Canadians need to know that arts and culture charities make a difference

Getting a true picture of the contribution that arts, heritage and culture make to the lives of Canadians is always a daunting challenge. This is particularly so in the charitable and not-for-profit sector, where numbers, and the interpretation of them are always nuanced.

What is clear though is that arts and culture are making a difference in communities across Ontario and Canada. That is why it’s so troubling to see the apparent decline in donations from Canadians. Figures released today by Statistics Canada indicate that donations to the country’s not-for-profit and charitable organizations declined 2.6% in 2008. Any number of factors can be attributed to this, but none take away the reality that this is a troubling trend.

Political leaders continue to call for Canadians to dig deeper to support arts and cultural organizations, and other not-for-profit organizations – particularly as the prospect of more limited public sector support is on the horizon. To achieve this though will require a demonstrated leadership on the part of politicians and other leaders in society. Here are some ideas:

- Support the proposed charitable donations stretch tax credit, a measure advanced by Imagine Canada and supported by others to encourage Canadians increased donations;

- Challenge the media to report responsibly and accurately on the contribution and impact of Canada’s 160,000 charities and not-for-profits. No doubt there are bad apples out there, but the vast majority of charities, including those in arts and culture, make meaningful and important contributions to Canadians and our communities. The recent media attention on sleazy charities and questionable practice is misleading and incomplete. Look at the good, which will take a lot more ink, rather than just make headlines out of the few that are out of line.

Policy trends to watch in Ontario

While federal files such as the Copyright Modernization Act dominate the cultural policy agenda, Ontario trends and developments warrant attention.

The Ontario government has worked hard to demonstrate its support of the cultural sector. As the Province no doubt readies itself for some fiscal belt-tightening, Tourism and Culture Minister Michael Chan appears to have wrung out a series of three-year funding enhancements for cultural initiatives.

The most recent announcement was the three-year, $10 million renewal of funding to the Ontario Cultural Attraction Fund (OCAF), announced 25 November. In September, the Province introduced the Arts Investment Fund, another three-year program. There is still more buried in the Spending Estimates, the details of which remain hard to come by.

The latest OCAF news didn’t attract much attention beyond the client base most interested in its sustainability; that is likely the way the Ontario government preferred to see it played, if the buried news release is any indication. The government is looking to portray itself as fiscally prudent to the greater numbers of the unconverted and any cultural spending is risky business.

So, as Minister Chan told The Arts Advocate Report last month, ‘in the immediate term, we’re covered.’

What the future holds though is unclear: Finance Minister Dwight Duncan’s Fall Economic Statement this month received short shrift in the media, with energy prices dominating any and all coverage. Policy watchers could be well advised to look beyond the headlines though, and consider the reality of what the $18.7 billion deficit will mean for all Ontario government spending, particularly after the October 2011 provincial election.

Arts leaders connect with Ottawa decision makers

Arts leaders and artists were in Ottawa last week putting forward the message about the value of the arts to Canadians and making the case for public support. At three separate gatherings (the Canadian Conference of the Arts policy conference, a joint board meeting of the Performing Arts Alliance and the Canadian Arts Coalition's Arts Day on the Hill), politicians and policy makers were engaged in conversations exploring the place of arts in Canadian communities and for Canadians.

It is clear that the focus of this conversation has shifted from earlier times. Today, the relevance and connection to audiences has become the paramount issue. This is something that the sector had somehow become disconnected to, according to Paul Gross the keynote speaker at the CCA conference. “We’ve lost touch with our neighbours” he suggests. In his view, we need to focus on the things that matter in our communities and country, and be part of the discussion about what’s happening around us. From there, we will be able connect to support for the sector.

Across the Rideau Canal, Performing Arts Alliance keynote speaker Ben Cameron put a different spin on the same challenge. Noting that resources always rise to the top of the issue list for artists and arts organizations, his view is that funding is the manifestation of problems, not the cause of the problem. In today’s vastly different world though, arts organizations and artists need to look at their reality through a whole new lens to connect with the audiences of today. This new world though is daunting, one few are equipped or prepared to address.

Against this backdrop of seismic change facing Canada’s arts sector, the Canadian Arts Coalition made the case for more dollars for the Canada Council for the Arts and international touring. It convened over 100 meetings with MPs from all parties, including Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore. Accounts points to a successful day.

Whether in fear of what happened in 2008 or truly seeking to better engage with the Canadian arts sector, the attention and interest of the country’s political leaders is a welcome and good thing!

Where some of Ontario's new mayors stack up on arts and culture

Last week, The Arts Advocate Report provided subscribers with a round up where arts policy fit into Ontario municipal mayoralty elections in major regional cities. To keep you up to date, here are the mayors elected in cities looked at last week, and whether their public position speaks to arts and culture.

On face value, it looks like Windsor will be out ahead.

Kitchener Carl Zehr: No specific platform, but does speak to importance of arts and culture

London Joe Fontana: No reference to arts and culture

Ottawa Jim Watson: No specific platform, but covers culture in tourism policy

Sudbury Marianne Matichuk: No specifics, but believes private money should pay for new performing arts centre

Toronto Rob Ford: No specific platform on arts and culture

Windsor Eddie Francis: Speaks specifically to role of arts and culture in Windsor, and the place of the cultural plan.

Connecting the dots of government investment and public support for the arts

At last week’s open board meeting of the Canada Council for the Arts, Chair Joseph Rotman, Vice Chair Simon Brault and Director Robert Sirman reinforced two key points to the overflow crowd in Toronto:

* The board of the Council enjoys the confidence of the Government of Canada, a result, in its view, of the alignment of Council’s activities and priorities of the Government.

* The current $182 million allocation to Canada’s arts sector, through the Council, is significant and very much appreciated, especially in this time of fiscal restraint.

The Council acknowledges that, on a constant dollar per capita basis, its funding is smaller than in 1990; but it does not see itself in a growth phase at this time. Pointing to the realities of the competing spending priorities faced by Ottawa (and evidenced by the sheer number of witnesses participating at the House of Commons Finance Committee pre-budget hearings underway), the Canada Council board is carefully acknowledging the ‘potential for growth’ without making the ask at this time.

When queried as to why the board of the Canada Council for the Arts was not more aggressively championing a funding increase for the arts, Chair Joseph Rotman delivered a spirited response that pointed to reality of governing at this time. He reinforced again the confidence of government enjoyed by the Council, and stressed the need for everyone to be sensitive to the tenor of our times. (Not sure everyone agreed with him!)

The link to the recent Environics survey on the attitudes of Ontarians to arts and the quality of life (completed for the Ontario Arts Council) becomes salient here: 81% of Ontarians agree that government should spend dollars to support the arts. Dig a little deeper though, and the numbers show that 38% of respondents ‘strongly agree’ with this statement, while 43% are in the ‘somewhat agree’ category.

In this period of shrinking dollars and belt tightening, it’s going to be important for all of us to move people from the ‘somewhat agree’ group to the ‘strongly agree’ group.

From that observation, it’s back to the Canada Council’s new strategic plan and their enhanced focus on ‘public engagement’. I’ll connect those dots another time!

Cultural issues on the municipal election agenda -- it's happening

With Thanksgiving behind us, Ontarians will now turn their attention to the municipal elections in earnest. This year, the cultural sector is a force that candidates are paying heed to, like never before. The politicization of arts issues in the last federal election is ricocheting across the political landscape, and candidates and parties recognize the risk, media wise at least, of being seen as offside.

In Toronto, the largest cultural centre in the country, ArtsVote and the film industry both elevated the importance of cultural contributions. At the Toronto Mayoralty Arts Debate held late September, the crowd was beyond capacity with people even turned away at the overflow spaces. Film Ontario, centred in Toronto, hosted a debate earlier in the month where the leading mayoralty candidates demonstrated their understanding of this rapidly evolving industry, looking to demonstrate how they see it fitting into Toronto.

Outside Toronto, arts issues are also on the agenda. Last night, there was an arts debate in Kingston, also reportedly with overflow crowds. Similarly in Windsor and Ottawa, the arts sector has come together to canvas candidates on their positions about the arts. Information on candidates’ views about the arts is readily available.

Individually, each of these initiatives may not command much attention beyond their immediate target audience. Together, they demonstrate that the cultural sector is taking arts advocacy more seriously, and having more impact than perhaps thought possible in the past. Aided by initiatives like Culture Days, it’s clear that Ontario citizens do embrace, participate in and value arts and cultural opportunities.

Arts and cultural issues don’t dominate the municipal election agenda this fall. But candidates also know that to ignore them, or attack them, is folly.

Brault's No Culture No Future -- Taking up the invitation to discuss how we put culture on the public policy agenda

Happily, this summer I completed Simon Brault’s No Culture, No Future.

An enjoyable read, it reinforced, once again, the challenge of putting culture on the mainstream public policy agenda. For those of us engaged in the cultural sector, the arguments and imperatives of robust cultural policies and programs at every level of government are clear and obvious. We forget though that in many ways, we are speaking only to ourselves with little regard to the importance that others attribute to cultural activity. The realization that the participation rate of Canadians in cultural activities is remaining stable at less than 5% is a sobering figure indeed. (Canadian Index of Wellbeing, Report Highlights, Leisure and Culture, June 2010).

If Canadians don’t see themselves engaging in cultural activity, which many don’t, it’s hard for policy makers to make arts and culture policy a priority.

Brault makes clear that “we must address without delay the issue of attendance at arts events and participation in the arts” if we want arts and culture to move to the forefront of policy discussion. With attendance remaining, at best, stable, we have a distance to go.

More and more money is invested in culture from all sectors, including government, a point acknowledged by Brault in his book. As we look towards an increasingly challenging fiscal environment in the years ahead, it will be imperative to demonstrate to government that Canadians are engaged in the rich array of arts and cultural opportunities and activities offered across the province and country. Culture Days, happening next month, is a great step in the right direction.

Simon Brault is clear that he would like his book to enrich public discussion on cultural policy. He has already gone some distance to achieving that, recognizing that most cultural policy watchers I know have the book on their ‘must read’ summer list. The impending municipal election season in Ontario, together with the reality that Ontario and federal elections will soon follow, provide us all with a great opportunity to sustain the conversation.

Note: The Toronto Mayoral Arts Debate happens Wednesday 29 September, 7 pm at the AGO. Watch for more news on this, and other major arts related municipal election events, in the blog and on our twitter feed.