Kitchener Council calling for increased arts funding from Canadian Government

Kitchener City Council passed a motion that will see it send a letter to the minister of Canadian Heritage calling for changes to the way arts funding is allocated to municipalities.

Ward 2 Coun. Dave Schnider tabled the motion Monday night, which passed with unanimous consent. In the motion is was revealed that current federal funding program works on a competitive assessment model.

Under that system, cities like Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg receive an average of $18.30 per capita while Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo receives an average of $3.39 per capita.

While speaking The Mike Farwell Show, Schnider said municipalities are facing massive budget constraints and it’s putting the squeeze on things like the arts. He says the municipal tax payer shouldn’t be expected to shoulder all the burden.

“We (city council) has so many pressures on us. So many things that we have to look after and take care of with a limited budget that we can only gather from the tax base,” he said. “We’re calling on the federal government and the Canada Council for the Arts to adjust the funding they’re giving our city and in fact the whole region.”

The city is calling for the federal government to develop a regional development funding model that would ensure cash is dolled out on a per-capita basis. It also calls for a overall increase to funding.

Schnider went on to say it’s not as if the city is looking for a handout.

“I’m a big believer that when you’re trying to get something done, be it housing or now arts, that it takes all levels of government. We (the city), I think are putting in our fair share and we’re not saying you do it all. We’re saying if you’re funding like this, please make it fair.”

The region has struggled to provide enough support for arts programs, particularly coming out of the pandemic.

Last year the KW Symphony declared bankruptcy and TheMuseum has faced ongoing budget shortfalls. Schnider said those are prime examples of what happens when arts don’t receive proper funding.

Just before city council passed the motion, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic suggested a similar letter be sent the provincial government to step-up their funding to support the arts.