I attended the mayoral candidates debate at The Regent this month. It was an informative evening, but I was disappointed in the short-sightedness of all three candidates on the question of increasing arts funding. 

This was the question:

If Municipal investment in local arts organizations were tripled to $150,000 in 2027, it would project to $3,750,000 in total generated revenue and leveraged funding, according to the Ontario Arts Council’s 25-to-1 financial leverage baseline for funded cultural organizations. 

If elected, will you advocate for increased municipal investment in arts and culture as an economic development strategy to create jobs, attract high-spending visitors, and grow the local economy?

In response, we heard three versions of “in times of austerity, we must cut the extras.” Not one candidate supported a proposed funding increase of just $100k.  

Arts are not an “extra.”

Prince Edward County is home to the largest population of professional, working artists in the province. It is sixth per capita in the country.

When you look around it is hard to deny the positive impact of this hard-working sector of our community. On any given weekend, spring, summer and fall, there are more than a dozen live music options to enjoy. Multiple art, music, and film festivals draw visitors year after year. Art and craft fairs draw dozens of local artisans and hundreds of visitors over a day or a weekend. The Studio Tour, established 30 years ago, brings visitors to all corners of the County. Multiple recording studios are located here, alongside a burgeoning music scene. 

Our arts and culture organizations are one the largest driving forces behind the dramatic expansion of tourism into the shoulder seasons over the past few years. They are, in fact, spearheading the development of a four-season economy.

Many small towns in Ontario have beautiful beaches, a rich cultural heritage, hotels, restaurants, and wineries. Prince Edward County has the added attraction of a brilliant arts community. It cannot be overlooked—or overestimated—as a major economic driver. It creates unique experiences, the incentive for repeating—often annual—visits, as well as employment opportunities on the ground. 

Quite simply, the arts—of theatre, music, film, painting, and performance —make this a better place to live and a wonderful one to visit.

Investing in the arts is a must if the goal is to create a stronger year-round economy. The bang for the buck alone is an argument: $150k is a very small amount if you consider what it would yield. The increase would enable an expansion and diversification of the already well-established visual and performance arts into music and film production and the literary arts. 

Through conversations with music producers, Visit The County, and people with economic development backgrounds over the last two months, I have explored ways to build up these fledgling industries here, to make more of what we already have. 

Building the arts in a way that is not just connected to tourism, but creates year-round employment opportunities should be a no-brainer in a region that promotes itself for the arts as much as we do. We have the people and talent necessary to dream big, and the drive and financial clout to make it happen.

Arts funding does not just support expanded jobs and tourism, but contributes positively to the well being of our community through programs like the Department of Illumination’s Art Kitchen and Quintissimo, a free local music program for kids.

These are the reasons why I stand behind the idea of expanded arts funding even in times of austerity and amid concerns over debt. There is always a lot of talk about how to build a year-round economy, and not just in this election. For most of my life here that talk has been about how we need more jobs, and new small industry. I have yet to hear much in the way of concrete ideas, what industries we need to support or expand, or how to do this in a consistent, sustainable way year after year.

Supporting the arts means working with established small businesses in the arts and tourism.

Art is, paradoxically, such an important part of the fabric of life that it is often taken for granted. In Prince Edward County, arts work goes on everywhere, in every genre, and often by unpaid or barely paid volunteers. It’s time to get serious. It is already a crucial part of our economic base and tourist economy. We are lucky to have such a vibrant community of creatives—one that is only attracting more. 

With support, hard work and innovative thinking, I truly believe we can build an already well established base into something even bigger, with a positive economic impact for everyone.