth Theatre and Vancouver Playhouse, recently announced the Vancouver City Council appointments to its board, and its elected officers for 2005. Art Jones, a broadcaster and marketing consultant, has been re-elected as chair, and Barbara McLean, an arts and education consultant, continues as vice-chair. William Saunders, president of the Vancouver and District Labour Council, and Graeme A.G. Stamp, executive vice-president of Fairmont Developments Ltd., were re-appointed by Council. Mark S. Andrew, general manager of the Westin Bayshore Resort and Marina, continues into the second year of his two-year term. Newly appointed to the board is Christopher M. Davies, a certified management consultant and partner in the executive search firm Management Consultants Inc. He is president of the Vancouver Club and has served on the boards of numerous arts organizations. Councillor Raymond Louie returns as the Vancouver City Council liaison. Hugh Pickett and Norman Young remain directors emeritus. New website via Canada Council The Canada Council Inter-Arts Office recently announced the launch of Off the Radar: Initiatives in Critical Thinking, "a program to encourage dialogue about issues of importance to the development of the Inter-Arts Community". The related website contains a number of essays about upcoming trends in the inter-arts community. Visit the new website at: Local writer wins CBC prize Vancouver writer Caroline Adderson recently won a CBC Literary Award, one of 12 given in a ceremony in Ottawa. She took second place in the English-language short-story category for her work, Falling, receiving $4000. Adderson is a novelist and writing teacher. BC Creative Achievement Awards A number of artists across the province recently were announced as recipients of the 2005 British Columbia Creative Achievement Awards. They are:
Each recipient will receive $5000 at an awards ceremony in April, and will be granted use of the BC Creative Achievement Award seal to signify their creative excellence. The next call for entries for the Awards will be in the fall of 2005. For more information, visit: UBCP has new CEO The Union of BC Performers recently announced that Mercedes Watson, director of ACTRA Performers' Rights Society, has been appointed to Chief Executive Officer of UBCP. She has been in the film, television and entertainment industry for the past two decades. Order of Canada announced Outgoing artistic director of the Vancouver International Writers Festival, Alma Lee, was recently named to the Order of Canada. She has been a passionate and effective champion of Canadian authors, and prior to founding the VIWF in 1987, served as founding executive director of both the Writer's Union of Canada and the Writers' Development Trust. CBC board of directors Liza Frulla, Minister of Canadian Heritage, recently announced four appointments to the board of directors for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, including Vancouver's Nezhat Khosrowshahi, co-founder of the Inwest Group of Companies. The other appointees were Bernd Christmas of Halifax, Peter Herrndorf of Ottawa, and Trina McQueen of Toronto. Sponsorship announcements for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are starting to appear more often in the news. In early February it was announced that a consortium of Bell Globemedia, CTV (owned by Bell) and Rogers media agreed to pay the International Olympic Committee $153 million US for the television rights to the Vancouver Games and the 2010 Summer Games, beating out CBC. The deal includes $90 million US for the Vancouver Games alone, making it the first Winter Games in Olympic history to bring in more than an accompanying Summer Games. Vancouver Arts Awards: the deadline to submit your nomination is Friday, May 6. More information and the nomination form can be found at: http://www.vancouverartsawards.ca ArtsPod: Arts Partners in Organizational Development is currently accepting applications for its spring grant cycle. The deadline is March 4. Visit http://www.artspod.ca/ ENDQUOTE "It's really about looking at the coming years and seeing what we, within the city, can do to support the arts and cultural sector. There was the Vancouver Arts Initiative in the early '90s, where council, city staff, and arts and cultural community members sat together and developed a long-range plan. It's something that happens every 10 to 15 years. And certainly, with the opportunities ahead of us, it seemed to this council a timely thing to do." -Sue Harvey, the City of Vancouver's new managing director of cultural services, to The Georgia Straight, speaking about the new Creative City Task Force.
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Copyright © Alliance for Arts and Culture, 2005 |
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