New CPF wholly ignored industry recommendations says BCAMP exec

The executive director of the British Columbia Magazine Publishers Association (BCAMP) says she wishes the federal government, and specifically the Department of Canadian Heritage, had not wholly ignored every recommendation from the industry in rolling out its new Canada Periodical Fund.

"I'm hoping the B.C. government comes to its senses and puts some funds into B.C. arts' pockets," Rhona MacInnes told the Vancouver Courier. 

In particular, she said that putting a floor on federal funding of magazines with less than 5,000 copies per year paid circulation could change the BC  publishing landscape. "In a year we'll see if we have anything left."

The Courier article pointed to one bright spot -- funding for Vancouver magazines from the city.

Margeret Specht, director of the grants, awards and support program for the city's office of cultural affairs, said the city opened up cultural grants to Vancouver publications for 2009.

The program gives out grants, ranging from $2,000 to $130,000, to arts and culture organizations in the city annually. Only two publications secured funding through the program in 2009--literary magazine sub-TERRAIN, which received $7,000, and Vancouver Review, which received $12,000.

Applications from publications doubled this year, but Specht couldn't give specifics since the recommendations for application approval have yet to come before council.