Printed in today's Oakville Beaver

RE: Arts Funding in the 2011 Municipal Budget.

To the Editor,

As a board member of the Oakville Camera Club, it is my sincerest hope that funding for the Arts Council and the grants is left alone in the 2011 municipal budget. Looking at the big picture, municipal funding of the arts brings a multi-fold return on investment which in turn means more tax revenue for the town of Oakville.

To refer the October 2008 article Harnessing the Power of the Arts: Capitalizing on the Economic Power of the Creative Industry from the International City Management Association newsletter, all three levels of American Government spend less than $4 billion USD per year on arts investment in form of grants yet reaping nearly $30 billion USD in revenue for all three levels of Government. That’s a seven to one return on investment.

The other argument I’m putting forth against cutting arts funding (Arts Council and grant program) is that while yes, it would save some money in a tough year but it will diminish community involvement. It also sends a rather mixed message with the finishing touches put on the QE Park Community Centre which has a significant arts programming component to the facility, yet funding to groups who will be tenants get cut.

It’s sad this issue gets re-visited every couple of years at budget time. I appreciate the tough choices our councilors have to make. Times are tough for municipalities even with ones in decent shape like the Town of Oakville and allocating scarce tax dollars for competing priorities is a task not taken lightly.


Regards
William Smith, Vice President
Oakville Camera Club
Oakvillecameraclub.com