Your support could make all the difference...

Our province is the third largest producer of cultural output in Canada.  According to Statistics Canada¹, culture contributed $5.2-billion dollars to provincial revenue – 4% of gross domestic product .  Moreover, BC has the highest concentration of artists per capita in Canada. 

Yet per capita provincial investment in the arts and cultural sector is among lowest of the Canadian provinces, ahead of only PEI, Newfoundland and New Brunswick.

Government and independent studies over a period of many years have clearly established the value of the arts and cultural sector to the economy, community-building, health and fitness, justice, urban development, education, creativity and innovation.

Arts Future BC² believes that public investment in arts and culture leads to sustainable, safe and healthy communities. Arts Future BC is asking the provincial government to invest in communities throughout British Columbia by increasing its investment in arts and culture through the British Columbia Arts Council.  An increase to $32-million of the BC Arts Council’s core budget would lift our province to fifth place in terms of per capita funding [behind Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, and Nova Scotia].  This increase would require an investment amounting to just over one percent of the government’s recently-announced surplus.

How can you help?

We urge you to let your elected representatives know that you value arts and culture. Please phone your MLA, send him/her a letter or email message, take her/him to lunch – and urge your friends to do the same.

MLAs hear from all kinds of people, all the time, about all kinds of issues – if they are not hearing from you about your support for arts and culture they will naturally assume that this is not an area of concern for their constituents.

Please – if the availability of accessible and affordable arts and cultural events and activities is important to you, take action now, while the government is preparing the budget for 2008.  Please speak to your MLA and let her/him know you care.

Find your MLA: http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm




1. Economic Contribution of the Cultural Sector to Canada’s provinces, March 2007

2. Arts Future BC is the largest coalition of arts supporters ever assembled in BC.