Connecting The Dots

[img_assist|nid=600|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=270|height=58]Sometimes you've got to wonder. This past November, Vancouver voters (that is those that could be bothered to drag themselves from their drug or latte induced haze) delivered a revolution to "City Hall":http://vancouver.ca/. But - believe it or not - not everyone was delighted at this turn of events. Take ex-Councillor "Elizabeth Ball":http://www.elizabethball.ca/ for example.

Here's what she had to say this past week:

"In the past three years we totally opened up the conversation between artists and cultural services [at City Hall]...we did a phenomenal amount of work in culture."

"I was able to achieve so much for artists in the city...it was such a wonderful experience working with a wonderful staff."

In her own words, her defeat was "a great loss to the city".

Meanwhile, elsewhere in our great city, the media was widely reporting on what was happening at "Ballet BC":http://www.balletbc.com/. This is how the Globe and Mail reported it:

"Faced with a mounting deficit and poor ticket sales, the arts group laid off 38 staff on Monday, including dancers, administrators and its feted artistic director John Alleyne."

"The company was looking for an 'angel" donor to offer at least $500,000, and, realistically, $1 million by end of the year to secure the company's future."

I know Vancouver's got a reputation for being la-la land but even to this simple chicken it's quite obvious where fantasy and reality begins and ends when it comes to culture in this city.