Dear arts, culture, and heritage advocates,
October 24 is the final voting day for the 2026 provincial election in British Columbia - and the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage needs your help. It is critical that everyone in our province who cares about the future sustainability and growth of the arts, culture, and heritage sector comes forward to share a unified message - Culture Builds BC.
In this email, you’ll find a template with concrete policy positions for all parties currently running in the provincial election. With an uncertain global financial landscape, it is more important than ever that governments make evidence-driven investments with proven returns on investment. Data shows that investing in arts, culture, and heritage is one of the soundest investments that any government can make.
In 2024, BC’s arts, culture, and heritage sector contributed $24.2 billion to the provincial economy and supported more than 132,400 jobs. But its impact reaches far beyond those numbers. Culture creates places to gather, stories that connect us and opportunities for people across the province.
Below you’ll find a customizable template that we encourage all individuals and organizations who care about BC’s arts, culture, and heritage to share with provincial candidates in your community. Letter campaigns make a difference, and we encourage as many people as possible to share the messages below. Please feel free to copy the letter template, modify it to reflect your own circumstances and priorities, or use the letter as a template to write your own. We also encourage you to share this template with colleagues, friends, and other organizations in your community.
If you are looking for more data or research to cite, the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage website contains a wealth of citations and links in our 2024 elections campaign archive.
Thanks for considering this, and please feel free to share and repurpose any of the materials below.
Sincerely,
BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage Steering Committee
TEMPLATE
Subject: Culture Builds BC
Dear [Candidate's Name and Title],
As someone who passionately believes in the value that arts, culture, and heritage bring to our community and province, I am compelled to write and advocate for increased investment, support, and strategy for a critical sector.
Arts, culture and heritage create jobs, support local businesses and bring people together. They make our communities places where people want to live, work and visit. They also give BC the creative capacity to imagine what comes next.
In 2024, BC’s arts, culture, and heritage sector contributed $24.2 billion to the provincial economy and supported more than 132,400 jobs. But its impact reaches far beyond those numbers. Culture creates places to gather, stories that connect us and opportunities for people across the province.
It is proven that every dollar invested in arts, culture, and heritage generates a $29 return. Now, as our province faces an uncertain future, it is critical that the Government of BC chooses to invest in this critical industry. I support the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage, Culture Builds BC campaign and call upon all candidates to support the following policy positions:
Increase BC Arts Council funding to $58 million annually and index that investment to inflation. This would provide greater stability for organizations and artists throughout the province.
Invest $1 billion over 10 years in cultural infrastructure, including green cultural facilities, cultural centres, Indigenous arts spaces, and a province-wide Cultural Land Trust.
Permanently reinstate the BC Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund, recognizing the important economic and community-building role these events play, particularly in smaller and rural communities.
Develop BC's first provincial Cultural Strategy, establishing a coordinated, long-term approach to supporting and growing the sector.
In my own experience, I’ve seen the impact that arts, culture, and heritage make in our community. [SHARE A LOCAL ANECDOTE HERE]
Across the province and around the world, there are countless examples of arts and culture changing whole communities for the better. Government is key in tapping into the full potential of artists and cultural workers for all British Columbians.
If you are able, I would love to hear your thoughts on the value and role that arts, culture, and heritage play in our community. Your response would be greatly appreciated and will help me to understand your commitment to these important issues.
Thank you for reading this letter. Culture is on the ballot this election, and I implore you to make supporting arts, culture, and heritage a priority for the next Government of British Columbia
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Organization