Vote Vancouver: an arts navigator in six months, then an Independent Arts Council
Vote Vancouver would set up an Arts, Culture and Creative City Navigator at City Hall within six months, then an Independent Arts Council to hand out City arts grants, with at least 90% of its money going to the arts. It would also work toward a Vancouver Arts Foundation for private donations.
PUBLIC SERVICES · PAGES 22 TO 23
Create an Independent Arts Council: what the Policy Priorities says
Vote Vancouver says arts groups that ask the city for money face slow processes, including having single grants debated and voted on by Council. The party says this delays funding and makes it harder for artists to plan festivals and events. Its plan moves arts grants away from Council votes in two steps. The party says Vancouver already has an extraordinary creative community and that the city's job is to make it easier for that community to succeed.
Step one, within six months, is an Arts, Culture and Creative City Navigator at City Hall: a service that helps artists and cultural non-profits get permits, liquor licences and special-event approvals, and that runs shared marketing for the city's arts. Step two is an Independent Arts Council, set up with artists and cultural groups, which would hand out City arts grants and press City Hall to remove needless barriers to permits for events and festivals.
Before the Arts Council is created, the party says it would consult the creative sector, and city staff would report in public on its structure, benefits, costs and whether it would work. The council would get a yearly sum from the city, with at least 90% going to the arts and no more than 10% to running costs. Separately, the party would work with business, donors and artists to set up a Vancouver Arts Foundation for private gifts and sponsorships. The city funds cultural grants and licenses events, so Council can set up the navigator, the staff report and the Arts Council's yearly money. Liquor licensing is shared with the Province. The Arts Foundation would depend on private donors and partners agreeing to take part.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
Time by which the party would set up the Arts, Culture and Creative City Navigator
The party's figure, page 22Share of the Arts Council's city money the party says would go directly to the arts sector
The party's figure, page 23Share of the Arts Council's money the party would allow for administration and operations
The party's figure, page 236 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Arts, Culture and Creative City Navigator within six months
Within six months, Vote Vancouver would set up a Navigator at City Hall to help artists and cultural non-profits with permitting, liquor licensing and special-event approvals, and to coordinate shared marketing that promotes Vancouver's arts and culture and supports tourism.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council decides how city staff are organized and what services City Hall offers.
Independent Arts Council to run City arts grants
The party would work with artists and cultural organizations to establish an Independent Arts Council to administer City arts grants and funding.
- Who has the power
- City Council City arts grants are city money, so Council decides who hands them out.
Arts Council to advocate and remove barriers
The Arts Council would also advocate for the creative sector and work with City Hall to find and remove unnecessary barriers to permits and approvals for arts events and festivals.
- Who has the power
- City Council The permits and approvals in question are city rules that Council can change.
Consultation and a public staff report first
The process would begin with consultation with local artists, cultural organizations and the wider creative sector. City staff would report publicly on the proposed structure, benefits, costs and viability of the Arts Council before it is set up.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can direct city staff to consult and to report in public.
Yearly city allocation with at least 90% to the arts
The Arts Council would receive a dedicated annual allocation from the City to give out as arts grants. At least 90% of the money would go directly to Vancouver's arts and creative sector, with no more than 10% for administration and operations.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the city's operating budget each year, which would set the size of this allocation.
Vancouver Arts Foundation
Vote Vancouver would work with business, philanthropic and creative communities to establish a Vancouver Arts Foundation, a permanent vehicle for private donations, sponsorships and philanthropic investment in the arts.
- Who has the power
- City, with others A private foundation depends on donors and partners outside City Hall, so the city can only help set it up.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about create an independent arts council
What is Vote Vancouver's Independent Arts Council?
Vote Vancouver would create an Independent Arts Council to hand out City arts grants instead of having Council debate single grants. It would get a yearly city sum, with at least 90% going to the arts and no more than 10% to running costs (Policy Priorities, pages 22 to 23).
What is the Arts, Culture and Creative City Navigator?
It is a service Vote Vancouver would set up at City Hall within six months. It would help artists and cultural non-profits with permits, liquor licences and special-event approvals, and run shared marketing for the city's arts (Policy Priorities, page 22).
Why does Vote Vancouver want to change arts funding?
The party says arts groups seeking city money face long processes, including having grants debated and voted on by Council, which it says delays funding and makes festivals and events harder to plan (Policy Priorities, page 22).
Would Vote Vancouver set up the Arts Council right away?
The navigator would come first, within six months. The Arts Council would follow after consultation with the creative sector and a public staff report on its structure, benefits, costs and viability (Policy Priorities, pages 22 to 23).
What is the Vancouver Arts Foundation in Vote Vancouver's platform?
Vote Vancouver would work with business, philanthropic and creative communities to set up a Vancouver Arts Foundation, a permanent way to collect private donations and sponsorships for the arts (Policy Priorities, page 23).
Can Vancouver City Council hand arts grants to an independent body?
Council approves the city's budget and funds cultural grants, so it decides how that money is given out. Vote Vancouver's plan would have city staff report on the Arts Council's costs and viability first (Policy Priorities, page 23).
ON THE BALLOT
The Vote Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Vote Vancouver Policy Priorities SAYS SO ITSELFVote Vancouver · pages 22 to 23 · checked