Today, in the midst of the provincial election, I am calling on the next B.C. government to increase the annual base budget of the B.C. Arts Council from $39 million to $200 million. That would account for 0.02 percent of the $89.4 billion in provincial government expenditures in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
This substantial increase in arts investments could easily be financed by reducing fossil-fuel subsidies. In 2020, Stand.earth documented that these subsidies had reached $1 billion annually under Premier John Horgan’s B.C. NDP government.
One of the benefits of boosting B.C. Arts Council funding is its jury system. This takes some of the politics out of the process.
The B.C. NDP government’s fiscal plan freezes spending on arts and culture at $38,965,000 in 2025-26 and increases it slightly in 2026-27. The B.C. Arts and Culture Endowment Special Account is frozen each year at $4,230,000.
The government states that arts and culture are “critical to the well-being of society and support vibrant, resilient, innovative, and engaged communities”. If this is the case, then why are we holding the line on investments in this sector?
Let’s get real. Paris did not become Paris without investments in the arts. New York did not become New York without investments in the arts. These investments pay off big time in tourism, employment, attracting talented executives, and quality of life. Do we really want B.C.’s suburban cities to become cultural deserts?
Keep in mind that arts organizations face inflationary pressures. Nor are they immune to the challenge of finding staff. In fact, Hill Strategies has reported that more than half of them have said that it had become more challenging to recruit and retain staff over the previous year.
B.C. Arts Council supports sustainability
Arts and culture encourage empathy for our neighbours, inspire youths, serve as a bulwark against bigotry, and promote public engagement. Yet in its New Foundations strategic plan for 2018 to 2022, the B.C. Arts Council “identified gaps in funding distribution for individuals and groups who are Black and people of colour, and those who are Deaf or experience disability”.
Furthermore, arts and culture are critically important if we are to successfully transition to a sustainable economy. We must embrace an economy far more rooted in experiences rather than continuing to subsidize fossil-fuel production and encouraging mass consumption of goods. There is no other option if humanity is to survive in the 21st century.
Meanwhile, the B.C. government estimates that in 2026, between $483 million and $581 million will be spent hosting seven FIFA World Cup matches in Vancouver. The government anticipates that these gross costs will be offset by $383 million to $436 million in revenues and recoveries, including $116 million from the federal government.
That still leaves a gap of $47 million to $198 million. As a result, more public money will be poured into B.C. Place in downtown Vancouver. These funds won’t be invested in new arts venues in suburban communities.
I would like to see an art gallery near Templeton Station on Sea Island. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a new arts venue near the new Capstan Way Station between Bridgeport and Aberdeen stations? None of this is possible without political will.
Let’s get on with making the transition to a truly sustainable future rather than sinking so much money into a short-term circus like the World Cup.
This article was adapted from a post on Charlie Smith’s Substack account.
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