Representatives of the local arts community will appear before council Wednesday, Sept. 25 to ask for more support.
Eli Klasner, executive director of the Community Arts Council, Marnie Hamagami, artistic producer of Theatre Northwest, Sue Judge, executive director of the Coldsnap Festival and Ken Hall, executive director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, will provide an update on current and future plans for their organizations as well as request an increase in their multi-year funding agreement with the city.
They will point out that the average Canadian municipality spends $25 per capita on arts funding. That's also the BC average. However, Kelowna pays $44 and Kamloops pays $80.
Prince George pays $7.
Combined, the four organizations operate on 50 per cent earned revenue (for example, ticket sales), 42 per cent government support and 8 per cent private donations.
In 2024, the organizations received $354,276 from the federal government, $310,160 from the province and $267,528 from the city.
While the federal and provincial components have risen over the years - Ottawa gave $149,639 in 2018 while BC gave $249,849 - the city's contribution has fluctuated from a high of $298,570 in 2020 to a low of $260,833 in 2023.
The report going to council outlines the return on the city's investment in the arts:
- Increase staff cohort to better support community co-ordination, engagement and accessibility
- Increased number of arts and cultural events and programs
- Much higher profile for PG regionally, provincially and nationally
- Improved attractiveness of PG as a travel destination and place of residence, with strong economic return
Council meets at 6 p.m.
