The Writers' Union of Canada : Press Release

	Contact Us	\|	FAQ	\|	Site Map	\|	Search

Who We Are What We Do Statement of Principle History Support National Council and Staff TWUC Logo

Benefits of Membership Who is Eligible Cost of Membership How to Join

Members' Pages TWUC Publications Manuscript Evaluation Ghostwriting Professional Development Workshops AGM

National Public Readings Program Writers-in-the-Schools Program Writers-in-the-Schools Northern Program BC/Yukon Writers in the Schools As A Host

Finding a Publisher Submitting a Manuscript Guidelines for Submitting a Manuscript Multiple Submissions Literary Agents Contracts Copyright

Current Campaigns Past Activities & Achievements Freedom to Read Award Union Briefs

Danuta Gleed Literary Award Postcard Story Competition Writing for Children Competition Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $20.1 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada.

	The Ontario Arts Council is an agency of the Government of Ontario.

October 28, 2009

The Writers’ Union of Canada has been working with the Coalition for the Defence of Writing and Publishing in British Columbia, to identify how the Union can most effectively support the Coalition’s work. The Coalition was created one day after the Hon. Kevin Krueger, BC’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, announced the removal of funding totaling $96,000, from the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia, BC BookWorld and the BC Association of Magazine Publishers.

The Writers’ Union has written letters to the Premier of BC and influential BC MLA’s. The Union’s message requests the restoration of the funding to: BC BookWorld ($31,000), the Association of Book Publishers of BC ($45,000) and the BC Association of Magazine Publishers ($20,000). Additionally the Union is asking for stable funding for the BC Arts Council so that programs for writers and publishers remain viable. Currently, the province uses gaming money to bolster the Arts budget. The Union requests that this organization funding be allocated from legislated appropriations. At this point, the government has not assigned in the estimates any funding for the BCAC beyond administration and salaries for 2010/11 or 11/12.

The Union encourages writers, to tell the Premier, Kevin Krueger, Colin Hansen, Rich Coleman and their own MLA that these overwhelming cuts are devastating BC’s literary landscape and they will negatively impact on the entire literary community for years.

Writers can also help by writing to their community newspapers and coping their MLA, as that will have a real impact.

If this erosion to BC’s literary landscape is not put right it can spread to other Canadian provinces.

Your help is needed,

Deborah Windsor
Executive Director

The ridings we need to target are:

Premier Gordon Campbell
Room 156, Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4
gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca
Fax: 250 387-0087

MLA: Hon. Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
Room 301, Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8W 9E2
kevin.krueger.mla@leg.bc.ca
Fax: 250 953-4250

MLA: Hon. Rich Coleman, Minister of Housing and Social Development (Gaming minister)
Room 128, Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4
rich.coleman.mla@leg.bc.ca
Fax: 250 356-7292

MLA: Hon. Colin Hansen, Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier
Room 153, Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4
colin.hansen.mla@leg.bc.ca
Fax: 250 387-5594

Please copy: The Coalition for the Defence of Writing & Publishing in B.C.
Suite 600-402 West Pender St.,
Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1T6
604-684-0228

Read letter to Premier Gordon Campbell