Somebody has to say it.

The arts community has been stuck with the most idiotic and stupid arts-grant program I’ve seen in the close to 30 years I’ve been involved in the arts in British Columbia.

Very few are speaking about it because they fear they will lose out on potential grant money.

Here’s what’s happening right now: arts groups around the province are scrambling to jump through new hoops and twist and bend themselves to come up with ideas to create events in February that will supposedly, as Minister Kevin Krueger puts it, “celebrate and renew the pride and excitement British Columbians experienced during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games”¦”

FOR GOD’S SAKE. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard.

It’s creating artificial excitement that is completely inauthentic. (The excitement during the Olympics in Vancouver was authentic, but that’s because the Olympics were actually happening then).

We have arts organizations with slashed funding and many collapsing but we will have “festivals” in February. Woo hoo.

People and organizations working in the arts often get accused by the general public and many politicians for not being “businesslike” in how they operate. In fact, many people in the current B.C. Liberal government probably really believe this.

Yet, they foist an incredibly stupid model onto a sector that knows better than almost any other how to run on a shoestring, effectively.

Instead of the millions of dollars that will be spent on Spirit Festivals, they could have given the money to arts groups for operating which would have then spent the money in very prudent and fiscally responsible ways.

Now, we have millions being wasted on what will most likely be harebrained funding proposals that do little to help anyone.

It makes me sick.

John McLachlan is a former chair of the Alliance for Arts and Culture and a former executive director of the B.C. Touring Council. This commentary first appeared on his blog.