Vancouver passes a culture plan for the next decade with no major increase in funding

The City of Vancouver has passed a new arts and culture plan for the next 10years that is bold in ambition, if not in funding.

Entitled "Culture | Shift," the plan aims for "blanketing the city in arts and culture" and prioritizes affordable and accessible spaces, cultural equity, accessibility, reconciliation and decolonization.

The full report can be read here.

But while there are dozens of recommendations in the report, the amount of additional money budgeted over the next four years is just $3.2 million and would leave cultural service fundingas a smaller percentage of the city's budget in 2023 than it was in 2010.

"It seems like not a like a lot of money to me," said Vancouver Coun. Adrianne Carr, who nonetheless voted in favour."Is the amountof money being recommended sufficient?"

Cross-collaboration

Jessica Wadsworth, co-chair of the Vancouver Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, said "we wanted to make a reasonable request, but certainly we can ask for more."

However, she applauded the overall plan which came after months of consultation with hundreds of artistic groups and said the lack of major funding increases was mitigated by the city's commitment to move more efficiently across different departments.

"The collaboration with urban planning, with people that do business with real estate and development ... I think that collaboration is worth more than the dollars," she said.

The city hopes to build 800,000 square feet of cultural space in the next decade, including 400 spaces that double as housing. In addition, the report calls for a a music task force, as well a hired person within city hall to lead its music strategy.

But the committee was equally as excited around the decolonization and equity recommendations, which included developing Indigenous grant programsand increasing investment and leadership opportunities for Indigenous arts and culture.

"If we articulate land acknowledgements, than we should decolonize arts and culture," said Megan Lau, the committee's other co-chair.

"If we say Vancouver values culture, we have to find a way for artists of every type to make a living wage."

'Mission creep'

The plan was applauded by most councillors, who said it was a necessary step to ensure artists could continue to live in Vancouver.

But Colleen Hardwick abstained from the vote, saying that while she had worked in the creative sector for over three decades, theplan was a sign of the city's "mission creep."

"I'm supportive of the creative industries. I eat, liveand breathe it. But I'm also very mindful ... that we have to live within our means," she said.

"We are continuing to ask for more and more on thingsthat fall outside the scope of local government."

However, all other councillorsvoted in favour.

"This isn't mission creep," said Pete Fry."This is how we build pride in our city.This is how we build the economy, [and] how we build a city for everyone."