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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-10-09, Page 6THE EDITOR,I feel compelled to writeand call attention to themyopic nature of Stephen Harper’s $44 million cuts to arts and culture. The impact of these cuts will, without any doubt, result in the closure of a significant number of not-for profit arts organizations across the nation and substantial un- employment throughout this industry. As a professional artist and resident of Huron Bruce, I feel it is my responsibility to speak to the impact these cuts will have, and to some extent address the intent with which they are being administered. According to StatsCan, from their published data on the Economic Contribution of Culture in Canada, our national arts and culture industry directly employs over 750,000 people. This is more than forestry, oil, fishing,mining, and agriculturecombined. This industrygenerates over $40 billion annually for the Canadian economy, approximately 4.5 per cent of our total GDP. Where is the fiscal prudence of cutting crucial funding to not-for-profits that generate this kind of national wealth and employment? This $44 million cut results in a per year savings to each taxpayer of $1.30, or roughly a dime per month…at what cost? Consider the very real local case of the Blyth Centre for the Arts (the Blyth Festival), an organization many of you have come to know me through. These kinds of cuts directly impact the livelihood of hundreds of professional arts workers who practise their craft here. Ask the business owners in the village of Blyth what the impact of having the theatre intown is. Ask the home ownerswho rent out rooms to visitingartists. Ask local hoteliers, B&B owners and campgrounds. Further still, ask any urban planner about the impact arts and culture play in rural revitalization projects. What about our art gallery, our orchestra, our Festival singers? Stephen Harper has been quoted in the national media saying that arts workers live in “ivory towers” and waste public dollars attending “rich galas”…but is this a reality? According to StatsCan, the average artist’s wage in Canada is $23,000 (well below the poverty line). In order to arrive at this average, consider that for every wealthy artist you have ever heard about, hundreds are living in deep poverty. What Stephen Harper alsofails to mention is that hehimself has attended dozensand dozens of galas with heads of business and heads of state, and all of those events fully funded by Canadian taxpayers. I will confess that we hold a biannual gala auction at the Blyth Festival. It’s true. When we do, we rent the community hall from the township, hire service groups like the Legion Ladies Auxiliary to provide dinner and the Lions’ Club to run the bar, and buy all of our decorations locally. I’ll even admit that I have more than once snuck down into our costume department to find a nice enough suit to wear. To propose that these are evenings spent in ivory towers is absurd. On the contrary, we are quite pointedly and specifically reaching out to the communityat large in these moments,bringing them together aroundour common cause. And what is this common cause? What are the arts for anyway? Why should they be subsidized at all in the first place? I can tell you precisely: fellowship, pure and simple. As human beings, we profoundly need to be with others and to have them listen and understand us. This is precisely what every artist, the world over, is attempting to do: to bring us together in fellowship. This is our obligation as artists, to reach out and bring humanity together to consider what we are, why we are, where we have been and where we are going. Ask any arts organization if they could survive with public or private philanthropy and you will uniformly hear aresounding no.If you have a $20 in yourwallet I would urge you to take it out right now, flip it over and read the back of the bill. On it, you will find a quote from one of our nation’s great writers, Gabriel Roy. The quote reads “Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?” Every time you pull out a $20 from now until this election, and beyond I urge you to consider the question posed here. I don’t know if Stephen Harper has read the back of any of his $20 bills, but I wish he had. This kind of short- sighted, unconsidered policy- making is unconscionable. It completely lacks fiscal prudence, and undervalues all of us as Canadians. Sincerely, Gil Garratt. PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008.Letter to the editorCuts to arts compels actor to state views THE EDITOR, Concern for the Lake Huron shoreline is increasing due to deteriorating water quality conditions, algal foulings and damage to the coastal ecosystem from the spread of the invasive common reed (phragmites). At our biennial, Is The Coast Clear? conference held this summer, Gord Miller, the environmental commissioner of Ontario highlighted the lack of basic monitoring and research being conducted on Lake Huron, even going so far as to say that our federal and provincial governments are not living up to their obligations in this regard. Personally, I was shocked to learn that the problems facing the lake are not being monitored, and are poorly understood. In order to develop solutions, we need monitoring to determine the extent of the problems, and research to properly understand them. Elections provide us, the people who live along the beautiful shoreline of Lake Huron, the opportunity to highlight our shared affection and concern for the lake and its wellbeing. During the term of the next government important international and federal-provincial agreements will be negotiated which lay out the responsibilities of the government for Lake Huron. The possibility for a significant commitment is highlighted by the $30 million allocated for research, monitoring and stewardship for Lake Simcoe in the last federal budget. Amongst the many issues that you will consider when you vote, be sure to include our shoreline, and ask your candidate where they stand on funding research and monitoring for Lake Huron. Dr. Brian Luinstra Chair, Board of Directors Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. Letter Reader asks voters to consider the lake There was a somber tone to the Oct. 1 meeting of county councillors, held just one day after the announcement that a major industry, Volvo in Goderich would be closing in 2010, putting 500 people out of work. In his opening remarks warden John Bezaire of Central Huron said it had been a month of ups and downs culminating in the news heard Sept. 30. He stated that the county will need to be considering what could be done to extend support to the town. Goderich councillor Deb Shewfelt later in the meeting asked if the board of health could discuss whether a hotline might be needed. “I think we are going to see a lot of stress in the community and I think it will be higher as we approach mid-June (when production at the Maitland Road plant will cease).” Shewfelt added that in many families both parents had worked at the plant. Councillor John Grace of Goderich, said that the company has also made counsellors available to employees and suggested that the health unit could perhaps work with them. Volvo closure sets mood at county council By Bonnie Gropp The Citizen