Hi Luis, I agree with much of what you're saying here. Free is not free. Someone is paying for it. Many times it's the artist - who on average are woefully underpaid.
In terms of city events like what's happening this weekend, there are a whole mix of things involved:
- Irish Fest is funded by a mix of government and private funders and they have some paid events
- Reggae Fest is largely privately funded
- Culture Days is being put on by all of the separate organizations involved. Same with Doors Open.
Every time an organization or individual gets a grant, they need to have first have provided a rationalization of the expenses (how much is needed with full breakdown). Then post-event or project, they need to report back with full details. So, government bodies have this information. They're not great at disseminating it or publishing information on the financial impact of the arts though.
In a nutshell though, according to research cited in the Chamber report, arts and culture tourists spent approximately $11.4 billion in Ontario, generating $5.7 billion in direct economic value.
I love seeing London busy.
Art.
Music.
Culture.
Festivals.
People downtown.
Local artists getting a stage.
Businesses getting customers.
More of that can be a very good thing.
But here's a simple question we almost never ask:
When an event is advertised as FREE, what did it actually cost — and who paid?
Free admission does not mean free production.
There may be sponsors.
BIA funding.
Government grants.
Venue support.
Staff time.
Security.
Cleanup.
Road closures.
Marketing.
Equipment.
Insurance.
Police or municipal services.
Volunteer labour.
Publicly owned facilities.
All completely legitimate possibilities.
But why not show the whole stack?
For every publicly supported festival or cultural event:
What was the total budget?
How much came from ticket revenue?
Private sponsorship?
BIA funding?
City funding?
Provincial funding?
Federal funding?
Tourism funding?
In-kind municipal services?
What did the venue contribute?
How many people actually attended?
How many came from outside London?
How many hotel nights were generated?
How much business did nearby merchants see?
How many local artists were paid?
How many vendors participated?
What measurable outcome was promised?
What was actually achieved?
And if the event comes back next year, does the funding automatically come back too — or do we first look at the results?
This isn't an argument against culture.
It is an argument for being able to demonstrate its value.
If a $20,000 investment generates $100,000 of measurable local activity, show us.
That's a success story taxpayers and businesses can understand.
If we don't measure it, we don't know.
London has a lot of programs, grants, sponsorships, festivals, BIAs, tourism initiatives and cultural investments.
Each one may look small by itself.
Together they form a system.
Measure the system.
Measure the outcomes.
Measure the pile, not the next layer.
Hi Luis, I agree with much of what you're saying here. Free is not free. Someone is paying for it. Many times it's the artist - who on average are woefully underpaid.
In terms of city events like what's happening this weekend, there are a whole mix of things involved:
- Irish Fest is funded by a mix of government and private funders and they have some paid events
- Reggae Fest is largely privately funded
- Culture Days is being put on by all of the separate organizations involved. Same with Doors Open.
Every time an organization or individual gets a grant, they need to have first have provided a rationalization of the expenses (how much is needed with full breakdown). Then post-event or project, they need to report back with full details. So, government bodies have this information. They're not great at disseminating it or publishing information on the financial impact of the arts though.
I wrote a column last week about the importance of the arts and culture and included links to a report that the London Chamber of Commerce did. Check it out here: https://www.readtheloon.com/p/when-a-candidate-knocks-ask-them
In a nutshell though, according to research cited in the Chamber report, arts and culture tourists spent approximately $11.4 billion in Ontario, generating $5.7 billion in direct economic value.
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