<div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" role="presentation" style="border-collapse:collapse;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="word-break:break-word;padding:0px"><table width="100%" style="border:0px;border-radius:0px"><tbody><tr><td class="gmail-mceTextBlockContainer" style="word-break:break-word;padding:12px 48px"><div class="gmail-mceText" id="gmail-dataBlockId-4" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(71,71,71);width:560px"><p style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr">As British Columbians head to the polls, party platforms have been unveiled and the leaders have debated — though there’s still room for major announcements regarding the arts, culture, and heritage sector.</p><p style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr"><br></p><p style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr">To bridge that gap, last week, the <a href="https://www.coalitionbc.ca/">BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage</a> asked over 300 candidates for their views and commitments to our community, which includes artists, cultural workers, organizations, audiences, volunteers, and businesses.</p><p style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr"><br></p><p style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr">We heard back from candidates in all three major parties, along with several independents. A heartfelt thank you to the candidates who took the time to complete our survey—it could lead to meaningful collaborations after the election.</p><p style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr"><br></p><p class="gmail-last-child" style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr">We'll keep gathering and publishing responses until the end of this week. In the meantime, explore <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQCEiLVTzIvLm71q3Nr1Arlxv2uxGAqDNGu7qSvtHL2dmPMgxPGalpYESpzL6AXixgtbLlBFVxTRYx2/pub" target="_blank" style="word-break:break-word;color:rgb(0,0,0);direction:ltr">the submissions we've received so far</a>, and reach out to your local candidates to encourage them to join the conversation! (<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScurWy2vRkKDKtfuNN1qx3Yi5Yht6N5sS97zm1QsONt2eVE6w/viewform" target="_blank" style="word-break:break-word;color:rgb(0,0,0);direction:ltr">Survey link</a>)</p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="gmail-mceBlockContainer" align="center" valign="top" style="word-break:break-word;padding:12px 24px"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" class="gmail-mceButtonContainer" style="border-collapse:collapse"><tbody><tr></tr><tr class="gmail-mceStandardButton"><td class="gmail-mceButton" valign="top" style="word-break:break-word;background-color:rgb(245,211,76);border-radius:0px;text-align:center"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQCEiLVTzIvLm71q3Nr1Arlxv2uxGAqDNGu7qSvtHL2dmPMgxPGalpYESpzL6AXixgtbLlBFVxTRYx2/pub" target="_blank" class="gmail-mceButtonLink" rel="noreferrer" style="word-break:break-word;border-radius:0px;border:2px none rgb(0,0,0);color:rgb(112,112,112);display:block;font-family:"Work Sans",sans-serif;font-size:16px;padding:16px 28px;text-decoration-line:none;min-width:30px;direction:ltr;letter-spacing:0px">Candidate Survey Responses</a></td></tr><tr></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="word-break:break-word;padding:0px"><table width="100%" style="border:0px;border-radius:0px"><tbody><tr><td class="gmail-mceTextBlockContainer" style="word-break:break-word;padding:12px 48px 36px"><div class="gmail-mceText" id="gmail-dataBlockId-127" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(71,71,71);width:560px"><p class="gmail-last-child" style="margin:1px 0px;padding:0px;word-break:break-word;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;direction:ltr">For more information about the platforms, check out <a href="https://www.artsvotebc.com/" target="_blank" style="word-break:break-word;color:rgb(0,0,0);direction:ltr"><strong>ArtsVoteBC.ca</strong></a>, your go-to source for information about where BC's political parties stand on arts, culture, and heritage.</p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div>