[e-drive] E-DRIVE [B.C. LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN]

[caea-l at list.web.net]

Please direct all responses and inquiries directly to the theatre or
association listed in the e-drive notice below.

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B.C. LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN
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THE FUTURE OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN BC NEEDS YOUR HELP! 

The Provincial Government's Standing Committee on Finance recently
recommended in its budget report to Treasury Board that the government,
"increase funding to the BC Arts Council to enhance arts and culture in
the province." 

This is great news! But for this recommendation to have effect, the
Ministry for Tourism Sport and the Arts needs to back it up with a
request to Treasury Board for an increase to their budget. And you can
help make this happen. 

Here's what you can do:

1) Email the Honourable Stan Hagen, Minister for Tourism, Sport and the
Arts (stan.hagen.mla at leg.bc.ca) saying you endorse the Standing
Committee's recommendation. Specifically, tell him you support the
following key recommendation:
"To ensure an adequate investment in sustainable communities throughout
British Columbia, Arts Future BC is recommending all-party support for
an increased investment of $32 million in Arts and Culture through the
British Columbia Arts Council, in the 2007-2009 budgets."

2) Send a copy of your email to the Honourable Carol Taylor, Minister of
Finance (carol.taylor at leg.bc.ca) and to the members of Treasury Board:
*         Honourable Rick Thorpe, Vice Chair: rick.thorpe.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Pat Bell: pat.bell.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Bill Bennett: bill.bennett.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Shirley Bond: shirley.bond.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Ida Chong: ida.chong.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Rich Coleman: rich.coleman.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Kevin Falcon: kevin.falcon.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Colin Hansen: colin.hansen.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         Honourable Linda Reid: linda.reid.mla at leg.bc.ca
*         John Yap, MLA: john.yap.mla at leg.bc.ca 
*         Iain Black, MLA: iain.balck.mla at leg.bc.ca 

3) Send a copy to your own MLA You can get the email address for your
MLA at http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm

4) Send a copy to us, so we can keep track of the numbers of letters
going to the minister. 

Numbers count! Government needs to hear from you to know this issue
matters.
WRITE NOW! These emails need to go out by December 10th. 
Just make sure you say you endorse the Standing Committee's
recommendation and support an increased investment of $32 million to the
BC Arts Council in the 2007 to 2009 budgets to support arts and culture
in BC.

Background
Throughout the fall, Arts Future BC has been coordinating submissions to
the Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. This is the
committee that makes recommendations to Treasury Board for the upcoming
provincial budget. The Committee toured the province this fall getting
community input. Arts Future BC coordinated oral presentations to the
Committee in eight regional centres and presented the Committee with a
detailed written brief
<http://www.assemblybcartscouncils.ca/WebSite/bNews_Home/NewsEventsProje
cts/ArtsFuturebrief.pdf>. All of these presentations focused on the
recommendation to increase BC's investment in arts and culture with a
$32 million increase to BC Arts Council's budget.

Who is Arts Future BC?
Arts Future BC is coalition of eight BC arts and culture service
organizations and citizens groups. Between us we represent over 900 arts
organizations and thousands of individual artists and arts supporters
throughout the province.

Why Now?
A delegation from Arts Future BC is meeting with the Honourable Stan
Hagen, Minister for Tourism, Sport and the Arts on December 12th. We
will be asking for his ministry's support for the Standing Committee on
Finance's recommendation to increase support for arts and culture
through BC Arts Council. Your letters will add strength to our arguments
and show the Minister that we have a broad base of support in this
campaign. 

Why BC Arts Council?
Arts Future BC believes that BC Arts Council is THE vehicle to deliver
this much needed investment: it puts funding into the hands of
individual artists and arts organizations directly engaged in arts and
culture creation, production and dissemination, and community
development through the arts, working throughout the province. BC Arts
Council is also the best agency to deliver core funding to build
sustainable arts organizations, to support BC artists, and to ensure
that BC communities benefit from a stable arts sector that contributes
to the social and economic health of the community.

Why $32 million?
Arts Future BC has researched Provincial Government's current investment
in arts and culture, set reasonable funding targets and costed out what
it would take to reach these targets. $32 million will move us from one
of the lowest of Canada's provinces in contributions to arts and culture
to one of the highest. This is not unreasonable considering BC has one
of the most vibrant arts and culture sectors in the country. This
increase will also provide much needed longer term stability for BC's
arts and culture community.
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Canadian Actors' Equity Association
44 Victoria St., 12th floor
Toronto, ON  M5C 3C4
www.caea.com



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