From the traveling desk of Alain Pineau — Latest news from Regina
REGINA — The weather gods have been good to me so far. While Saskatchewan was a frigid –40º C last week, today was a balmy –2º C and the sun was shining bright and warm, certainly more pleasant weather to deal with as Marnie Gladwell generously drove me from meeting to meeting. I must say that when it comes to making sure not a second of my stay here is wasted, Marnie has very few rivals. She had us booked from 8 in the morning to 6 at night, with barely a break for a soup and a sandwich at noon. But what a productive day this has been!
The day started with a breakfast meeting at Hotel Saskatchewan, God I like that hotel. It is yet another great example of 19th century railway hospitality and is such an integral part of our national heritage. Our breakfast companions were David Kyle, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the oldest arts council in the country, and Rose Gilks, Executive Director of SaskCulture Inc. Both represent funding agencies, the latter managing funds from provincial lotteries. Since David worked at the CBC, we inevitably talked about what may be in store for our public broadcaster in the upcoming budget. We quickly left these depressing thoughts to discuss the reasons for my visit in Regina and identified areas of possible common interest, including research. Both Rose and David expressed a genuine interest in the future of the CCA and offered their help to increase its visibility within their respective networks; an offer which I was not about to reject!
Marnie then took me to the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance where she had set up a meeting with Jeremy Morgan, former Director of the Arts Board and currently interim Director of the MacKenzie Arts Gallery, where we would later hold a public consultation, Jennifer McRodie, the brand new Director of CARFAC Saskatchewan, Sheila Petty, Dean of Arts at the University of Regina and Ruth Smillie, Artistic Director & CEO of Regina’s Globe Theatre. What a meeting that was! I like people who speak their mind and call a spade a spade, and I was not disappointed with this group. We had what is generally called a frank and open discussion about the need to radically reinvent the CCA, to broaden its membership and take the necessary measures to fully engage it in the organization. We talked about the implication of such a renewal on consultation and mobilization mechanisms and on the governance structure, which should include not only the viewpoints conveyed by the large national organizations but also by the regional perspectives and needs of our large and so diversified country. I reminded the group that our Board of Governors has decided to put everything on the table, not just the funding model. Furthermore, since the CCA or its avatar is the concern of all, it is the responsibility of us all to shape its future. One theme dominated: communication. This must be at the centre of everything. On that front, I will assign a specific to our Development Officer Alessia Bongiovanni: find a way to sponsor a tour of the country by the National Director at least every 18 months… only maybe not in winter time, just in case the weather gods turn their back on me!
We had to put an end to the most lively and challenging exchange I have had so far on this tour to go the other end of town for a public consultation at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. The meeting was in a room with huge windows through which poured sunlight. Thirty people gathered there to talk about the CCA. Based on previous meetings, I decided to change my approach in order to allow participants who had gone to the trouble of giving two hours of their time to us to intervene in the meeting right from the beginning. Since no hand went up when I asked how many people knew anything about the CCA, I had no choice but to zip through my prepared presentation while allowing for maximum for questions and dialogue. What came out of the Regina meeting was the core of what people value from the CCA: support for collaborative leadership; government relations; and, information on what goes on in the nation’s capital. We also discussed what the CCA could do with regard to public engagement in the arts and the idea that it could provide tools to members to help sensitize Canadians to the role arts and culture play in our daily lives. This last idea seemed to gather support from many of the attendees. We also debated over the name of the organization and there seemed to be a consensus around the word ‘culture’ as covering the totality of CCA’s preoccupations and membership (i.e. arts, cultural organizations and industries, heritage…). The Council of Canadians for Culture maybe? The debate is open!
Marnie and I finished the day by meeting with Ms. Wynne Young, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport. Sakatchewan is one of the six provincial and territorial jurisdictions who support the work of the CCA as affiliate members, a fact of which we are very proud. It was quite natural that my visit ended with a conversation reviewing the results of the consultations held here and covering the difficulties for the cultural sector to make its case in quantifiable ways. Given the lack of proper metrics for social and qualitative impacts of arts and culture in our communities, it is difficult to compete with other government priorities like health or economic development. A discussion ensued on statistics and the work the CCA does on that front. Finally, as it was to be expected, we conversed on the current climate in Ottawa as we all brace for a federal budget about which alarming rumours circulate.
My visit here is already over. I must once again thank Marnie and Skip who ensured that my short stay was as productive as could be. Thank you also to La Troupe du Jour in Saskatoon and to the MacKenzie Art Gallery for generously sponsoring our public meetings. I am leaving today for Winnipeg where Nicole Matiation and Thom Sparling have also prepared a full agenda for me. I’ll blog again on Monday to report on the Manitoba leg of the tour.
–Alain