Magazines Canada warns B.C. premier of "long term damage" from funding cuts

Magazines Canada has written to the premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell, asking for a reconsideration of recent funding cuts to the writing and publishing sector.

MC president Mark Jamison acknowledges the challenges of the current economy, but warns that the cuts will cause "long term damage".

Most writing and publishing activity is driven by small- and medium-size enterprises and individual creators (SMEs). SMEs, as we know, generate employment in both good and bad economic times.

These SMEs depend upon their associations to undertake vital marketing, training and promotions as collective initiatives. The collective approach has a track record of success in maximizing cost efficiency, thereby generating the best possible long-term benefit for the people of BC. These enterprises just could not accomplish these activities on an individual basis. The modest investment the BC Government makes in the associations is returned over and over and over again.