lets stop giving money to a sinking ship. I understand that the pgso is important to our arts community in Prince George. But we should not keep giving them money until they understand how to spend it wisely. This organization just keeps wasting money without suppyling a good quality product that a variety of age groups will enjoy. The amount of money they have blown on managment payouts and bad decisions is mind boggling. They have been bailed out enough and given more chances then any other art group in Prince George.

Seems to me they got a nice big grant last year as well. And before you start to crucify me, I think the orchestra is very good...but my thought is this, if you can afford it fine, if you can't then let it go... I have to do this on a daily basis...I don't ask others to pay my way...and doubt they would if I asked.

This has to be the dumbest thing I have read today. We have people out of work, long waiting lists at hospitals, in debt up to our ears both provincially and municipally, and 60 MILLION DOLLARS is given to sports and arts. What a farce.

Relax guys.. its $50 000 that will be put back into the local economy..

On the other side of the coin some of these arts programs like the PGSO really need to re think their marketing strategy so they can become profitable organizations.

Misleading headline...no where does it state that the money is going to the symphony.

In my opinion it's money well spent. It's good to see money being spent on arts and sports.

What do you mean spend their money wisely, I did not know they were wasting their money. I seriously doubt that they are..R-U, do you have evidence of such misppropriation of funds, or just blowing wind.

@he spoke. Wish i was blowing smoke. Just take a look at the last GMs that ran the pgso and the payouts. The pgso has run themselves to the ground. The present conductor has worked very hard to revive the symphony but its been a hard battle. The organization needs alot of help in the pr dept.

$50,000.00 so a bunch of people can play some instruments? You gotta be kidding.Wish I'd know that in high school, woulda stuck to the Cornet.
Only my opinion, but what a waste of money.

totally agree duffer, well said!

I totally agree. I think the money is much better spent in the hands of of those who are going to be paying for the pay per view fee to watch the UFC 123 this weekend.

Better still, fly down to Michigan to watch it there and spend the money earned in Canada in the USA. They need our help.

BTW, how many of you know that TNW received more money last year than the PGSO? Both are charitable organizations.

The financial information of charitable organizations are viewable on the web. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html

Here is some information with the TNW figures first and PGSO figures second
1. Federal gov funding = $80,000; $36,850
2. Provincial gov funding = $65,000; $38,600
3. Municipal gov funding = $118,000; $65,743
4. TOTAL GOV. REVENUE = $263,000; $141,193
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5. OTHER NON-EARNED REVENUE = $252,158; $250,800
6. SALES (EARNED REVENUES) = $456,856; $223,419
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7. Total revenue = $972,014; $615,412
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8. total expenditures = $950,833; $761,497

The cost of management and administration is $279,216 for TNW plus $224,060 for the PGSO

Percentage contribution to operating costs by three levels of governments, not including gaming = 27.7% for TNW and 18.5% for PGSO.

The City taxpayers contribute 12.4% of TNW operating costs while we contribute only 8.6% of the PGSO operating costs.

You're not considering the interconnectedness of all things.( which ironically, is what my composition is about)
This is money that the PGSO is bringing into town, it's not from the city.
The city, takes $2.22 from each household ( 27,000 homes (roughly)= $60000 of funding).
It then gives it to the PGSO. That money then attracts BC funding, Canada Council etc.. Even in a really bad year, the money doubles ( I am not counting local funds which are diverted). This money goes into the local economy. ( but sadly not so much in previous years, (yes there are many things about the PGSO that have seriously pissed me off, but they are trying at the moment))
Because the orchestra pays me to play, I live here. I get 5 cents from your 2.22
I then compose compositions like the One Song ( which is what the orchestra got the grant for) which bring in more money ( about $100,000 to date over the last 3 years) which is spent locally. Since I can't live on the 10,000 a year I make in the pgso ( before expenses of about 3000) I run my own business Coles Woodwinds which brings in repair work from across the North ( more from out of town than in). I then spend that money here in town pay taxes etc.
basically I take the $1300 you guys all chipped in for me ( thanks- no seriously) and I put 40-90 thousand a year back into the PG economy( though I never see most of it). Most of you would consider me quite poor ( though I don't feel to be so, I'm fit, happy and enjoying myself). Pretty good deal I would say.
I have students that made sure there was a clarinet teacher in PG before they moved here. Now PG has some new doctors. There are also 3 doctors in the orchestra. Do you like medical care?
Local business etc. use the orchestra to convince prospective employees that they are not moving to buttfuck BC.
That's the economic argument( short version). What the arts do for people is hard to explain to people who have limited experience of them. Ever gone to play some guy some of his favourite tunes while he dies? Your missing out on a valuable and rewarding part of life. It's all about balance and I enjoy the outdoors and martial arts as much as I do music, sometimes more.
In fact I have really strong urge to kick someone in the head right about now but that would disgrace my dōjō.
We routinely support all kinds of stuff we don't personally like so we can have a balanced and productive society. hell we pay taxes for the public Gym and I just see the same dozen guys( tops) there all the time. Probably none of you guys cus it's been proven that waist size is inversly proportional to brain size .
I could go on but I have work to do for this Spirit grant thing, basically a lot of unpaid composing and arranging. Nice for my ego not so good for the pocket book but hey it's another 50,000 for PG perhaps it will be spent at your store.

Sláinte
Simon Cole
PGSO clarinet player and composer.
Doctors save lives, music makes those saved lives worth living.

If this town didn't have an arts culture, I would've moved along time ago, along with many other of the UNBC graduates who've migrated to this region

Ever read the musings of that guy Adam Smith, you know, only the most famous economic theorist ever to exist?

He wrote a lot about the division of labour, which this town has down to a science. You have one guy trained to swing a chainsaw, one guy trained to load the tree onto a truck, one guy trained to drive the truck to the mill, one guy trained for each step of the process. Smith suggested this is one of the most efficient ways for an economy to run, and it is, but you end up with a whole labour force that is bored out of their wits. He calls this mental mutilation' - workers become ignorant and insular as their working lives are confined to a single repetitive task.

He suggests that the state must provide educational and cultural opportunities for the working class to combat this mental murtilation - and this coming from the father of modern capitalism!

The government has been pumping billions of dollars into forestry and construction over the past few years - this PGSO money is a tiny droplet in the pool of public funds.

Any if you're still not convinced in the value of the arts and the orchestra, perhaps you should take some time to sit down and watch Fantasia