The Kevin Files: Direct Access Gaming Funds Held Back

Author Name: 
Andrew Templeton

The Times Colonist newspaper is reporting that the BC Provincial Government has frozen $36 million in grants from lottery and gaming revenues. This is funding that provides core support to arts, sports and community groups across the province.

Gaming's Direct Access program is handed out by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development. According to the Times Colonist, this funding usually arrives in late spring, just in time for fiscal year-end bookkeeping. However, this year, the majority of groups are still waiting with no official explanation provided.

The article, written by Grania Litwin, further reports that four members of Victoria's ProArt Alliance met with Kevin Krueger, the Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister, to discuss the freeze and cultural funding cuts announced in February -from $19.5 million last year to $9.6 million in 2010-11.

In an interview, Krueger stressed that the Government priorities are health, education and social services.

"We're working hard to make sure gaming funds achieve the level of last year, or close to it," he said. "We do understand the urgency, that arts groups need sustainability."

Krueger added that $15.1 million in supplementary funding in March, "gave a lot of heart balm," and avoided cuts this year, but next year is still up in the air.

But NDP MLA Spencer Herbert, opposition critic for tourism, culture and the arts, argued the freeze doesn't make sense. "According to the government's own figures, for every dollar invested in the arts they get $1.36 back in the form of taxes. This could be devastating for the arts because donations are down, endowment funds are down, corporate sponsorships are down."