Kelowna Coucillor, Michelle Rule, Answers the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan’s questions about Arts and Culture in Kelowna.

Here are my answers to a series of questions on arts and culture from the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan

1. If you had questions regarding arts and culture in our community which organization(s) would you go to for input and expertise?
For general questions, I would definitely contact ARTSCO, because of your representation of so many different artists and organizations. I also have a good relationship with a number of arts and culture groups in our community, so if I had a specific question I would approach any one of them.

2. It has been said that “Culture” is the soul of a community. What does Culture mean to you and which cultural events do you attend?

Culture is the expression of ourselves as human beings and can take a number of different forms. We can benefit from participating in the arts both as active participants and consumers. I attend all types of events – amateur and professional, visual and performing, and have even recently been an active participant in bronze casting and acrylic painting thanks to some very patient teachers. I love that Kelowna offers so much variety at all different price points so there is an inclusiveness for all tastes and financial abilities.

3. On a scale of one to ten please designate the significance you personally place on the arts and culture in your community (#1 signifying “completely irrelevant to me” to #10 signifying “almost as important as the air I breath”).

Ten!  That is why I have supported the recent Cultural Plan for Kelowna which I believe will strengthen Kelowna’s cultural community for the benefit of all our citizens.

4. Do you understand and support the economic impact in our community which is generated solely from local arts organizations?

Yes. Arts as an economic generator has been widely documented and is no different in our community.

5. Do you feel using municipal tax revenues are a worthwhile investment to make on supporting established local arts organizations?

Yes. I support the use of municipal funds for local arts organizations. I am especially pleased with the relationship that has been developed with the professional arts organizations during my time on council which allows for more security in their budget process.

6. Do you support maintaining, decreasing, or increasing the current levels of municipal investment, and why?

For this budget year I support maintaining the current level of municipal investment. As the economy improves I would like to see an increase, especially for projects or programming that include youth. I also support continued federal and provincial funding

Michele Rule has been honoured to serve the people of Kelowna as Councillor for the past six years. Michele has been proud of the accomplishments over the last two terms, including the opening of the H2O Centre, the creation of many new parks, the expansion of bicycle and pedestrian networks, upgrades to both water and sewer treatment plants, partnerships with the BC and Federal Governments to create supportive housing, and an updated Official Community Plan and Downtown Plan, to name a few.

Michele believes that her skills in listening, communicating and consensus building are vital to her success as a city councillor. Using a balanced decision-making process of consultation, research and vision provides the best outcomes for all of Kelowna’s citizens.