MP advocating for more local arts funding in Waterloo Region [Video]

Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice believes millions of dollars are needed to even the financial playing field when it comes to local arts programs.

Citing data from the Canada Council for the Arts for 2022-23, Mike Morrice says the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo area received just $3.39 per capita in funding while Winnipeg, Montreal and Vancouver got an average of $18.30 per person.

“If you add that up, it ends up being a gap of about $9.3 million a year in federal funding that’s not bring appropriately distributed,” Morrice said Wednesday.

He’s sent a letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage advocating an urgent increase for public arts.

“It’s just kind of unfair for communities like ours, so what we’re calling for is not just to see more money in the budget from the Canada Council for the Arts, but also that [the] money is being distributed more equally across the country and …