Alberta's New Cultural Policy
The Ins and Outs of the Newly Implemented Spirit of Alberta
The Spirit of Alberta, the province's new cultural policy, reflects how Albertans define their culture and what is important to them spiritually, economically and more.
In today's world, Albertan's think culture is more than just museums and art galleries. When they think of culture, Albertans think of their heritage, sports and recreation, the environment and even innovation in business and the arts.
To keep in tune with this thinking, the government of Alberta recently launched a new cultural policy, the Spirit of Alberta.
This new policy will provide a framework for any decisions made in relation to the support, growth and development of culture in Alberta.
Research began in 2005 as the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture conducted public, stakeholder and ministry consultations. Other provinces, as well, were consulted on the workings of their own cultural policies.
Alberta's policy is based on a number of guiding principles and the four major keystones are as follows:
• Ensure Albertans, throughout the province, have access to a wide range of cultural experiences and opportunities.
• Enhance community capacity to support and promote cultural activity.
• Encourage excellence in the work of Alberta's artistic and cultural professionals and organizations.
• Foster growth, sustainability and investment in Alberta's cultural industries.
In 2009, the government of Alberta will be increasing their investment in arts and culture by about $12 million. About $9 million of that will be going towards the Alberta Foundation for the Arts; about $1.6 million will go towards Alberta Film Development Program and the remainder of the money will be split up between heritage conservation, diversity awareness and a small portion will go towards establishing a co-ordinated body with an executive director and two staff members.
According to research done by the Alberta government, 94 per cent of Albertans say that having a wide variety of cultural activities and events makes Alberta a better place to live. About 97 per cent believe it's important for every child in Alberta to learn about the culture of the province.
When it comes to jobs in the arts sector of Alberta, the provincial government reports that over 3,500 Albertans owe their full-time job to this growing sector, totaling salaries of about $106.8 million.
Although Albertans seem to believe that cultural experiences and activities are important for enhancing their quality of life, education, adequate health care and affordable housing are also important issues facing Alberta, and all could use a few extra dollars. So while newly elected Premier Ed Stelmach is putting a good chunk of his funds towards the arts, sports and environmental awareness, many Albertans may be hoping that he doesn't forget about the doctors, nurses, patients, students, teachers and low-income families which sit on the other end of the spectrum.
