Ottawa waiting for B.C. to formally ask for Vancouver Art Gallery funding
Credit to Author: Kevin Griffin| Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019 17:37:25 +0000
Federal funding for a new Vancouver Art Gallery building is waiting for the B.C. government to put the project on a list for cultural infrastructure funding of $157 million, according to a leaked federal letter.
The federal government said in the letter that its contribution to the project would be forthcoming once the province “prioritizes it for funding.”
The Vancouver Art Gallery is asking for $100 million for its new building which Ottawa wants to fund through the Community Culture and Recreation stream of the Integrated Bilateral Agreement.
“Through IBA with British Columbia, our government has dedicated $157 million to funding cultural community and recreational projects all across the province,” Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of infrastructure and communities, said in a letter obtained by Postmedia from a senior Liberal official.
“Our office would be happy to see this funding invested in many worthwhile projects, including the gallery.”
The letter marked draft goes on to say that funding is “subject to our provincial counterparts submitting a formal application on behalf of the art gallery to our office.”
The letter says that the federal government has not yet received that formal application.
The letter is addressed to David Calabrigo, chair of the VAG’s board of trustees, and Anne Webb, associate director, and refers to a meeting with them on Tuesday, July 30.
On Friday, Postmedia reported that Andy Sylvester, owner of Equinox Gallery in Vancouver, found it “astonishing” that Contemporary Calgary was receiving $30 million to renovate a building for an art gallery after 18 months of lobbying while the VAG was still waiting on an announcement of federal funding after 11 years of lobbying.
A senior Liberal official said Monday that the story was based on incorrect information from Calgary Centre MP Kent Hehr. The official said that the federal government hadn’t approved funding for the gallery out of money set aside for Alberta infrastructure projects.
Hedy Fry, MP for Vancouver Centre which includes the VAG, said she’s been working for two years to ensure the art gallery receives federal funding.
“The federal government is committed to supporting the Vancouver Art Gallery,” she said. “If we form the next government, we’re good for the money.”
Canadians go to the polls to vote in the next federal election on Monday, Oct. 21.
As of June, the VAG said it had raised $85 million from the private sector which included a $40 million donation from the Chan family. The provincial government contributed $50 million in 2009, bringing the total raised to about $135 million of about $330 million. The Gallery wants to raise an additional $50 million for an endowment to fund ongoing operations. The VAG had said it was asking for another $50 million from Victoria and $100 million from Ottawa for the new building designed by Herzog & de Meuron.