Dear Editor:
RE: $150,000 grant given to music festival that never happened, Feb. 5 news story
We’re feeling the ardent support the Dundarave Festival of Lights has earned from community leaders across the North Shore, as seen in your article.
I’d like to offer two important corrections for the record regarding your mentions of the Dundarave Festival in a recent article.
First, it never occurred to us to cancel last season.
We work as Churchill would want us to: never, never, never, never give up. Even after our grants were drastically reduced last season, and the cost of everything from our gigantic performance tent to Christmas trees exploded, nothing would stop the ultimate Canadian Christmas from coming.
Second, the Dundarave Festival never “cuts a nice, fat check to end homelessness.”
Keeping this in mind helps explain why we’re still gobsmacked about the B.C. government’s decision not to provide us with grants from their fairs, festivals and events fund. The Dundarave Festival celebrates arts and culture in ways that help us take better care of each other. Our concerts are always free. Not leaving anyone out in the cold is a core part of what it means to be Canadian.
Our Forest of Miracles powers up the community’s ability to end homelessness beautifully. Think of it as a public art installation that pretty much everyone in the community helped create. It inspires kids to save up birthday and allowance money and give it directly to the North Shore Shelter.
Those donations are never touched by the Festival.
In fact, B.C.’s fairs and festivals fund allows for the Forest of Miracles: “Events may contribute to fundraising efforts.…” But they shut us out.
The festival is an arts and culture landmark on the North Shore. Crucially, through longstanding collaboration with Squamish Elder Wendy Charbonneau, it’s a leader in meaningful reconciliation. Our performers, including Neil Smith before Peach Pit, are home grown. They make the Dundarave Festival a place where everyone, including folks who are homeless, can live the joy of belonging together.
We’re doubling down on our primary mission of supporting Elders and local artists, including powerful Afro-Caribbean performers. Our grant money is committed to giving them the support they deserve. We’re hopeful British Columbia will have our back.
Bowinn Ma is helping us share our best insights with her government.
Funding for festivals is as important now as it was in the pandemic, because of Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Crucially, this funding must be restricted to non-profits, and never penalize arts and culture for including the most vulnerable. It’s a Canadian thing.
Michael Markwick
Founder, Dundarave Festival
