Cultural cr

Spend only a few hours at the
Applebaum federal cultural policy
Teview, skim randomly through
Some of the dozens of briefs
Presented by arts organizations, ar-
Usts’ organizations and cultural
workers of every type, and the fun-
damental problem facing Cana-
dian culture is abundantly clear.

The problem is money — the

k of funding and support from’

80vernment for every branch of

BRITISH COLUMBIA
isis a matter of dollars

CLASSIFIED
ADVERTISING

COMING EVENTS

JUNE 20 — Tribune Victory Ban-
quet, at the Italian Cultural Centre,
3075 Slocan St., Van. Starts <t 6:30
p.m. Banquet, musical program,
speakers and dance. Tickets: $8
each; $6.50 for old age pensioners.
Available at Co-op Books and the
Tribune office.

' JUNE 21 — Surrey Alternative

Movement (SAM) First Annual

F = Music Festival featuring guest per-
"? = formers and guest speakers, 1 p.m.
i , 2 at 12715 - 66 Ave., Surrey. Adm. $4
} 3 - adults; $2 - 12 and under. Bring

. 4, your own meat to barbecue. Adm.

e includes all the trimmings.

a 2 F :

© wu JUNE 28 — Bring the whole family
z2 (& your lawn chairs). to the annual
& Fraser Valley Y.C.L. mixed doubles

Canadian culture: symphony,
theatre, publishing, film, public
broadcasting. . .

The Vancouver Symphony Or-
chestra’s story was typical. Faced
With a rising operating deficit, it
can afford to operate only 43 weeks
Per year. Whereas world class
European symphony orchestras

are supported by their national
governments to the extent of 80-85
Percent of their budget, the VSO
Teceives only 14.5 percent of its
budget from the federal govern-
ment through the Canada Council.
the symphony’s recommenda-
Hons relate entirely to its financial
needs: that federal funding be in-
Creased to 20 percent of the budget,
that three year funding plans be
established, that lottery funds be
allocated to orchestras, that more
Senerous income tax write offs be
ven private donors to cultural
Organizations.

From the B.C. branch of the
Writers Union of Canada, Ap-
Plebaum heard that ‘‘the median
author’s income from book writing
1s something like $1,000 a year and
itis probably lower in this province.
Such proposed countermeasures as
treating book royalties the same as
oil royalties, as capital gains, are
heartily endorsed by us. So is the
proposed restoration of tax free
status on all Canada Council grants
to artists.”

And so the story continued, de-
pressingly, ranging from Co-op
Radio’s account of its ‘financial
dilemma,” created because it over-
fulfilled promises to the CRTC to
Provide local content in broad-
casting; to the Vancouver Opera
Association which reported a 35

Percent inflation rate in the cost of _

producing opera in Canada and
only a .03 percent increase in fund-
ing from the federal government
this year.

As the pile of financial troubles
heaped in front of Louis Ap-
plebaum, the Ontario composer
picked to chair the 20 person review
commission, grew higher it became
apparent that the main purpose of
this ‘‘cultural review’’ is to deflect
the criticism over federal cutbacks
in the arts which otherwise would
be stacked at the government’s
door.

And while there was a universal
call for increased funding from the
federal government for culture and
the arts, unfortunately there was
little sharp criticism of government
policy which sacrificed culture
while going on a spending spree for
the military and to subsidize energy
corporations.

One of the exceptions was the
Vancouver Professional Theatre
Alliance, representing a number of
well known Lower Mainland
theatre groups such.as the Van-
couver Playhouse, Tamahnous
Theatre, Westcoast Actors and
Green Thumb, which stated: ‘‘A
way of funding the up-keep of
facilities (theatres) must be found
to relieve the strain of operating
budgets. Ged rid of one F-18 and
you solve the capital cost problems

a

FOLKFEST’S
_ UKRAINIAN
DAYS

Fri., June 26, 8 p.m. at

Robson Square Cinema
featuring

@ AUUC dancers, singers and
instrumentalists

Tickets: $3. Available at Global Imports (253-3032)
2677 E. Hastings St., and 805 E. Pender St., Vancouver.

Sat., June 27 and
Sun., June 28 at

Ukrainian Cultural Centre
805 E. Pender St., Vancouver.

Doors open at 1 p.m.

Displays of handicrafts, musical instruments,
embroidery demonstrations, concert program and
Juest artists, traditional Ukrainian food.

Special Children’s Programs
oat.p.0: Dan:

TOP: Louis Applebaum (left), chairman of

oe

the Federal Cultural

Policy Review Commission, opens hearings in Vancouver. BOT-
TOM: Author and playwright George Ryga appearing before

commission Monday.

in. Vancouver. The F-18 in a dog
fight will last about 20 minutes.
That money invested on the west
coast could last 100 years.”’

Author George Ryga, resident
of Summerland, B.C., was the
source of another of the few
politically relevant exchanges
Tuesday when after following the
presentation of the Vancouver
Foundation which argued for
special tax concessions to allow
private organizations to assume a
greater role in funding the arts, he
retorted, “God help us if these
groups are to be the final arbiter.
These are stop gap measures which
only show the imaturity of Canada
as a nation.”’

Ryga called for the federal
government to ‘‘assume a much
higher responsibility’? and to im-
plement policies which would
eliminate the need for artists to ap-
ply for grants. ‘‘We are working,
and to apply for grants is

humiliating,” he said.

In his brief to the commission,
Ryga claimed that his work is
receiving critical acclaim in
Europe, but he receives little atten-
tion in Canada. He put part of the
blame on the centralism of the
cultural establishment which
overlooks artists not living and
working in Toronto and Montreal,
and another part on the inadequate
book distribution system in
Canada which makes it extremely
difficult for books published in
Western Canada to reach eastern
markets.

The only representation from a
political party at the Vancouver
hearings was from the Communist
Party which although not called to
present an oral submission filed a
written brief blasting the federal
government for failing to make any
real increase in support for the arts
since 1975-76 and the provincial
government for having the third
worst record in expenditures for

culture in Canada, ahead of only
New Brunswick and Saskat-
chewan.

‘Unfortunately in B.C. we have
a government which does not
hesitate to spend $500 million to
subsidize the export of coal to
Japan but can find only crumbs
with which to finance the cultural
and artistic life of British Colum-
bians,”’ the CP brief said.

The CP submission also cited the
changing ethnic character of B.C.
and called for specific support to
new immigrant groups which
would like to preserve their cultural
traditions.

Native Indian culture is especial-
ly important to a Canadian cultural
policy, the CP brief added, noting
the revival of Native culture in re-
cent years sparked by the struggles
of Native peoples for social and
economic justice. ‘‘Every
assistance should be given to Native
communities to develop their
culture and to ensure that they are
not held up to exploitation by
unscrupulous elements who wish to
profit from the popularity of
Native art. Every assistance should
be given Native Peoples in the
development of self-managed co-
operatives to develop culture and
art and to market products in a way
that will bring lasting benefits to
their community.”

d. Fabian

Painting and Decorating

681-0089

For free estimate, everything:
inside & outside, commercial &
residential, painting & wall-
papering, drywall, plastering &
repair, spray-tex ceilings.

Guaranteed work
& Contract

Badminton Tournament. Starts 12
noon-thru the afternoon. Free ad-
mission, minimal entry fee for
tourney. Barbecued food and
refreshments available all day. At
12715 - 66 Ave., Surrey. For direc-
tions phone 581-4870 or 585-9935.
Proceeds to New Horizons.

. JULY 12 — Keep this date open for

COPE Garden Party at the Rankin’s.

AUG. 23 — Annual YCL Volleyball
Tournament will be held in conjunc-
tion with the Summer Labor Picnic.
Those who want to set up teams or
be on a team, should contact
Donalda at 684-4321.

COMMERCIAL

SUMMER SALE of jute and sea-
grass floor coverings, baskets, etc.
etc. from Vietnam. The same
superior quality you have come to
expect from their lacquer products.
At THE LACQUER BOX, 514 W.
Broadway, Van. (872-1524) Hours
10-5.

CONDOR’S PAINTING & build-
ing maintenance. Free estimate.
Phone 433-1145. A progressive firm
owned and operated by Chilean
Canadians. Reasonable rates.

ELECTRICAL, plumbing, appli-
“ance repairs. Don Berg. 255-7287.

ROOF REPAIRS — Reasonable.
New roofs and alum. gutters,
277-1364 or 277-3352.

GRAMMA PUBLICATIONS.
Complete printing services.
Brochures, menus, leaflets, etc.
Special rates for the progressive

movement. A union shop. 1595 W. _

3rd Ave., Van. 733-6822.

USSR TOUR. Leave Vancouver
Sept. 5. Visit Moscow then Black
Sea resort cities of Odessa and
Yalta, on to the Central Asian cities
of Tbilisi, Yerevan and Ashkabad,
then Sochi and Volgograd and
leave via Moscow, Oct. 5. For info.
contact William Mozdir, 324-1490,
-weekday mornings, or Globe Tours,
2679 Hastings St., Van. V5K 1Z5,
253-1221.

LEGAL SERVICES

RANKIN, STONE, McMURRAY
& BOND, Barristers and Solici-
tors. 500 Ford Building, 193 East
Hastings St., Vancouver 682-7471.

HALLS FOR RENT

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME —
Available for rentals. For reserva-
tions phone 254-3430.

WEBSTERS CORNERS HALL —
Available for banquets, meetings,
etc. For rates: Ozzie, 325-4171 or
685-5836.

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CUL-
TURAL CENTRE — 805 East
Pender St., Vancouver. Available
for banquets, weddings, meetings.
Ph. 254-3436.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 19, 1981—Page 11