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 creative sector contributed $7.4 billion to the provincial economy and supported more than 88,000 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.
We are calling on BC’s next government to:
Strengthen
the BC Arts Council by increasing its annual funding to $58 million and indexing this investment to inflation.
In BC, arts, culture and heritage support 132,400 direct jobs and contribute $13.6 billion directly to provincial GDP. When people spend money at a performance, festival, gallery, museum or cultural event, that spending doesn't stop at the door. It supports artists, cultural workers, suppliers, restaurants, hotels, transportation and other local businesses.
Invest
$1 billion over 10 years in green cultural infrastructure. Maintain and grow BC’s cultural assets through capital investment and a province-wide Cultural Land Trust.
Support sector-wide advocacy
Download the Culture Builds BC social media assets
As a reflection of the provincial scope of the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage, we recognize that the organizations and individuals who make up our coalition occupy the ceded, unceded, and sovereign territories of Indigenous Peoples across what is referred to as British Columbia. We respect past, present, and future Indigenous stewards of these lands, air, and water.