Arts groups in St. Catharines are urging city councillors to side with a municipal staff report and increase dollars for cultural funding — spending that continues to be below the average of comparable municipalities.

Annie Slade of Carousel Players and Stephen Remus of Niagara Artists Centre told council the funding received by organizations through the St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program, or SCCIP, is not keeping pace with the realities of rising costs.

“Everyone knows that the cost of doing business in any sector has increased since 2020,” Remus said.

“Inflation, combined with stagnated investment in SCCIP, has left our 11 groups with less buying power than at any point in the last five years.”

The pair emphasized during a budget meeting this month the return on investment in

See Full Page