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CARPE DIEM!

On January 23, 2012, in Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

Dear friends,

RE: Community Gaming Grants Review Report Government response

Excuse my frankness, yet I feel it is necessary to write this open letter

Two weeks ago Kevin Falcon admitted publicly the government did wrong by arts and culture and they need to make things right.

This is astounding. The government is vulnerable, desperate and seeking to boost their popularity rating

The Premier followed through on her promise to act on the Skip Triplett Report.

However, we need to let them know the solution to the gaming revenue issue is unacceptable. Yes, it was right to restore eligibility for many organizations but a frozen amount for 4 years means severe cuts for everyone.

The time is auspicious to tell them the truth. It probably should be $635M not $135M for the non-profit sector.

They also need to rectify their cruel errors with arts and culture grant cuts

We have an opportunity to make our case before the next budget. so the time is indeed right. Let us urge them to do the right thing, knowing they are listening now.

I know the arts and culture sector feels bruised, shamed, impotent, despairing and victimised. but we need to hold our heads high and fight for what is right.

We cannot let them buy us off with this unacceptable and unjust solution. If they succeed and we don’t complain they will win the PR battle and we will have lost an opportunity.

I urge you to write letters to the editor. For example there could be more responses to Pete McMartin’s excellent column in the Vancouver Sun. The Georgia Straight is open to our opinions. Community newspapers will print letters and the other media will take notice.

I know this is a busy time and too soon after Christmas, yet I believe we can turn this around.

For the sake of all the people whose lives are enriched by the non-profit sector, we need to seek justice now in the media and in social media

Let’s get the campaign going!

Carpe diem

With love and admiration,

Colin Miles

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MORE ON THE THE GAMING REPORT

On January 23, 2012, in Art and Culture Funding , Gaming Grant Review , Gaming Revenue , Solicitor General , by Tom Durrie

From Colin Miles

Friends,
I think the arts and culture and non-profit sector  in BC has been under siege and is so relieved to have some resolution of the gaming revenues issue that it has lost its sense of outrage.

Although the Triplett Report has much value, I was disappointed he rejected the option of allotting a percentage of gaming  revenues to charities.  A frozen reduced and capped amount is little to celebrate.

We are underwhelmed and being too polite about the government response, I think

I hope others will respond to Pete McMartin’s insightful column

The non-profit sector and all it accomplishes is too important to  be demeaned this way.  We can be respectful of public servants but this is a matter of justice and we need to tell them their solution is just not good enough.  My two cent’s worth.

I am pleased the SUN printed my letter but they changed my words from “billions” to  “millions”.

If someone wants to take it from here we might coin the term the “two billion dollar theft.”

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COMMENTS ON GAMING POLICY REVIEW

On January 13, 2012, in Alliance for Arts and Culture , Art and Culture Funding , Christy Clark , Gaming Grant Review , Gaming Revenue , by Tom Durrie

Here are two pertinent comments on Christy Clark’s Gaming Policy Review.

Read Pete McMartin’s column: Government slight of hand does not fool charities.

Following is the response from the Alliance for Arts and Culture:

Alliance Responds To Gaming Grant Announcements

Premier Christy Clark today released Scott Triplett’s Community Gaming Grant Review report and announced some good news for the arts community.

”We are very encouraged by Premier Clark’s announcement of increases to funding and eligibility for BC Gaming Grants,” saidAlliancefor Arts and Culture executive director Rob Gloor in responding to today’s announcement.

“The premier has described the $135 Million grant budget as the ‘new base’, and added that stabilizing arts funding has been a priority for her government and a personal commitment since taking office as premier.  There is no doubt that today’s announcement will have a very positive impact in communities across BC through the work of hundreds of organizations.

“TheAlliancefor Arts and Culture is eager to review the fine details of the funding and associated allocations process in the context of Mr. Triplett’s report. The arts community has endured tremendous funding challenges over the past three years, and we are grateful to receive some news of positive steps,” Mr. Gloor concluded.

ANNOUNCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Province has increased gaming grants in its annual base budget to a total of $135 million, beginning this fiscal year.
  • That will mean $15 million more in gaming grants than originally budgeted for 2011/12.
  • This funding will reach right across the province with a large part going outside of the Lower Mainland to more than 2,000 organizations in hundreds of communities.
  • Groups focusing on adult arts and sports, animal welfare and environmental concerns will be eligible for community gaming grants.
  • These reinstated groups will receive a total of $8 million. The Province will conduct a special intake of applications from Jan. 16 to Feb. 13 to ensure these groups are eligible for funding this fiscal year. Interested organizations will be required to apply online.
  • Of this $8 million, $6 million will be allocated for adult arts, culture and sport organizations, while environmental organizations will be allocated $2 million.
  • This funding will benefit non-profit organizations that deliver key community services such as animal shelter organizations, fish and wildlife associations, lake and stream stewardship societies, district arts councils, museum societies, and theatres.
  • The remaining $7 million will be used to increase funding to groups that have experienced reductions during the past three years, including those responsible for fairs, festivals, youth arts and culture, community service, the B.C. Senior Games and community education organizations.
  • Funding will benefit community-focused organizations such as Kiwanis and Lions Club, heritage and folk music societies, non-profit child development societies, youth music schools and pipe bands.
  • The Province is also exploring options for introducing multi-year funding in the coming years for groups that have achieved earned independence through sound fiscal practices.

Today’s government media release can be found here .
THE REVIEW

Between August 11th and Sept.16th, 2011 Mr. Triplett held Community Forums in 19 locations across BC. A total of 1,229 British Columbians attended these forums and 336 people made oral presentations

The full Community Gaming Grant report can be found here .

The community presentations can be found here .

- END -

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Form Follows Funding

On January 8, 2012, in Art and Culture Funding , Arts Advocacy , by John McLachlan

In a recent article by Clay Shirky about how newspapers are going to figure out their future in terms of revenue, I thought just how much it could apply to many non-profit arts organizations.

In many ways, especially for service organizations, they face a very similar situation. In their case, their subscribers are their members.

Here is the last paragraph from the article.

“It will take time for the economic weight of those users to affect the organizational form of the paper, but slowly slowly, form follows funding. For the moment at least, the most promising experiment in user support means forgoing mass in favor of passion; this may be the year where we see how papers figure out how to reward the people most committed to their long-term survival.”

The key phrase was “form follows funding.”

This is a complex article, but well worth it. You can read it here .

As public funding dries up I think arts organizations will need to look at what their “form” is and will be forced to sink or swim on a new model. Yes, we can scream and kick, but without public funding support the form of the organizations (the way they’ve operated) that have followed the funding are going to be shaken.

In Canada, here is what the Federal Minister of Heritage James Moore said in a Vancouver Sun article: “Moore underlined the fact organizations matching government support with significant private funding will insulate themselves best from cuts and prosper most during the Conservative era.” Full story here .

My read on this? Arts funding has always been political. The pendulum has shifted and we have in Canada a Conservative Government (and in BC a conservative government even though their name is “Liberal”) that a) doesn’t like funding arts and b) wants everything to be run like a business.

The good news is, “Culture” will not die because it’s not funded by public money. They know that. It just won’t be the culture that we who work in the culture business want to hear or see.

We will continue to make the solid arguments about why funding arts is valuable both socially and economically and we’ll adapt. Some will suffer and die, others will thrive. We are very lucky to be able to even have this discussion and debate.

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PS – we shouldn’t overlook the fact that it is the Department of Canadian Heritage. Heritage being the main word. The current Government really likes “Heritage” whereas the arts are about moving forward. Perhaps it’s no wonder they take money from progressive programs to pay for multi-million dollar War of 1812 projects.

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GAMING GRANT POLICY REVIEW

On January 5, 2012, in 2011 Election , Art and Culture Funding , Christy Clark , Gaming Grant Review , Gaming Revenue , by Tom Durrie

WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRISTY CLARK’S GAMING GRANT REVIEW?
This letter was sent to the Vancouver Courier by AABC member Colin Miles.

Arts Advocacy BC sent a short questionnaire posing this question to leadership candidates of the provincial Liberal and New Democratic Party.

“Will you honour the 1999 Memorandum of Agreement to allocate 33.3 percent of gaming revenues to non-profits, or agree to re-negotiate that agreement in good faith?
”

While NDP and Green candidates answered they would honour the memorandum, Christy Clark answered.  “These are difficult economic times and I want to make sure that we maintain our fiscal discipline. At the same time, groups who count on gaming grants 
as a source of revenue need some assurance, which is why I will ask a retired judge to chair a review of the way gaming grants are allocated to all groups in the province to ensure there is a stable and sustainable funding formula.
 The arts community will have a voice at the table during the review of gaming grants as we all work to create a funding system that works for government and the groups that count on the funding.”

Since the Campbell Government abrogated the Memorandum of Agreement, 8,000 organizations in the non-profit sector have been decimated and it is estimated 1,500 non-profit organizations have gone under.  Arts and culture have been doubly jeopardized by savage cuts in grants.

As promised, Premier Clark appointed Skip Triplett to chair a Community Gaming Grant Review.  1,700 British Columbians made submissions and the Report was delivered October 31.  It was supposed to be released to the public by year-end, but the Government has reneged on this promise.   Why the delay?  Does the report perhaps embarrass the government?

Colin Miles

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