We need your help!
CULTURE CUTS = BAD ECONOMICS
As you may have heard, the NS Provincial Government has tabled an austerity budget, which proposes massive cuts to grants and services. Arts, Culture & Heritage face disproportionate cuts to 72 different vital grant programs, some eliminated entirely. Efforts to save money by the government have landed on the shoulders of grassroots, non-profit and community-focused organizations, including the Chester Playhouse. The impact is an immediate 20% reduction in our Provincial Funding in this budget year. The cuts contained in this budget will impact children, artists, organizations, and communities across the province.
The solution to the province’s fiscal health is in realizing the sector’s potential and trusting in the economics of long term investment. According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 report Artworks: The Economic and Social Dividends from Canada’s Arts and Culture Sector, every $1 invested in the arts generates $29 of economic activity. The ripple effect of these cuts will be disastrous, not just in the Arts, Culture & Heritage sector, but also all industries, from tourism and education, to the shops and services frequented by those affected.
The Chester Playhouse calls upon all of our patrons and community members to join us in opposing these ruthless cuts to culture.
We need your voice and we need it urgently!
Here’s how you can help:
1. TELL YOUR MLA THAT YOU OPPOSE THESE CUTS
Find tools ready for you and your allies to contact your MLA and the premier here: http://www.nsarts.ca/
2. TELL YOUR FRIENDS
Share this post, and others that you see. Talk to your social circle about the cuts, and encourage them to speak up.
3. RALLY FOR THE ARTS
Join the Arts, Culture and Heritage community for a rally at Province House in Halifax on Wednesday, March 4th at noon. Please bring as many people as you can and come join us! To raise our voices together and say that Arts, Culture, and Heritage are part of what will make Nova Scotia strong, economically, and in every other way.
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/share/17xZazzSxg/
Thank you!