Victori'Us Arts' 

Victori'us Arts Candidate Questions 

As part of the Livable CRD 2026 Municipal Election Survey, Victori'us Arts developed and contributed the arts and culture questions included in the questionnaire.

These questions focus on issues consistently raised by artists, arts organizations, event producers, cultural workers, and community members across Greater Victoria: the availability and affordability of cultural space, municipal support for arts and culture, barriers created by permitting and regulation, and the long-term sustainability of the region's cultural ecosystem.

While the Livable CRD survey brings together many community priorities, Victori'us Arts is responsible for evaluating and scoring the arts and culture section independently. Candidate responses to the questions below will inform our public assessment of where candidates stand on arts and culture issues in their municipality.

The questions are intended to move beyond general statements of support and encourage candidates to identify specific priorities, commitments, and policy approaches. They are designed to help residents better understand how candidates view the role of arts and culture in community life and what actions they would be prepared to take if elected. These responses will also provide a basis for ongoing public accountability, allowing Victori'us Arts and residents to follow up on commitments made during the campaign and assess progress after the election. 

*The full scoring methodology will be published separately. 

Arts & Culture Questions 

The following questions were developed by Victori'us Arts and included in the Livable CRD candidate questionnaire. Responses to these questions will be reviewed and scored by Victori'us Arts as part of our 2026 municipal election coverage. 

Arts

9 Arts questions / 1 General question

Creative spaces, cultural programming, and municipal support for arts and culture in everyday community life.

1. ART-01
   
   Do you consider arts and culture to be a core part of your municipality's economic development strategy? Answer plus a written follow-up

   • Yes

   • No

   • Unsure

   • Decline to answer
     
     Graded

2. ART-02
   
   If elected, what specific action will you commit to in your first year to strengthen your municipality's arts and cultural sector, and what measurable outcome should residents expect by the end of your four-year term?
   
   *Written answer
   
   Graded
   
   

3. ART-03
   
   Cultural strategies are often adopted and then not implemented. Would you support a cultural space implementation framework with defined tools, timelines and public reporting? Select up to three components you would prioritize. Select your top three options.
   
   

   • A regularly updated inventory of cultural spaces and vulnerable venues.

   • Identifying priority cultural spaces requiring protection or intervention.

   • Establishing municipal tools to support long-term affordability and stability

   • Partnerships with non-profits to secure permanent cultural assets.

   • Reviewing zoning, permitting and regulatory barriers affecting cultural uses.

   • Measurable implementation targets and timelines.

   • Reporting publicly on progress.

   • Develop or update a municipal-focused cultural-space strategy.

   • Develop a cross-coordinated regional cultural-space strategy.

   • I do not support such a framework.

   • Decline to answer.
     
     Graded

4. ART-04
   
   Arts organizations and event producers identify permitting, zoning and regulatory requirements as barriers to cultural activity. What would you commit to? Select all that apply.
   
   

   • Clear, published service standards for permit decisions.

   • Published decision-making criteria, so requirements are not interpreted inconsistently.

   • A dedicated review of cultural and event permitting processes and policies.

   • Simplified requirements for small-scale events.

   • Better coordination between municipal departments.

   • A single point of coordination for cultural and event permits.

   • Reviewing zoning barriers for cultural uses.

   • Reviewing requirements that impose disproportionate costs on non-profits.

   • None, current processes are working.

   • Decline to answer.
     
     Graded
     
     

5. ART-05
   
   If preserving and securing long-term cultural space requires additional municipal support, which approaches would you support? Select up to five.
   
   

   • Increase funding for existing municipal cultural infrastructure programs

   • Create a regional cultural infrastructure funding program through municipalities/CRD.

   • Increase property taxes to support cultural infrastructure.

   • Dedicate a defined portion of development or amenity contributions to cultural infrastructure.

   • Reallocate existing municipal resources toward cultural infrastructure.

   • Establish a dedicated municipal levy or fee for cultural infrastructure.

   • Use municipal funding to leverage additional capital from other sources.

   • Partnerships with nonprofits to acquire cultural properties.

   • Cultural land trust models.

   • Municipal loan guarantees or collateral funds.

   • Low-interest or patient-capital financing partnerships.

   • Community bonds or social finance.

   • Long-term municipal leases.

   • I would not support additional municipal support for cultural infrastructure.

   • Other, I have another idea!

   • Decline to answer.
     
     Graded

6. ART-06
   
   Municipal budgets require difficult choices. Would you support maintaining arts and culture investment alongside other core municipal services? Select One
   
   

   • Yes, arts and culture should maintain or grow alongside other core services.

   • No, arts and culture funding should remain secondary to other municipal priorities.

   • Only if new revenue sources are identified.

   • Unsure

   • Decline to answer.
     
     Graded

7. ART-07
   
   When a major development project affects an existing cultural space, what should your municipality prioritize? Select One
   
   

   • Preserve the existing cultural space where feasible.

   • Require replacement cultural space or equivalent community benefit as part of redevelopment.

   • Prioritize housing supply even where cultural displacement occurs.

   • Evaluate proposals based on overall community benefit.

   • Decline to answer.
     
     Graded
      

8. ART-08
   
   Would you support municipal incentives to encourage private property owners and developers to provide affordable community & cultural space for nonprofits? Select up to 5
   
   

   • Require or incentivize cultural space in major development projects.

   • Reduce or waive municipal fees for eligible cultural spaces.

   • Offer property tax incentives for property owners providing long-term affordable cultural space.

   • Provide property tax relief for eligible nonprofit-owned cultural properties.

   • None of the above.

   • Other, I have another idea!

   • Decline to answer.
     
     Graded
     
     

9. ART-GEN
   
   If you have anything you'd like to add in regards to the arts in your municipality or the region as a whole, feel free to share your thoughts below.
   
   *Written answer / Not graded

10. GEN-02

Your municipality has received $10 million in new annual funding and must spend all of it. How would you allocate it across the following areas? Your answers must total $10 million.

Split $10 million across twelve areas:

• Housing

• Transit

• Walking Infrastructure

• Rolling & Cycling Infrastructure

• Roadway Infrastructure

• Policing

• Fire & Emergency Services

• Parks & Recreation

• Arts & Culture

• Climate Action & Environment

• Unhoused Resident Services

• Community-Based Clinics

*Funds allocated / Not graded

Municipal candidate results will be made available September 18th, 2026