Liberal leadership candidate Moira Stilwell says arts groups would benefit from multi-year funding

Liberal leadership hopeful Moira Stilwell, MLA for Vancouver-Langara, says she is in favour of multi-year grants for arts organizations.

Speaking by phone with the Straight this morning, Stilwell, a radiologist and nuclear medicine physician who was the first candidate to join the Liberal leadership race, said she had yet to formulate her policy on arts. However, she did speak out in favour of funding stability for the sector: “One thing that I am aware of, that I’m interested in, is that we did go to a three-year granting process, and I understand the arts community wants the ability to plan and stability of funding,” she said. “I think there should at least be options and criteria for three-year grants, two-year grants, and one-year grants.”

Three-year Direct Access gaming grants were introduced in 2007-08, but the government has made no commitments to reinstate the program, and has terminated gaming grants to adult arts and culture organizations that do not have multi-year funding commitments. (In July 2008, the government initially eliminated gaming grants to all arts organizations, but was later forced to backtrack amidst threats of legal action and honoured its multi-year funding commitments.)

Stilwell said she was not certain how future multi-year grants for arts groups should be administered. She did not commit to restoring gaming grants to the arts, but said she was open to considering it. "I want to re-look at tightening the relationship again, or linking the relationship to gaming grants,” she offered. “We would all prefer not to see gaming grant revenue go into general revenue. Now, in fairness, we are in the worst recession in 80 years and you sometimes have to do things temporarily that are unpalatable or undeniable to get you through a tight phase,” she continued. “Certainly funding of the B.C. Arts Council would be a priority. I think they play a important role in the arts community and in British Columbia, so I am keen to see that restored as soon as we can, and I would like to have a granting process that does offer three-, two-, and one-year grants so arts groups can, as I say, plan and implement or complete projects that take that kind of timespan.”

When first asked about her arts policy, Stilwell noted, “In the 17 months that I’ve been in elected office, I haven’t had a lot of time to learn about arts funding, but certainly I am meeting with arts groups and I haven’t finished that process of educational consultation....One of my main reasons to run is to secure the economic future of B.C. so obviously I’m focusing on the knowledge economy of which the creative industries, including arts and culture, are an important part.”

She added: “In terms of specifics, I’m not ready to commit the way some other candidates do. I think it’s important not to make a lot of promises during the leadership race that we won’t be able to meet.”

Of the four candidates so far in the Liberal leadership race—which includes George Abbott, Mike de Jong, and Christy Clark in addition to Stilwell—only one has outlined a clear arts policy. Abbott has committed to restoring the B.C. Arts Council budget to 2008-09 levels, reinstating gaming grants to arts organizations, and restoring the B.C. Arts Council’s role as an organization responsible for advocacy on behalf of the arts. Abbott also said he would examine options on how to improve the Council’s structure to foster an arm’s length relationship with government.