Arts and culture are vital economic drivers in New Westminster.
On February 6, Arts New West Executive Director, Laura Grady was one of the featured panelists at the New West Chamber’s economic forum. During that conversation, Laura demonstrated how the cultural sector enriches the community and is a powerhouse driving significant economic growth in New Westminster.
New West is a small city that prides itself on the hard work and dedication of the people who call it home. This city is a thriving, creative, and connected community and at the heart of these attributes, is arts and culture. The drive economic development, attract visitors, and enhance the quality of life for residents – but more importantly, arts and culture shapes our city’s identity.
Over the next ten years this city’s population is projected to increase because more and more people are flocking to places that are affordable, offer a sense of community, and provide the quality of life resident’s value.
Arts Economic Impact
New Westminster is home to a strong community of artists, arts organizers and cultural venues. But what does that mean?
Many artists living in this city are also entrepreneurs, they are small business owners who support and supply the local economy. Their work is facilitated by arts organizers who provide opportunities, handle admin, and even distribute funds to support these local business enterprises. And lastly, where would artists and organizers be without places to put the art? Venues and spaces providing intrinsic and valuable space that deliver arts to the wider community.
For these key components to succeed, they require support from the city and other stakeholders who historically have viewed the arts sector as a ‘nice to have’ rather than a ‘must need’ requirement in city building.
Let’s look at the facts, courtesy of the BC Coalition for Arts and Culture:
Economic Impact
Economic Powerhouse: BC’s cultural economy totaled $8.6 billion in 2021, contributing more to the province’s economy than the forestry or hotel industries.
Artists’ Hub: One in every five Canadian artists calls BC home, with 39,700 artists making up 1.4% of the provincial labor force—the highest proportion in Canada.
Cultural Workforce: With 154,800 culture workers, or 5.4% of BC’s overall labor force, BC surpasses the national average, showcasing the sector’s significant employment impact.
Arts tourism alone generates 3 times more economic impact than any other types of tourism.
Job Growth Leader: Since 2017, BC is leading the nation in creating new culture sector jobs, growing 26% faster than the national average.
Local artists not only earn income through their creative endeavours, but also reinvest that money back into the community by spending in local businesses – or even starting their own small businesses or endeavours. This cycle of earning and spending strengthens our local economy, creating a ripple effect of economic benefits.
What is the Cultural Sector?
It is important to remember that the cultural sector encompasses not only artists and performers, but also those working behind the scenes in technology and administration. These are the people who staff the venues, like the Massey Theatre, who organize the opportunities; like craft markets, the New West Cultural Crawl, and numerous facilities to showcase artist’s work. It also includes the City of New Westminster, the BC Arts Council, and Arts New West, supporting emerging artists through grants and other resources, fostering the creative talents that are crucial for the growth of other industries.
Why are we having this conversation now?
Despite the impact arts and culture has on economic development, the cultural sector is a hugely underfunded and undervalued seat at the table. New West is in a position to change that narrative and be an example of how to value arts and culture and it’s economic growth. We can achieve this by working together to ensure that art and culture are part of discussions, planning, and part of growths and vision for our city. However, we are only in the very early stages of involvement.
The cultural sector cannot rely on stable funding from the province or from federal governments, we need investors from our community on the local and municipal level, to support and fund infrastructure and spaces for art and culture to succeed long term. We need to be intentionally building community that allows the people who call New Westminster home to enrich their lives and incentivize a desire to participate in the local economy.
So many arts organizations and festivals are closing up shop due to lack of funding and support, but also due to lack of space and access. New Westminster has the unique opportunity where we are investing in development and creating ‘home’ for many current and future residents, and we have the capacity to make space for arts and culture within that growth.
The community, the big businesses, the developers and property owners can support this sector in a way that can uplift artists and arts workers through creating successful and sustainable opportunities through collaboration with the arts sector.
Let’s look at some stats from BC Stats: Small Business Profile:
The Economy and Community
When and where art thrives is where communities and businesses thrive. When you build cultural hubs and art focused venues, businesses and restaurants follow. By ensuring that residents have access to the arts, our economic drivers have the potential to invest in and elevate standards of living as well as individual impact. Incentivizing the people who live in New Westminster to become community oriented, to spend their dollars locally, and to make this city a place people want to live.
When we think of thriving neighbourhoods in Vancouver, we think of places like Commercial Drive or Main Street – communities that are known for their strong and thriving arts communities. These communities rely on the support and participation of local, small businesses, with a unique and distinctly creative focus.
However, increasing development pressures and affordability challenges are leaving arts and culture in a precarious state. It is more important than ever to create sustainable spaces for artists, support creative industries, and recognize the importance of cultural organizations as key drivers of economic and community well-being.
New Westminster has a rich cultural heritage and the potential for a dynamic arts scene. Our city is growing and changing and with that comes the need to ensure that arts and culture remain central to our community’s identity and economic future. By prioritizing arts and culture in our economic strategy we can ensure a vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous future.
