Calgary Arts Development submitted the following Letter to the Editor based on an editorial that appeared in the Calgary Herald on Sunday, April 15, 2007 titled Calgarians' priorities shifting.

The editorial refers to a report published by the Canada West Foundation on urban policy priorities that provides public opinion data on how residents of Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg view urban policy priorities, municipal government finance, and the impact of governments on their lives. Read the full report here: Looking West 2007: Urban Policy Priorities and Assessing Government.

Dear Editor,

Re: “Calgarians’ priorities shifting,” editorial, April 15, 2007.

You point out the fact that in the Canada West Foundation’s recent study on municipal government spending priorities, “Calgarians ranked arts and culture funding dead last, in 13th place.” However, your editorial failed to note that in every city surveyed, except Regina, “providing funding support for local arts and culture organizations” was the lowest ranked municipal spending priority.

A close look at the numbers suggests Calgarians are, in fact, more concerned about municipal support for the arts than citizens of other Canadian cities. 28% of Calgarians surveyed felt that supporting the arts was a high or very high priority for City Council. Only Toronto, at 28.5%, placed higher. Edmonton, in third place, came in at 24.8%. Vancouver? 20.4%. And at 6.4%, Calgarians had the /highest/ ranking of all cities surveyed for arts funding as a “very high” priority.

Far from being a challenge to the “arts community,” as your editorial phrased it, this survey debunks a negative stereotype of how Calgarians’ view their city. Even in the face of social and infrastructure challenges, the citizens of this city see the arts as a core part of their quality of life. This is just one more piece of evidence that Calgary is poised to join Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal as Canada’s leading centres of arts and culture.

In the complex world of municipal government, it will, as you point out, take strong leadership and wise investment to build the kind of city Calgarians desire.

Dr. Terry Rock
President & CEO
Calgary Arts Development