Yesterday an article came out in the Edmonton Journal called Meet the People who care for the Arts by Todd Babiak. Today someone wrote a letter to the editor called Poet no match for ponies in dash for provincial cash. Basically, both of them talked about how the arts aren't getting enough funding. In the column by Todd Babiak he said that the Alberta Foundation for the Arts received 26.6 million dollars and that the Horse Racing and Breeding Renewal Program received 56 million dollars when Ralph Klein was premier. I think this is a bad thing because it seems that our government is encouraging people to gamble at horse races that are being funded by their government.
Another article in the paper today asked whether or not to introduce a mental health court in Edmonton. A mental health court is where, for instance, a lot of people who are homeless have mental health problems. This could cause them to be drunk in public and that is against the law. If someone from the police saw this they would probably have them arrested just like anyone else. With a mental health court they would be helped instead of just being treated like someone who didn't have mental health problem.
So those are just some things in the news that caught my eye this morning.
2 comments:
That is a very interesting column. There are certainly opinions of Todd Babiak's that I don't agree with (like that silly column about how self-publishing on the internet waters down culture?!) but I appreciate how vocal he is about the arts.
The AFA was at static funding levels from about 1988-2005 (I think) -- same funding every year, not even inflation raises! And they are doing some new interesting initiatives -- I did go to one of the their Board workshops talking about governance standards, and it's a good start -- but what I found frustrating was that other than publishing these standards, they are not providing additional support for arts organizations to ensure they adhere to these. Every new thing you ask an organization to do will leave less time for other things they are already doing. So I'd like to see more AFA attention on not just setting standards, but supporting organizations to get there.
There is a lot of concern about the Alberta gov't's dependence on gambling -- new studies are coming out of the U of A about the effects of gambling addiction on people, I think. Of course, another irony is that so much 'culture & sport' funding is off-loaded onto gambling revenues - so while an arts group or amateur sports team can make $80 000 for 2 days of casino volunteering once every 2 years, if that money disappeared tomorrow, the gov't has no accountability to answer for what those organizations will now do. It removes their responsibility for investing in these areas, I think.
Obviously, I have a lot to say on this!
I think that the mental health courts could be a useful tool, though i also wonder why there is not more done to act on poverty before people end up before the courts.
there is an interesting dilemma in mental health and psychiatry. If someone has a mental illness and does not want treatment, should they have the right to refuse? Even though one of the symptoms/signs of mental illness is that someone does not have insight into their problem. And if that person refuses treatment and ends up in trouble (such as before the courts), should they be held accountable for their actions? Forcing someone to have mental health treatment, such as medications in hospital, obviously is a violation of their right to make choices about their health...which can be done in BC if 2 doctors agree that you are at risk of harming yourself or others, not just from hurting someone, but self-neglect too...not looking after your own needs. So I'd think that part of the mental health courts would be to ensure people get treatment, because if you are committing crimes as a result of your mental illness, you would need treatment. And I certainly think that people who are unwell shouldn't be going into the prison system.
Another interesting thing about the mental health courts is, does it reinforce the idea that people with psychiatric issues should be treated differently than the rest of society? Of course, justice means ensuring that people who need more, get more, not just the idea of equality, where everyone gets the same amount whether they need it or not.
Post a Comment