IMPORTANT: Petition to Protect Arts Funding to Keep Toronto Vibrant

[YYZ Artists' Outlet]

Please take the time to read and follow up on this email.  We are at a critical point in the City's deliberations about arts funding and your actions will be important.

Toronto's City Manager is recommending deep cuts to the city budget, and this puts arts and cultural funding at serious risk. Cutting the arts could be an economic and social catastrophe for Toronto: not only does the city achieve a huge return on a relatively small investment, but our vibrant arts scene is also a big part of what makes Toronto a great place to live, work and visit.

Friends of the Arts* has launched an online petition to let City Councillors know that Torontonians value the arts.
 
By signing the petition you will be sending a message to the Mayor and your local councillor telling them that arts funding should not be cut. Here are a few of the reasons why the arts might be important to you: 

• Arts and culture are essential to Toronto’s economy, generating $9 billion every year.
• Arts and culture create jobs. 130,000 people work in the sector – and many more depend on related businesses, including those in hospitality and tourism.
• Torontonians care about the arts. In 2010, there were 20 million visits from every corner of Toronto to city-supported arts events.
• Every dollar Toronto invests in arts organizations attracts $17 more from private and public sources. Arts and culture funding has a great return on investment. 
• Great art and artists take years to achieve commercial success; today’s funding enables tomorrow’s art.
• Artists flock to cities that support them – yet Toronto invests less in the arts than other major cities; City Council has been working to change that, and it must stay the course.
• Toronto Councillors need to know that their voters value the arts.

Please feel free to forward the petition on to your friends and family.

Although most signatures will be collected online, we will also be sending volunteers to specific arts events with hard copies of the petition.  If you’d like to help, please emailfriendsof...@gmail.com and put volunteer in the subject line.  Thank you!
 
*Friends of the Arts is a network of arts supporters including the following organizations:  Arts Vote Toronto, Arts Etobicoke, BeautifulCity.ca, Business for the Arts, Creative Trust, Lakeshore Arts, Scarborough Arts, Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, Toronto Arts Foundation,Urban Arts.