Calgarians Want Municipal Funding for the Arts and Culture on Par with Funding Levels in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver

A recent public opinion poll commissioned by Calgary Arts Development, revealed that two-thirds of Calgarians (67%) believe that the City of Calgary should aim to be ranked in the top three cities in Canada, when ranked on the amount of municipal support provided by the City for arts and culture. Currently, the top three cities are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Terry Rock, President of Calgary Arts Development expanded on these results:

With the booming economy and new residents arriving to Calgary on a daily basis, residents are looking to our city to be competitive with other great international metropolitan centres. We’re seeing a growing sentiment that Calgary’s arts and culture scene has a key role to play in improving quality of life, economic diversity and improved work-life balance. This is a long term strategic investment that other Canadian cities have made a priority. Calgarians are telling us it is time we did the same.

Question:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? When it comes to Municipal funding and support for arts and culture, the City of Calgary should aim to be ranked in the top three cities in Canada.

Calgarians Would Support Additional Funding of $2.2 Million
When asked if they would support additional funding from the City of Calgary to support arts and culture, the average value of additional support was $2.24 per person, which would yield over $2.2 million dollars earmarked especially to support art and culture. Approximately three out of four Calgarians (76%) reported that they would support at least $0.50 per capita in additional funding to this sector, while about 24% of the population would not support any increase.

About Calgary Arts Development

Calgary Arts Development plays a leadership role in realizing the potential of arts and culture in Calgary. As the city's designated arts development authority, it is a central hub that learns about, promotes, connects, advocates for and leads strategic initiatives in the arts to animate Calgary as a vibrant cultural center.

Methodology:

This Leger Marketing opinion poll was conducted among 300 Calgary residents, August 20th and 23rd, 2006. The maximum margin of error for a sample of this size is ± 5.7%, 19 times out of 20.

Using the latest data from Statistics Canada, final results were weighted according to gender and region to ensure a sample representative of the Calgary metropolitan region.

For more information, please contact:

Marc S. Tremblay
Vice President
Leger Marketing
Cell: 403-606-9693
Tel: 403-265-8700
E-mail: mtremblay@legermarketing.com

Terry Rock, PhD
President
Calgary Arts Development
Tel: 403-264-5330
Cell: 403-681-2909
Fax: 403-262-9644
E-mail: terry.rock@calgaryartsdevelopment.com

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