Provincial Budget Provides Status Quo Funding for Culture
In a fiscally tight year, the 2019-20 provincial budget is staying relatively status quo for all types of cultural spending included in the Parks, Culture and Sport budget. Funding to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum went up slightly from $2.5 million to $2.6 million, and Francophone Affairs received a modest increase from $690,000 to 698,000. In addition, funding for Saskatchewan Arts Board, Creative Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation, Heritage Institutions, Saskatchewan Science Centre, and Community Sport, Culture and Recreation Programs, remained exactly the same as last year. Funds available through the Community Initiatives Fund were decreased slightly from $8,743,000 to $8,450,000 in 2019-20, along with a slight decrease to Provincial Heritage and Culture funding, from $1,380,000 to $1, 280,00 in 2019-20.
The province's 2019-20 budget did provide more than $211 million in targeted investment to support Indigenous communities, businesses and organizations, resulting in a 4.7 per cent increase over last year. According to Warren Kaeding, the Minister Responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, "In the spirit of reconciliation and mutual benefit, we will continue to contribute to the social, education, cultural and infrastructure programs needed in our Indigenous communities."
The budget will also provide over $2.1 billion in infrastructure funding that could also trickle down to community sport, culture and recreation facilities. For more information and budget estimates, visit the Government of Saskatchewan's website.