I meant to mention a news item from Markham last week.
The Arts Council was having to contemplate shutting down for lack of funding. Encouragement in art was what they were about.
The annual budget was $120,000. It sounded like the municipality had cut back. Markham has four regional councillors ,they probably have several times higher population.
The news story provided a list of Arts Council budgets in the GTA
Etobicoke was highest at a little over $300,000.
Etobicoke, Ford's Nation, probably has at least ten times the population of Aurora.
This year we doled out more than half a million dollars to the Culture Centre Board. People we know nothing about.
We provide them a newly renovated building to generate revenue with no overheads except payroll.
The governing body is self-selected. Like the Farmers Market
You've inflated the number - again. The cost of building maintenance shouldn't be included because it would have to be paid however the place was being put to use.
ReplyDeleteThat is going to have to be the problem of an in-coming Council facing the budget. We cannot afford such largesse. One of the new candidates wants increased ' meaningful ' funding for the Arts. Oh, yeah, and to send an Auroran artist to France.
ReplyDeleteI thought you opposed funding for the arboretum?
ReplyDeleteStrange seasonal ? change. A staff member who traditionally wanders about all winter in shirt sleeves appears in a jacket just as summer kicks in. Could this be due to the fact that he was required to answer questions from council this evening ? Or was it due to excessive air-conditioning ?
ReplyDeleteOh my....So much for Markham's "quality of life".
ReplyDeleteUnless you know something I do not, we are stuck with the status quo, a microcosm of the provincial elections. The current bunch are quite willing to forego a fully paid tennis bubble on otherwise unusable land in favour of some pie-in-the-sky all-year sport facility to cost an enormous amount.
ReplyDeleteFor the record... Arts Council does not equal Culture Centre.
ReplyDeleteYes, Markham has a larger population than Aurora. Markham also has a major theatre.
Perhaps if you researched what the "Arts Council" does as opposed to the Culture Centre, you may have an argument. But until, I am on the fence.
Toronto's festival of the arts, Luminato, has been told that it " has to justify its existence " this year because of the huge costs it keeps incurring.
ReplyDelete