Arts groups are hot under the collar as the provincial budget nears and the B.C. Liberals turn down long-promised grants because of financial pressures. The artistic organizations say they were promised three years of grants — and spent the money because they had guarantees in writing — only to have the B.C. Liberal government pull funding as it prepares for a multibillion-dollar budget deficit announcement Tuesday in Victoria.“The heat in this room is the heat of anger,” said NDP MLA Spencer Herbert, addressing a standing-room-plus crowd in his sweltering constituency headquarters Sunday.“This will cost us economically, artistically and socially.“The government lied to people, they lied to arts groups.“The government is stealing money from charities — that’s the only way we can see this.”
Herbert and the arts community are now referring to last week as Black Friday, when many arts groups received government letters telling them their grants had been cancelled.They say this flies in the face of a three-year promise by government to continue funding the groups through lottery grants.Katrina Dunn, artistic director of the Touchstone Theatre — which ironically is offering a season of productions entitled Made in B.C. — said her group faces a huge deficit with the government’s decision to cancel a grant it had promised.“We’re facing our largest deficit in 35 years — shows will be cancelled, people will be laid off,” said Dunn, who said the government gave written assurances their grant would be renewed.
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Check Out Vernon's and other local communities direct access and bingo grants at: (which ones are at risk for 2009-2010 ??)
2008/09 Full Report (by community) [XLS]
2007/08 Full Report (by community) [XLS]
2006/07 Full Report (by community) [XLS]
1 comment:
Is the word "REALITY" ever part of the Art World vocabulary?
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