Eager to get this session started

New Alberta Artist in Residence

Congratulations to John Wort Hannam on being selected as Alberta’s Sixth Artist in Residence! John is an award-winning folk musician and has released eight full-length recordings.

I look forward to hearing about his travels across the province and hearing the stories he helps Albertans share in song.

Updated mandate letter for Arts, Culture and Status of Women

Tanya Fir, the UCP’s Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, has had her new mandate letter from the premier for a few weeks now.

One of the directives the minister has been tasked to deliver on is to “continue working with the Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration to grow Alberta’s cultural industries including in music, television, film and other performing arts.”

I am very curious what Minister Fir’s plans are for growing our vital arts and cultural industries and will be watching closely for them to be revealed.

Fall session of the Alberta Legislature begins October 23

I am looking forward to the getting back to the legislature in a couple of weeks.  We start off with the speech from the throne on Thursday, Oct. 23 and then get to business on Monday, Oct. 27.

This session will mark the debut of our leader Naheed Nenshi. I anticipate many Albertans may be tuning in online for that first Question Period.

Our caucus’s priority for this Legislative session will be to push back against the dangerous, destructive, and expensive legislation forced on Albertans by this UCP government. From coal mining in the Eastern Slopes, to the continued onslaught against public health care and public education, to policies that will harm seniors and people living on AISH - the message is clear: this government does not care about Albertans, and their policies are making life harder and more expensive for Albertans.

I will also continue to hold the Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Arts accountable, and I will keep advocating for support for our arts and culture industries.

I urge all of you to send me your thoughts on what issues you would like me to bring forward in the legislature by replying to this newsletter. Together, we can advocate for a future where Alberta’s arts and cultural sector is truly valued.

U.S. Tariffs on International Films

While other provinces have vowed to fight for their local film industries, the UCP government has been silent on Donald Trump’s tariffs threat.

The B.C. government is taking his threats to hit foreign-made films with a 100 per cent tariff “very seriously,” as is Ontario but Alberta’s UCP government has been silent on the issue.

Trump first announced this assault on our film industry in May and I responded then that Alberta needs to stand up to Trump and protect an industry worth billions of dollars to its communities and overall economy.

Last week, Trump mused again on social media about implementing the tariff and although there has been no action on his musings, experts warn that even if the threat isn't backed up by concrete policy, it can still drive jobs to the U.S.

Carlo Dade, the director of international policy at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy, told the media that the threat of a tariff can still help the U.S. achieve its goals in international trade.

"If investors are uncertain as to whether markets like Canada will have access to the U.S. market, then it creates uncertainty that drives business to obviate the risk and the uncertainty by moving to the U.S.," said Dade.

The UCP government must do all it can to standup for Alberta’s film industry and that includes taking Trump’s threats seriously.

What I Did Last Summer

Alberta’s arts and culture scene has so much to offer all year round and this summer I immersed myself in as much as I could.

I went to the wonderful Bear Creek Folk Festival in Grande Prairie for the first time and, of course, soaked up as much music as I could at the Calgary Folk Festival.

Calgary Pride was great fun and it was a jam-packed week of Stampede events.

I also hit the road to drop in on the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival and made a visit to the hamlet of Rosebud to take in a production at the Rosebud Theatre.

Those are just a few of the amazing cultural events I got to this summer. I love our province and all it has to offer.

Innovation in Our Arts and Culture Community

I just wanted to take a minute to share the wonderful success of an amazing initiative from the visionaries at cSPACE Projects.

SPACEPILOT, a program that connects artists and creative entrepreneurs with vacant or underused commercial spaces, has reimagined close to 63,000 square feet, that has become an affordable home to cultural organizations such as The Alcove Centre for the Arts, One Big Jam and the Blox BIA, the organization formerly known as the Beltline Business Improvement Area. 

Go to the cSpace website to check out the SPACEPILOT initiative.

Yours in creativity,
Joe Ceci, Shadow Minister for Arts and Culture