CanCult.ca

I guess they figured what the hell, everyone is already pissed at them anyways.

The Department of Canadian Heritage has decided to cut five more arts and culture programs over the next two years, even as a chorus of complaints from the arts community and opposition MPs rains down on the federal government over cuts announced last week.

Eschewing formal announcements, the government posted notices on the web pages of programs including the Stabilization Projects and Capacity Building, two of the four initiatives under the Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability Program.

The Stabilization Projects, to be shut down in April, were established in seven cities from Victoria to Charlottetown to provide financial and administrative support to arts organizations. Capacity Building is a companion program to provide similar assistance to organizations with no access to a Stabilization Project. Capacity Building has given aid to 347 arts and 214 heritage organizations since 2002, but will be cut in 2010.

The department also plans to end its annual contributions of $300,000 to the A-V Presentation Trust, $1.5-million to the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund and $2.5-million to the National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector, adding to consternation over last week’s planned elimination of the $9-million Trade Routes – which helps cultural groups such as Hot Docs and the Canadian Independent Record Production Association export and sell products abroad. On the same day, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade cut the $4.7-million PromArt program – which provides travel grants to artists and arts organizations.

Numerous film and television executives speculated nervously that this belt-tightening could be a prelude to even more substantial cuts.