OPINION: Will Toronto’s Next Mayor Champion the Arts?

Courtesy TheMarkNews.com

First out of the gate, Joe Pantalone released his Cultural Capital Plan on June 29th. The platform contains three major ideas: To increase investment from $18 per capita to $25 per capita over 5 years, to create a new “Cultural Access Pass Program” for new Canadians that would give new local immigrants free access to major cultural offerings in the city for one year, and to better market Toronto as a screen industry leader.

As a city council veteran, it’s no surprise that Pantalone makes mention of the city’s existing Culture Plan for the Creative City, adopted by council in 2003. He advocates a need to adopt the next generation of the plan and prioritize new investments, beginning with new support for local artists and arts organizations across Toronto.

Referencing the Toronto Arts Council’s Neighbourhood Arts Network “block-by-block” program, Pantalone also commits to improving arts involvement in Toronto neighbourhoods through things like arts in the parks, audience development initiatives, arts programs in the schools, and Culture Days involvement and funding. No detail is provided on how this might be achieved and whether investment in these initiatives would be over and above the committed $25 per capita over five years.

Finally, Pantalone underscores that “arts and culture activities have a significant role to play in city-wide priorities such as economic development, public engagement, infrastructure, public transit, the environment, employment, tourism, social programming, city beautification, and civic participation.” He commits to making culture a more fundamental part of city building.

Today at Harbourfront Centre, Rocco Rossi announced his arts platform with two bold commitments: to increase investment in, and influence of, the arts in Toronto.

His plan, Creative City, would immediately increase per capita investment to $25, with the goal of reaching parity with competing North American cities by the end of his first term. He goes as far as to outline how he would financially achieve the first leap to $25 – by applying an estimated $11.5 million in new revenues from the billboard tax (accounting for two thirds) and finding the other third (about $6 million) in operational efficiencies.

To improve culture sector “clout,” as he calls it, he proposes the appointment of an arts and culture commissioner to “develop a new generation of the city’s Culture Plan, with new targets and investments, with the goal of achieving funding parity with our major North American competitors in the arts…” No detail is provided on which cities are viewed to be competitors or which cities we might be trying to achieve parity with. Hey, New York, Chicago and San Francisco are investing more than three times what we are. That would mean a significant leap (like, over $100 million in new cash) over four years. That said, I appreciate the bold vision. Public cash is spent in greater amounts for lesser things. Like G20 security, for example.

Notably, Rossi makes reference to the “arts deficit” we face in many areas, including the need to capture more of the film and television production market, and for new and revitalized mid-sized theatre spaces, among others. A recent Globe and Mail article titled “Great Play – Too Bad About the Dumpy Theatre” comments on the latter. The title sort of says it all.

Learning a lesson from Harper’s gaffe in the 2008 federal election campaign, it’s clear that these two Mayoral candidates have been taking notes when speaking to arts and culture stakeholders about their goals for the city. (See ArtsVote for details on arts sector election priorities). Instead of speaking dismissively about over-subsidized gala-going artists, they are celebrating the value of artists as leaders in the creative economy and are positioning the sector as a key contributor to economic development, suggesting further integration into city planning agendas.

Could it be that our political leaders are finally acting on what we’ve known for some time now? The arts are a damn good investment. And, there’s nothing like a competitive election campaign to get politicians to put money where their mouth is.

Looking forward to hearing from George Smitherman, Sarah Thompson, Rob Ford (I’m not holding my breath on that one), and others.

The Mark News is Canada’s online forum for online opinion and analysis.