The following letter was sent to Rich Coleman Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, and copied to Coast Reporter.
In recent weeks, it has become clear that the B.C. government has been pursuing an erratic and dangerous course with regard to funding of the arts and culture through the Gaming Direct Access program. I am writing as a voter, a citizen, a taxpayer and an artist to urge you to reverse this course of action and to act in the interests of the B.C. public in ensuring access to the arts and culture for people in all regions and of all income levels.
The recent arbitrary and misguided changes to the program for non-profit arts and culture organizations are clearly not based on reality. The fact that further changes in qualifying criteria were made, completely unannounced, after proposals were submitted in good faith from around the province, shows either confusion or an attempt to evade responsibility on the part of government decision-makers.
I am recommending that the government reinstate all of the Gaming Direct Access grants that were cancelled in 2009 and re-commit to distributing gaming revenues to charitable organizations, including those in the arts, in line with commitments the provincial government made to the people of B.C. before the massive expansion of gambling in our province. And I am asking that the recent, poorly-conceived restrictions on projects that are eligible for gaming grants be removed.
In addition, the recent 50 per cent cuts to the B.C. Arts Council must be reversed. There is still time to stem the damage this government is doing to the arts and culture in B.C.
Caitlin Hicks
Roberts Creek
