Arts and culture create substantial community value. I support restoring a fair annual grant process, strengthening creative placemaking and exploring partnerships for a future performance venue without handing the entire cost to taxpayers.
I place a high value on arts and culture because the return to a community is much larger than the line item suggests.
Arts create places to gather, support local businesses, build identity and make Esquimalt a more interesting and connected place to live. They also contribute to how a community feels day to day, not just through formal performances or galleries, but through murals, public art, events and creative spaces.
I think the moratorium on new municipal grant applications was short-sighted and, frankly, performative. Existing grant payments fell from $138,500 in 2025 to $134,000 in 2026, a saving of just $4,500. In the context of a municipal budget, that made no meaningful or lasting impact on our finances. The real impact was on the organizations that were unable to apply at all.
That is not where I would look first for meaningful savings.
Restoring a fair annual grant process would be high on my priority list. Organizations should know what funding is available, when to apply and exactly how applications will be evaluated. I would want a clear rubric based on public benefit, accessibility, community participation, financial need and the value returned to Esquimalt residents. That is fair to applicants and accountable to taxpayers.
The Business Façade Improvement Program is also a good example of how municipal investment can support arts and creativity in less obvious ways. It has helped encourage murals, colour, design and creative placemaking in our commercial areas. Art does not have to live only in a gallery or on a stage. It can be part of the everyday experience of walking down Esquimalt Road, visiting a local business or seeing a previously blank wall become something that contributes to the identity of the community.
I would also absolutely love to see Esquimalt have a performing arts venue, something like a clamshell or flexible outdoor performance space. I also recognize that our finances are not currently in a position where the municipality should simply take on another major capital project.
If we want something like that, we need to get creative about how we pay for it: grants, partnerships, sponsorships, philanthropic support and other funding mechanisms that do not simply hand the entire bill to local taxpayers.
Supporting the arts and being financially responsible are not competing ideas. Small, well-targeted investments can create an outsized return in community value.
Cutting a few thousand dollars may look tidy on a spreadsheet, but if the result is fewer opportunities, fewer programs and less community connection, then we have saved very little and lost quite a lot.
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