British Columbia's publishing industry is reeling after what are being described as “massive” cuts to the province's literary organizations.
The Arts and Culture branch of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts has cut all provincial funding from the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia (ABPBC), BC BookWorld newspaper and the B.C. Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP).
The information was delivered via phone calls with the ministry on Tuesday.
“It's devastating,” says Margaret Reynolds, executive director of the ABPBC. Her organization has lost $45,000 in funding – out of a yearly $290,000 budget.
“It's a massive amount,” she says. “It's also demoralizing. You think you're in a sophisticated society and you find out that this is not actually the case, so it's very distressing.”
Ms. Reynolds, whose organization represents some 50 B.C. publishers, says provincial funding for cultural industries has dropped from $19.5-million last year to $3.6-million.
“It's a little ironic that the cultural sector is a pillar of the Olympic bid and just before the Games are supposed to start, we have a situation where arts funding is being slashed in every possible way.”
Ms. Reynolds expects things to get worse before they get better. “We were told in this conversation with the Arts and Culture [branch] that things were not likely to change within the next year. So we're going to have two years of no operating funding from them.”
BC BookWorld, a literary publication, has lost its $31,000 in annual funding (out of a yearly budget of about $212,000). Publisher Alan Twigg says he was shocked to learn that after 21 years of what he calls a partnership with the government, it was pulling the plug so abruptly. “I pointed out that even slumlords are required to give a month's notice.”
Andrea Henning, the executive director of the Arts and Culture Branch, who delivered the news to the organizations, referred calls to a ministry communications manager, who said the Minister was unavailable for an interview Thursday. The ministry provided a written statement that said, in part: “During the global economic downturn with its dramatic effect on revenues we've had to make difficult choices, as a result some groups that have received funding in the past will not be receiving funding this year.”
BC BookWorld, the ABPBC and BCAMP (which lost $20,000 in funding) say they'll fight the cuts, forming a Coalition for the Defence of Writing and Publishing in B.C.
“This is a Premier who wants us to be the most literate place in North America,” says Mr. Twigg. “What the hell is this government doing sabotaging B.C. Bookworld?
“That's dumb politics.”
