Letter from Mike Douglas. June 20, 2024.
On June 19, 2024, the Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) presented Imagine a Thriving Arts Economy to the General Committee meeting of Mississauga City Council.
MAC advocated for $4 million in increased funding for the grassroots Arts, Culture and Heritage groups in Mississauga. We pointed out the disparity between how Mississauga is funded versus Toronto. We noted cost of living pressures on underpaid artists and especially grassroots capacity limitations on collaborating with the City’s new Future Directions Culture Plan. Council’s progressive response led by Councillor Butt introduced his intention to move that a new committee of Council be struck to investigate new funding resources for arts, culture, festivals and heritage groups that can make a case for more.
So get ready for the question that will be coming – looking beyond subsistence survival – how much do you need to excel at what you could deliver on behalf of the residents of Mississauga?
If you have questions, call me at 905-615-4278 ext. 101 or email me at mike@macarts.ca and in the meantime let your Councillors know that the arts matter and that you are capable of doing more with better funding. You can find your Councillors contact information at mississauga.ca/council/city-council-members/.
Mike Douglas
Executive Director, MAC
mike@macarts.ca