NSNDP

October 15th, 2019

Stable funding required for arts and culture

HALIFAX - The NDP will re-introduce legislation today that would provide stable funding for arts and cultural industries in Nova Scotia. The bill will require that one per cent of provincial revenues be spent on funding for the arts.

“When the Liberals eliminated the Film Tax Credit and the Equity Fund, it sent our cultural industries into a tailspin. Many people have left, because film and television provided regular employment that people could build a life around, while pursuing other creative projects,” said Susan Leblanc, NDP Communities, Culture and Heritage spokesperson. “There are incredible artists in this province trying to make a go of it, but without stable funding from year to year it becomes very difficult for the industry to grow. We need to unlock Nova Scotia’s creative potential.”

This year funding for the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage is set at about $93 million. Under the NDP’s plan funding would increase to $111 million. This funding would see more support for arts and culture organizations and for creative endeavors in the province.

“We are one of the lucky organizations with provincial core funding, but it only represents nine per cent of our budget. That level of funding has been frozen for 6 years, while federal funding has increased.” said Sara Coffin Co-Artistic Director at Mocean Dance. “With increased funding we could produce more shows, provide longer-term employment to artists and increase outreach abilities. The lack of funding makes it difficult to plan and without public support it's hard to get private sector sponsors to come on board. Stable funding is saying yes to real community connections and development.”

The Liberals eliminated the Film Tax Credit, which sent cultural industries in Nova Scotia into a decline. While there has been some improvements in recent years, the lack of stable funding makes it difficult for arts organizations to plan and grow.

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