Arts groups across B.C. were left stunned and confused by the massive cuts in funding in yesterday's provincial budget.
Still reeling from Friday's announcement that previously approved multiyear community gaming grants were being rescinded, they were shocked to see the government's projected figures for Arts and Culture were significantly lower even than the almost 50-per-cent cuts announced in the spring budget.
"Unless the government finds money from elsewhere to supplement the arts in 2010-11, we are looking at a 90-per-cent cut," said Scott Walker of Victoria-based arts advocacy group ProArt Alliance.
In the Feb. 17 budget, general arts and culture funding was reduced from $19.5-million to $11.9-million, with a one-off supplementary fund that would maintain previous levels of funding for the 2009-10 fiscal period.
And, as part of the Liberal government's three-year budget projection at the time, it projected that funding would be further reduced to $9.6-million in 2010-11 before rebounding slightly to $9.8-million in 2011-12, with no guarantee of more supplementary funds going forward.
Yesterday's figures projected that the funding for 2010-11 now stands at a much-lower $2.25-million, dropping to $2.2-million in 2011-12.
"They have wiped arts funding out. It's appalling," said Heather Redfern, executive director of East Vancouver's cultural centre, The Cultch. "The government has made it clear that the arts is no longer a priority for funding."
Carole Higgins, artistic managing director of Carousel Theatre in Vancouver, which offers inner-city and rural B.C. children the opportunity to attend live theatre free, noted that on Saturday she received an e-mail informing her that her company's approved B.C. Arts Council grant of $17,100 for 2009-10 was being funded through the community gaming fund. Just the day before, she had received another e-mail from the community gaming fund rescinding a previously approved $50,000 grant for the same period.
It is unclear where this leaves the the independently adjudicated B.C. Arts Council grants going forward.
"They really do appear to be robbing Peter to pay Paul," said Marcus Youssef, artistic producer of Vancouver's Neworld Theatre.
"We have two very real fears," he said. "That the government does not value community-based arts organizations; and that the level at which they hold the B.C. Arts Council, the primary arts investment agency in the province, is not that high."
The Vancouver-based Alliance for Arts and Culture has convened a community meeting for B.C. arts organizations to take place later today to discuss the funding crisis.
Representatives from the Liberal government and the B.C. Arts Council were not available for comment.