Dear member,
This will be Equity’s final communication to BC members in the run-up to the election on May 9. A highlight in the third week of the campaign was the arts debate which took place on May 1. Representatives explained how their parties are planning on supporting the sector.

Want to educate yourself about the candidates and issues? Equity has you covered: The BC Election Portal on the Equity website has useful tools as well as analysis of the various platforms.

Global Public Affairs’* final weekly analysis can be found here.
We hope that you have found the BC Needs Arts & Culture poster useful. In the home stretch leading up to election day, it will be important to refer back to some of the key messages so that your neighbours, friends and colleagues are aware of the issues facing artists in the BC. Remember, arts & culture matter in this election! Equity members highlighted the following issues:
  • Improve arts education within elementary and high schools by integrating arts programming into the curriculum and bringing professional artists into classrooms who are paid industry standards.
  • Double the BC Arts Council budget over the next three years, with an immediate increase of $8.16 million (to bring BC in line with other provinces). This will improve the income of artists in the province.
  • It is critical to address the needs of artists and audiences from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, including indigenous groups (who represent five percent of BC’s population). Targeted program funding at the BC Arts Council would be a way to address this issue.
  • The arts sector must become more accessible to all physical ability levels for audiences as well as performers both on and backstage. Developing a provincial cultural infrastructure fund that would leverage existing federal dollars for renovations would improve access.
Arts Debate Report 
The BC Alliance for Arts + Culture hosted an all-candidates meeting for the arts on Monday, May 1. A great overview of the discussion was prepared by the Alliance in which messaging from the BC Greens, Liberals and NDP is summarized.

Participants included Amanda Konkin from the Green Party, BC NDP’s Spencer Chandra Herbert and Sam Sullivan from the BC Liberal Party.
L to R: arts activist Melody Ma, candidates Chandra Herbert, Konkin and Sullivan (photo courtesy of Jane Heyman)
Election Candidate Surveys
The candidates' responses to the arts and culture survey closed on May 1.Responses can be searched by electoral district on the Electoral Districts page.

ArtsVOTE Gets Social

There were some lively and informative social media exchanges captured by ArtsVOTE BC in the following twitter postings:

"Status of the Artist" report was mentioned by @sam_sullivan @SChandraHerbert at the @ArtsVoteBC meeting.

@akonkin – ‘we need to be better at recognizing the vital role arts and culture plays in our province.' #bcpoli #ArtsVoteBC

@SChandraHerbert - dedicated infrastructure funding through BCAC for dependable, non-partisan funding. #ArtsVoteBC #bcpoli

@SChandraHerbert - We need to build co-ops, low and middle income housing. #ArtsVoteBC #bcpoli

@akonkin - we need more Aboriginal voices in teaching programs. #bcpoli #ArtsVoteBC
Last Chance! Pick up an "I VOTE ARTS & CULTURE" button and visit Equity's new Western Office location.
*Global Public Affairs is one of Canada’s leading privately held strategic communications and government relations consultancy. With offices across Canada, the firm represents many of the largest corporate sector organizations in the country, touching on all facets of the national economy.

You are receiving this email as you opted in to receiving arts and culture coverage, election resources, media coverage and links to the parties and their election platforms.