Thanks for mentioning the fringe festival, which is a real source of pride in Edmonton. I'm a fan of the Stratford festival as well. I was hero for a day when I did the marquee announcement for the fringe festival, and then when the folk festival didn't get money from the same program, I was not quite the same hero.
Going forward, is it better advice to the government to simply fund through the Canada Council for the Arts, rather than set up separate festival program funding?