 | Saturday, November 06, 2021
Reading this online? Sign up to get this delivered to your inbox every Friday. | | Why a new VAG could go ahead with a slightly reduced budget | | |  | | | Art is political — and so is the campaign for a new art gallery.
“We've got this unprecedented gift coming on board, and I think, hopefully, we'll see federal support follow suit,” said Vancouver councillor and art gallery board member Sarah Kirby-Yung at a Thursday event where developer and longtime VAG supporter Michael Audain announced a $100 million donation for a new building.
Like many proposed megaprojects, a big reason the VAG debate has been going on for more than 12 years is because the three levels of government aren’t in alignment for the proposed $400 million project — $200 million sourced from private donors and the rest from government.
The city has long been on board and has provided free land to the gallery, in the form of a parking lot across the street from the Stadium SkyTrain station.
But it’s the other governments that have lacked enthusiasm.
VAG leadership has asked Ottawa for $100 million, and the provincial government for $50 million. (The province has already provided the $50 million.)
And year after year, those governments have shown they’re not interested in that price tag. While one could speculate why that is — significant taxpayer money to an art gallery is a hard sell in the 21st century! — the truth is Audain’s $100 million donation doesn’t change the fact the project is short at least $150 million in government funds.
Unless, of course, the VAG decided a new building could happen with a slightly reduced budget.
“I think there's been a lot of flexibility with new leadership,” said Kirby-Yung, referring to CEO Anthony Kiendl, when asked if the art gallery could go ahead without the requested amount of government funding.
Kiendl, of course, replaced former CEO Kathleen Bartels, who championed the project for years but was seen as inflexible on compromises to its vision.At Thursday’s event, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart mentioned how the new Indigenous-informed design and green construction could appeal to Ottawa.
And in response to questions from CBC News, the federal government said it's received an application for money under the “Green and Inclusive Community Buildings” program — but that only allows a project to get $25 million in funding.
One shouldn’t try and connect too many dots.
At the same time, you don’t have to squint hard to imagine a scenario where the art gallery gets some, but not all, of the money it's long asked for, and it finds a way to make the budget work.
Which would come as welcome news to a city hall that hasn’t opened a major new cultural space in a decade and has been holding a parking lot open for an awfully long time. | | |  | | | 1. Vancouver | | | What happened in city council this week? They got through a public hearing in an efficient manner. Just kidding! The debate over rental rezoning rules on arterial streets will continue into a third day next week. In related city-planning news, the Broadway Plan has been revealed for the busy road and includes a lot more density. Expect the cycle of contentious public hearings to continue.
Read more in the Daily Hive | | |  | | | 3. Diversity | We did our yearly look at the top 10 wage earners in every Metro Vancouver municipality, and not surprisingly, there continues to be a large gap between the demographics of the region and the demographics of senior leadership teams in city halls. It’s a story we do every year, and we’ll keep watching to see how (or if) those figures change. Read more | | | | | |  | | | 4. Homeless camps | The continued battle around homeless encampments in some B.C. cities continues in Prince George, as the city said it planned to appeal a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that stopped them from shutting one down. The city argues it was a step too far, because it has a right to manage public space, even if suitable housing isn’t available.
Read more | | | |  | | | 5. View Royal | There are 76 councillors for the municipalities of Greater Victoria (population of less than 400,000), so why not make it 78? View Royal is considering going from four councillors to six, which makes sense considering its population but has rankled the feathers of people who think there are too many municipalities to begin with.
Read more in the Times Colonist | | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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