In terms of access to cultural space, a theme that comes up often, at least in music [Inaudible—Editor] and related to live music, is that there's often a recommendation to make more use of underutilized space, but there's not often much recommendation on how that space can be activated.
I would encourage the federal government to work in partnership with the provincial and municipal governments to identify spaces that might be underutilized and that might benefit from adaptive reuse for culture. Then, identify local arts and culture partners and transfer, if not ownership, at least operation or long-term lease of these spaces to arts groups at nominal rent. You see this all over Europe. Obviously, it's a very different environment over there, in terms of urban space. In Europe, they have old coal stations, train stations, military barracks and a lot more available real estate really asking to be used.
It may not be the same in Canada, in terms of the available real estate, but I think that looking at creative ways of taking underused warehouses, buildings, power plants, libraries, churches.... Artists are creative. Artists are very good at making do with a little, which doesn't mean you shouldn't fund us, but we will always give you a great investment because we're used to doing a lot with a little.