Gregor Ash’s passion

When Gregor Ash was a kid in Newfoundland, he and his fellow
film junkies would head to the Caribou Lounge Saturday mornings, where
they’d endure the stench of cigarettes and stale beer for a chance to
catch flicks that weren’t on CTV and CBC, their only two channels.
Despite the smell, the Atlantic Film Festival’s director calls the
experience “magical”—film screenings brought his community
together.

Last Thursday this lover of the arts was nominated to represent the
NDP in the next federal election as a Member of Parliament for the
Halifax West riding, replacing peace activist Tamara Lorincz. Ash wants
government to “stop thinking about culture as an afterthought” and
believes investing in creative sectors correlates with high levels of
economic development.

“We have some of the best writers, producers, directors and visual
artists anywhere. We hold our own against communities that are much
bigger,” says Ash, who will continue on as AFF’s director. “We’ve got
the statistical evidence to show that that investment”—in arts and
culture—“is real and that it’s large.”

Ash is pushing for the creation of a multi-year plan to invigorate
the arts community, hopes to combat regional disparity in access to
arts and culture and would like to see more funding pumped into the
community.

“There’s a problem with accountability and transparency, but
ultimately the programs are underfunded,” he says. “We need support
that’s very specific to the community that we have in Nova Scotia and
that’s looking down the road maybe five or 10 years.”

It’s hard to think of anyone more in touch with the needs of those
working in Halifax’s creative industries. Ash has worked with the
Atlantic Film Festival for nearly 18 years, before that he was a record
representative for A&M and an independent music representative.
Through his work with AFF he understands what it’s like to promote
culture with a tight budget, especially since the festival’s corporate
sponsorship revenue was down a lot this year.

Ash also experienced Harper arts cuts firsthand, such as last year’s
termination of funding to the $4.7-million PromArt program and the
$9-million Trade Routes program. Both helped promote Canadian arts and
culture abroad. “Those budgets were gutted. For me that’s really
hollowing out the centre. You may have a veneer and a shell of
“creative investment,” says Ash, “but what do you have in the centre?
You’ve got a lot of people who are afraid because they don’t know where
they’re supported or what programs might be there to help them.”

When it comes to programs that support artists, Ash believes
decentralization is key. “The thing I liked most about a program like
Trade Routes was the fact that they had cultural officers on the ground
in each of the provinces,” he says. These officers had their own
budgets and could make decisions independently, based on the needs of
Nova Scotians. “Once they started to get rid of those officers, the
number of applications from Atlantic Canada went through the
floor.”

Ash’s interests aren’t limited to the arts, and include working to
reduce child poverty and investing in green energy. Ash has wanted to
serve publicly since childhood, but found inspiration in fellow NDP MP
Meghan Leslie. “I think she’s incredibly passionate. She’s a new
thinker. She’s very creative. She’s very real,” he says. “She wants to
make things work and that’s what I want to do.”

This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2009.