The backlash continues to grow against the B.C. government's recent decision to restrict which arts and culture groups are eligible for $11.5 million in provincial gaming-grant support this year.

According to the Ministry of Housing and Social Development, which doles out the gambling revenue, only programs and festivals “that involve active youth participation” can qualify.

Sandy Garossino, chair of the advocacy task force with the Alliance for Arts and Culture, said the sudden shift in policy will affect hundreds of groups in B.C. that have applied for the grants.

“I really feel that there's a disconnect between what the government's policy is and its appreciation of just how much public service is really at risk here,” Garossino told the Straight.

The Ministry of Housing and Social Development has been criticized for revealing little to the public about the details and rationale of the decision to cut off access to the gaming grants. But Minister Rich Coleman has been reported as wondering why arts festivals that charge admission, for example, need to rely on government funds.

Such comments, Garossino argues, show that the government considers the arts and culture sector to be operating on a “free-enterprise” model. She describes this as a mistake, explaining that throughout North America and Europe, the importance of public funding for the arts is well-established.

“This is not a private-enterprise business model,” Garossino said. “This is a public-service model, and the government's participation in that model is a critical component to its sustainability, but it also ties and links to funding from other sources.”

She also expressed skepticism about the government's intention to hand out the entire $11.5 million earmarked for arts and culture grants, given the eligibility restrictions.

“There seems to be a strategy at this point from the government to change that focus and really to use the gaming funds to drive revenue into government coffers for their own programs, and not for community-based programs,” she said.