T he Nova Scotia Arts Coalition, a non- partisan advocacy group representing arts organizations, individual artists, and culture workers province-wide, is calling on the Nova Scotia government to reinstate essential funding to arts, culture, tourism, and heritage sector programs. They say that Tim Houston’s 2026-2027 budget proposes funding cuts that will devastate generations of artists, arts organizations, industries, and workers across the province, and is a flawed economic policy. “This budget has targeted the cultural sector disproportionately with proposed cuts that will devastate individuals, organizations, and communities across the province,” says Chris O’Neill, member of the NS Arts Coalition and Executive Director of the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, based in rural Kings County. “Without a swift reversal, these cuts will negatively impact the economy of Nova Scotia through job losses, loss of tourism dollars and cultural activity, and remove one of the strongest draws for new immigrants to the province - our culture.” On top of proposed cuts to the operational budgets of cultural organizations, including a 30% cut to Arts Nova Scotia, 72 grant programs would be fully or partially cut in the Communities, Culture, Tourism, and Heritage sector. The Artists in Schools program, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, the Publishers’ Assistance Program, the Art Bank, and the Ministers’ Awards for Excellence in the Arts are all among those programs fully cut in this budget release. Grant programs for non-profit arts organizations and artists, and funding for arts and culture activities rooted in the community, have also been decimated. The Coalition is urging the government to immediately withdraw the proposed cuts from the budget. “Beyond the loss of the next generation of Nova Scotian artists through the cuts to arts education opportunities, paired with anticipated resulting outmigration of Nova Scotian
BUDGET CUTS HIT THE ARTS Nova Scotia Arts Coalition calls on Tim Houston to reverse cuts to Arts, Culture, Tourism & Heritage
by the Nova Scotia Arts Coalition
Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev
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INDUSTRY • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE 39
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