#Yukon #NWT #Nunavut Gov spending on culture: Arts Research Monitor 10.1

[excerpts]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hill Strategies Research
Date: 27 July 2011 09:54
Subject: Government spending on culture: Arts Research Monitor 10.1

...
Because of their small populations, the territories were excluded from the [main] analysis. Key data for the territories includes:
....

In the Yukon, total government spending on culture was $1,157 per person in 2008-09, which included $586 in federal spending, $549 in territorial spending, and $22 in municipal spending.

In the Northwest Territories, total government spending on culture was $1,075 per capita in 2008-09, including $821 in federal spending, $199 in territorial spending, and $54 in municipal spending.

In Nunavut, total government spending on culture was $616 per person in 2008-09, which included $363 in federal spending, $242 in territorial spending, and $12 in municipal spending.

[...]

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Government spending on culture

In this issue: Recent Canadian datasets and reports have provided insights into government spending on culture, including a benchmark Statistics Canada dataset, an analysis of federal cultural spending between 2008-09 and 2010-11, and a report on provincial government spending on culture.
 

Government Expenditures on Culture in 2008/09

Statistics Canada, May 4, 2011

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/87f0001x/87f0001x2011001-eng.htm?WT.mc_id=twtB0869?WT.mc_id=twtB0868

Statistics Canada recently released a brief overview and data regarding government spending on culture in 2008-09. The data includes direct government support for culture through operating expenditures, capital expenditures and grants. Excluded are indirect support instruments, such as tax credits. Hill Strategies has analyzed this data for this issue of the Arts Research Monitor.

In 2008-09, governments spent $9.3 billion on culture, excluding transfers between different levels of government. This represents a 16% increase from 2003-04 (after adjusting for inflation).

Provincial and municipal expenditures on culture increased substantially between 2003-04 and 2008-09 (29% and 22%, respectively, after adjusting for inflation). Federal cultural spending increased by 4% during the same time frame. These figures include transfers between levels of government.

[...]

Provincial Government Spending on the Arts and Culture in Saskatchewan in 08/09

Saskatchewan Arts Alliance, June 8, 2011

http://www.artsalliance.sk.ca/?p=advocacy&id=259

This report, prepared for the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance by Hill Strategies Research, relies on Statistics Canada data to examine provincial government spending on culture in 2008-09. The provincial data includes operating spending, capital spending and grants. While the detailed findings are specific to Saskatchewan, the comparisons between provinces provide information related to the entire country. Included are comparisons of overall provincial expenditures on culture, provincial spending on the arts, provincial arts grants, provincial expenditures on the cultural industries, and provincial spending on heritage.

The report notes that, on a per capita basis, provincial spending on culture is highest in Newfoundland and Labrador ($139 per capita), Saskatchewan ($132), Prince Edward Island ($123) and Quebec ($121).

The report examines in detail the components of provincial cultural spending. In the Statistics Canada dataset, "the arts" include arts education, performing arts and visual arts and crafts (excluding art galleries). Provincial arts spending averages $13 across the provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest spending level on the arts ($30 per capita), followed by Alberta ($25), Quebec ($24), and Nova Scotia ($14). The detailed tables in the report show that Ontario has the lowest level of public arts funding ($5 per capita), followed by British Columbia ($7), New Brunswick ($8), Manitoba ($9) and Saskatchewan ($11).

Delving further into the arts spending data, the report shows that provincial grants, transfers and contributions to the arts average $10 among the provinces. Provincial arts grants are highest in Alberta ($23 per capita), Quebec ($15), Nova Scotia ($14) and Saskatchewan ($10). While not included in the report, an analysis of the government spending dataset shows that provincial arts grants are below the national average in Manitoba ($9), PEI ($8), Newfoundland and Labrador ($7), British Columbia (also $7), Ontario ($5) and New Brunswick (also $5).

On average, the cultural industries (including film and video, literary arts/publishing, broadcasting, and sound recording) receive $11 from provincial governments. The report notes that "Saskatchewan's $24 in provincial per capita spending is the highest level in Canada", followed by Quebec ($21), Alberta ($10), Ontario ($9) and Nova Scotia ($6). The detailed tables in the report show that PEI has the lowest level of public funding for the cultural industries ($1 per capita), followed by Newfoundland and Labrador ($3). Provincial government spending on the cultural industries is $5 per capita in Manitoba, New Brunswick and British Columbia.

The detailed tables in the report also provide a summary of provincial government spending on heritage (museums, archives, parks, historic sites, etc.), which averages $27 across the provinces. PEI and Manitoba rank first ($46 per person), followed by New Brunswick ($44), Nova Scotia ($43), Newfoundland and Labrador ($42) and Saskatchewan (also $42). British Columbia has by far the lowest level of public funding for heritage ($8 per capita), followed by Quebec ($21), Alberta ($27), and Ontario ($29).

[...]

 

Aboriginal youth on reserves in Quebec loose Wapikonimobile media training funds

Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints

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Wapikonimobile funding cancelled Posted: 19 Jul 2011 07:48 PM PDT A Wapikoni mobile production unit. Photo from http://wapikoni.tv For the last eight years, an exceptional and pioneering media experience has given new means of expression and a sense of hope to aboriginal youth on reserves in Quebec. The Wapikonimobile is a mobile video production unit – or rather three of them – travelling from community to community, providing video training and supervising the making of short films. For youngsters confronted with substance abuse, an epidemic of suicides and an almost complete lack of job prospects, this was an extraordinary opportunity, and they took advantage of it. Some 2000 of them learned production skills, and made some 450 films expressing their own realities. Some of those films had real cinematic qualities and were shown in festivals here and abroad. But now, the federal Department of Human Resources has cancelled its half-million dollar grant, about half of the Wapikonimobile's total budget– at a time when the production units should already have been on the road. Young people in numerous communities who have been looking forward to this experience for a whole year now find themselves without anything to do for the summer and without the means for expressing themselves. For what reason? Because, according to the minister, other projects offer better prospects for creating jobs and teaching skills. Quebec's excellent daily Le Devoir, which broke the Wapikonimobile story yesterday, has another story today (July 19th) revealing that the arts and the community and aboriginal sectors are hard hit by other little publicized Human Resources cutbacks as well.  This is surely a sign of where things are going under the majority conservative government. Could there be more urgent needs than those of aboriginal youth? Hardly. The founder and director of Wapikonimobile, filmmaker Manon Barbeau, is campaigning to have the department change its decision. I wish her the best of luck in this extremely worthwhile endeavour. Manon Barbeau with well-known Attikamekw rapper Samajan, whose career started with a Wapikonimobile training program. Photo: Luc Lavigne, Radio-Canada.ca Thanks to Tobi Elliott for her help with this blog.

#NWT TRANS CANADA TRAIL BOOK LAUNCH - THIS FRIDAY! #TCT

 

Event: Noon-hour book launch and signing of Jamie Bastedo's latest book, the OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE TRANS CANADA TRAIL - NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

When: This Friday, July 22nd, 12:00 - 1:00

Where: Yellowknife Book Cellar

Food: Hamburgers (meat & veggie) and refreshments will be available.

About the book (from the back cover):

Written by Jamie Bastedo, multiple award winning author, ecologist and CBC radio personality.

Much more than a guidebook, this natural and cultural feast takes you down the wildest, longest stretch of the Trans Canada Trail, from Alberta's far north to the Arctic Ocean.

It provides all the nuts and bolts you'll need for your journey – whether on land or in an armchair – including detailed route maps, major landmarks, access points, community facilities, campsites, points of natural and historical interest, recommended side trips, and precautions. It also includes a diverse range of local contributors whose stories capture the unique spirit of each community and culture encountered along the way.

Covering 2300 km of water route and 600 km over land, this book offers many exciting options for you to customize your own trip, whether paddling the mighty Mackenzie River or biking the hinterlands of Yellowknife. Much of the route follows traditional travel corridors used by native people for thousands of years, followed later by European explorers, traders and missionaries.

Some portions offer opportunities to see peregrine falcons, grizzly bears or beluga whales. Rockhounds can choose from a wide array of geological treats along the route.

Want to catch an arctic grayling? Stroll on the tundra? Swim in the Beaufort Sea? Visit a native culture camp? Follow in the wake of the voyageurs? Paddle across the Arctic Circle? Bike through a herd of wild bison? May your dreams come true on the NWT Trans Canada Trail!

Jamie's determination, patience and thoughtful approach to writing this guidebook have inspired us all to explore our northern landscapes and communities.

 

Geoff Ray

Executive Director NWT Recreation and Parks Association

 

 

 

 

Seeking Paid Stock Videography of #NWT People, Places, Events

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Jeremy - Western Arctic Moving Pictures
Date: 14 July 2011 10:45
Subject: Fwd: Looking for Paid Stock Videography of NWT People, Places, Events
To:

 

Looking for Videographers with Stock Video of NWT People, Places, and Events from the following regions:

Inuvik, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Yellowknife, Hay River, Deline

 

Please contact Andrew Silke of Tait Communications at 669-6211 during the day, or email at silke@taitcc.com

 

Andrew Silke

Tait Communications and Consulting Inc.

P.O. Box 1140

5014-47th Street

Yellowknife, NT

X1A 2N8

Tel: (867)669-6211

Fax: (867)669-7058

silke@taitcc.com

www.taitcc.com

 

#YZF #NWT's Dechinta Bush University Centre was misrepresented during Royal visit

Dechinta Bush University Centre was misrepresented during Royal visit

By Dechinta students and faculty

| July 15, 2011

 

http://rabble.ca/news/2011/07/we-say-dechinta-bush-university-centre-was-misrepresented-during-royal-visit

 

During their recent tour of Canada, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Blachford Lake Lodge on the traditional and unceded territory of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. The July 5 stopover began with demonstrations by the 1st Canadian Rangers Patrol Group, composed mainly of Inuit members.

From there, the royals began a tour of Dechinta Bush University Centre for Research and Learning. Dechinta is a post-secondary education initiative providing Indigenous and non-Indigenous students with much-needed opportunities to take university-accredited courses developed in the North, led by Northern experts, and focused on the land as the primary teacher.

But more than that, Dechinta provides an educational setting committed to decolonization and Indigenous self-determination. At Dechinta, one doesn't just learn about decolonization, Dechinta is a practice of decolonization.

The royal visit began with a lesson in several Dene languages. Dechinta then engaged the couple in Dene practices including preparation of caribou meat, smoking fish, use of medicinal plants, moosehide tanning, and beading.

These practices were portrayed by the media as arts and crafts. What the coverage didn't communicate is that Dechinta participants explained to the royal couple how these activities play a key role in learning about, and engaging in, decolonization. As colonialism has displaced Indigenous peoples from their land, these activities help reconstitute students political, social and economic relations to that land.

The royal visit then moved into a governance circle around a fire, where students and instructors talked about the importance and impacts of Dechinta's land-based pedagogy as a means of social transformation. Glen Coulthard, a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and a professor of First Nations Studies and Political Science at the University of British Columbia, welcomed the royal couple. Their visit coincided with the course "'Our Land, Our Life': Dene Self-Determination in Theory and in Practice." Coulthard explained that the major aims of the course were to explore Dene political history, develop a concrete understanding of the historical and contemporary character of settler-colonial rule in Canada, and confront the violent and destructive effects Indigenous peoples experience as a result of colonial racism and land dispossession.

The course investigates the strategies through which the colonial state seeks to secure economic and legal certainty to Indigenous lands to exploit both people and natural resources. As dispossessing Indigenous peoples of their land is integral to the settler-colonial project, developing an understanding of what constitutes decolonization cannot occur without on-the-land learning

 

Coulthard's course is part of Dechinta's core curriculum, complimented by courses in sustainable community development, health and wellness, communications and research methods Coulthard was followed by program alumnus Mason Mantla, a member of the Tlicho Nation, who described his Dechinta experience as providing his life with direction, imbuing him with a positive identity and bridging the gap between university education and land-based learning. To conclude, Swampy Cree student Mandee McDonald spoke to the current set of vastly unequal political, economic, and social relations that govern the world. She described the difficult process of coming to terms with the individual and collective effects of neo-colonial rule. McDonald said Dechinta provides a safe space to develop a critical understanding of the reality facing Indigenous communities and to explore and practice an alternate vision of the future.

These presentations were followed by gifts for the royal couple. The Prince was given a cartridge bag and the Duchess a caribou hide clutch with porcupine beaded fringe. These gifts were made by students at Dechinta. Dene political activist and spiritual leader Francois Paulette then gave a star blanket and a documentary film on the environmentally destructive effects of the Alberta Tar Sands, which are upstream from Denendeh watersheds.

Finally, the Dechinta program gave a hand-woven ash backpack containing a selection of readings from the program. This was followed by a group discussion where most students had a chance to speak further about issues of settlercolonialism, Indigenous self-determination and the necessity of land-based higher education in the North. After the governance circle, the royal couple joined Paulette aboard a canoe to paddle to a nearby island for a dinner of locally harvested foods.

In reading about this experience in the media, Dechinta students were surprised to find Paulette labeled simply as a "guide" and "village elder." Considering Paulette's political significance in the North, this characterization was seen by students as a racist affront. Among other achievements, Paulette's name is attached to the watershed case Paulette et al., v. The Queen (1976), in which the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories ruled that historical evidence suggested the Dene and Metis signatories of Treaties 8 and 11 did not consent to "cede, release and surrender" their Aboriginal title through the signing of treaty.

The dynamic of inviting prominent members of the British monarchy to a place committed to decolonization was not lost on anyone at Dechinta. According to program leaders Kyla Kakfwi Scott and Erin Freeland Ballantyne, the royal couple was invited in part to reach an international audience to promote Dechinta as a program that provides students with a critical understanding of Northern needs and aspirations. They felt hosting the royals on Dene territory was an exercise in self-determination that might provide a critical opportunity to establish dialogue between the direct descendents of both Dene and the British Crown signatories to Treaties 8 and 11.

This meeting was a chance to establish dialogue between these two parties about the importance of respecting the nation- to-nation relationship between the Dene and the Crown in Right of Canada. To leave the relationship as it stands would be to legitimize Canada's illegitimate assertion of sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and territories -- a view Dechinta challenges through rigorous research and scholarship.

According to Dechinta students, the visit was a chance to get out the message that Canada has yet to seriously address the colonial violence Indigenous communities continue to experience on a daily basis. It is a violence lived by Indigenous communities as a result of not only land dispossession but also through an imposition of Euro- American values and lifeways. Education was an important vehicle of the colonial project.

Dechinta believes land-based education can also provide a site for self determination. The hope was that the message being advocated by Dechinta would shine during the royal visit and it wouldn't collapse practices of Indigenous governance and self determination into a display of 'arts and crafts'. However, once the event was over and media reports hit the airwaves, it became apparent this wasn't the case.

While this article may not correct the misinterpretation of the event propagated by the media, at least some record will exist of its true intent.

Dechinta Bush University Centre for Research and Learning is a northern-led initiative to deliver land-based, university credited educational experiences. Led by experts, elders, professors and northern leaders, Dechinta seeks to engage northern and southern youth in transformative curricula based on the cutting-edge needs of Canada's North. To learn more please click here.

Federal Government Grants to Arts, Culture, and Official Languages in the Northwest Territories #NWT

Harper Government Invests in Arts, Culture, and Official Languages in the Northwest Territories

YELLOWKNIFE, July 12, 2011 /CNW/ - Arts, culture, and official languages organizations in the Northwest Territories will be able to deliver a variety of programs and services over the next few years, thanks to investments by the Government of Canada. Support for a total of 17 organizations was announced today by the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. The announcement was made alongside leaders in the arts, culture and official languages community in the Northwest Territories.

The funding will support a wide range of initiatives, including the Open Sky Festival in Fort Simpson, Folk On The Rocks in Yellowknife, and programming for Francophone organizations, including the Fédération franco-ténoise and the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife.

"Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in important local projects like those announced today," said Minister Moore. "We believe that investing in arts, culture, and Francophone community organizations is key to the economic health of communities throughout the Northwest Territories."

"The rich and diverse culture of the Northwest Territories is a major contributor to the quality of life of its citizens," said Minister Van Loan. "Our Government's investment supports the creative spirit of the North so that residents and visitors can enjoy a variety of artistic and cultural experiences."

The Government of Canada has provided funding totalling $944,180 under four programs of the Department of Canadian Heritage: the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program, the Development of Official-Language Communities Program, and the Canada Cutural Investment Fund. For more information about the projects, see the attached backgrounder.

BACKGROUNDER

Today's announcement includes the following projects in the Northwest Territories:

Development of Official-Language Communities Program

The Development of Official-Language Communities Program aims to foster the development of Canada's minority Anglophone and Francophone communities and enable them to participate fully in all aspects of Canadian life.

• Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife — Vitalité culturelle en français à Yellowknife, 2011-2012 programming: $73,500
  
  
• Fédération franco-ténoise — Soutien à l'action 2011-2012: $190,000
  
  
• Garderie plein soleil — 2011-2012 programming: $52,240
  
  
• Société Radio Taïga — 2011-2012 basic programming: $25,000
  
  
• Association franco-culturelle de Hay River - 2011-2012 regular programming: $30,000
  
  
• Association des francophones du delta du Mackenzie — Sensibilisation au statut de minorité canadienne française: $31,250
  
  
• Association des francophones de Fort Smith — L'AFFS en pleine action dans son milieu: $29,000
  
  
• Association des parents ayants droit de Yellowknife — 2011-2012 programming: $15,450
  
  
• Les Éditions franco-ténoise/L'Aquilon — 2011-2012 basic programming: $22,000
  
  
• Canadian Parents for French - Northwest Territories — 2011-2012 program funding: $53,040
  
  
• Fédération franco-ténoise — 201,1FM aux TNO: $40,000
  
  
• Association des francophones du delta du Mackenzie — Événement culturel à Inuvik: $9,000

Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage

The Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program provides Canadians with more opportunities to take part in activities that present local arts and culture and celebrate local history and heritage.

• End Of The Road Music Festival Society — End Of The Road Music Festival: $4,200
  
  
• Old Town Ramble And Ride — Old Town Ramble And Ride Festival: $8,200
  
  
• Northwords Writers Festival Society — Northwords Writers Festival: $5,900
  
  
• Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife — Miroir sur la francophonie nordique: $7,900

Canada Arts Presentation Fund

The Canada Arts Presentation Fund gives Canadians increased access to the variety and richness of Canada's culture through professional arts festivals, presentations of live professional performances, and other artistic experiences.

• Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife — Un coup d'oeil franco-coloré sur le 63^e parallèle: $30,000
  
  
• Folk On The Rocks — Folk on the Rocks Festival 2011: $40,000
  
  
• The Great Northern Arts Festival Society — 2011 Great Northern Arts Festival: $35,000
  
  
• Northern Arts And Cultural Centre — 2011-2012 programming: $165,000
  
  
• Open Sky Creative Society — Open Sky Festival 2011: Confluence: $25,000

Canada Cultural Investment Fund

Projects supported through the Canada Cultural Investment Fund are intended to contribute to the organizational, administrative, and financial health of arts and heritage organizations. This is achieved through support for initiatives intended to diversify revenue streams, strengthen management capacities, and ensure that arts and heritage organizations are supported in their communities for the contribution they make.

• Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife — Formation d'autonomie sur mesure des ressources aux TNO: $52,500

For further information:

For more information (media only), please contact: 

Sébastien Gariépy Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages 819-997-7788

Chantal Rougeau Regional Communications Prairies and Northern Region Canadian Heritage Tel.: 204-984-5505 Cell: 204-298-9833 chantal.rougeau@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations Canadian Heritage 819-994-9101 1-866-569-6155 media@pch.gc.ca

(This news release is available on the Internet at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Newsroom.)

Ron Wassink: First Supply Ships Arrive In Iqaluit #Nunavut

Ron Wassink: First Supply Ships Arrive In Iqaluit: "The first sealift supply ship arrived in Iqaluit on July 5. Two fuel tankers arrived a few days earlier. Here's the story in pictures of those first few days

of unloading a year's worth of supplies on Iqaluit's

Frobisher Bay beach.

Huge forklifts are brought to Iqaluit on the sealift ship.

These big machines are the first things to be unloaded

onto barges. The barges are pushed to the beach

unloading zone.

[excerpt] ..."