*STORY FICTITIOUS*Out of the heartland of northern Alberta, a dry and desolate place, comes a sign of hope for the masses that dwell near: more people will likely stay put in Alberta thanks to work by the Government of British Columbia and the fact that the Government of Alberta said so.
Alberta is well known for their oil production, animal hunting, and people who drive large trucks, but now something new is emerging: people with talent. The issue is these people like to leave Alberta.
Since 1987, many skilled individuals with beauty and brains have been emerging from the northern Alberta scene. Jeffery Ingham, Jillian Rankin, and Peter Breeze are just a few examples of talent breaking through the stereotype of historic Albertan monotony, and really making an impact on the cultural scene in Canada.
“Alberta is home, it is where I grew up,” said Ingham a music producer known as Shugar Boy out of Innisfail, Alta. who now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. “But I would never imagine moving back there on my own free will. Ever.”
This seems to be the growing trend amoung talented youth coming out of Alberta, the need to leave the province in order to pursue creative endevours. They seek refuge in places such as Vancouver and Toronto for the opportunity to follow their dreams.
“I want to act,” said Rankin, an up-and-coming actor, and Calgary native who now settles in the midst of ocean and mountains on British Columbia’s coast. “There is just nothing in Alberta which inspires me the way [Vancouver] does.”
The Alberta government has been debating the past few weeks over what it can do to keep young talent in the province, but it says it must find a way to make more money of these people, or they do not care.
“It’s a recession we are in.” said Connie Servatave, member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly. “Sure, the arts sector is cute for kids, but real people don’t really care.”
And Servatave does have a point. The latest polls out of Fort McMurray, Alta. have shown that since the recession began there has been an increase in bar attendance of about 63 per cent since 2000, same goes for local strip clubs which have been up in attendance 69 per cent, while the local Keyano College has been working hard to get people out to
their yearly theatre productions, but have seen a decrease in attendance of about 73 per cent which leaves their theatres practically empty.
Here in Alberta, we have a rich culture of fishing, hunting, and drilling giant holes in the ground to scavenge the oil. There have been a few wildlife casualties, but nothing major enough to put any stop to the cash machine we have beneath our feet. People of Alberta have been drilling for oil since its first discovery, and generally cannot imagine a world without it.
While out on the west coast of Canada, people have long been distracted by scenery and the arts, a movement the Government of British Columbia has been trying hard to put a stop to, its latest attempt being a sudden cut to arts funding of about 91%.
Artists have been fighting back, through protests and poetry slams aimed at diffusing their anger towards the government, but the cuts may prove effective in cutting back on the arts in British Columbia and keeping young Albertans here in Alberta.
“We are happy with the cuts in British Columbia,” said Servatave. “The destruction of British Columbia always helps Alberta look better. We have cheaper booze, less taxes, beef and oil sands. I’m sure young people will be more likely to narrow the view of their future, and stay here in Alberta forever.”
Alberta is well known for their oil production, animal hunting, and people who drive large trucks, but now something new is emerging: people with talent. The issue is these people like to leave Alberta.
Since 1987, many skilled individuals with beauty and brains have been emerging from the northern Alberta scene. Jeffery Ingham, Jillian Rankin, and Peter Breeze are just a few examples of talent breaking through the stereotype of historic Albertan monotony, and really making an impact on the cultural scene in Canada.“Alberta is home, it is where I grew up,” said Ingham a music producer known as Shugar Boy out of Innisfail, Alta. who now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. “But I would never imagine moving back there on my own free will. Ever.”
This seems to be the growing trend amoung talented youth coming out of Alberta, the need to leave the province in order to pursue creative endevours. They seek refuge in places such as Vancouver and Toronto for the opportunity to follow their dreams.
“I want to act,” said Rankin, an up-and-coming actor, and Calgary native who now settles in the midst of ocean and mountains on British Columbia’s coast. “There is just nothing in Alberta which inspires me the way [Vancouver] does.”
The Alberta government has been debating the past few weeks over what it can do to keep young talent in the province, but it says it must find a way to make more money of these people, or they do not care.
“It’s a recession we are in.” said Connie Servatave, member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly. “Sure, the arts sector is cute for kids, but real people don’t really care.”
And Servatave does have a point. The latest polls out of Fort McMurray, Alta. have shown that since the recession began there has been an increase in bar attendance of about 63 per cent since 2000, same goes for local strip clubs which have been up in attendance 69 per cent, while the local Keyano College has been working hard to get people out to
their yearly theatre productions, but have seen a decrease in attendance of about 73 per cent which leaves their theatres practically empty.Here in Alberta, we have a rich culture of fishing, hunting, and drilling giant holes in the ground to scavenge the oil. There have been a few wildlife casualties, but nothing major enough to put any stop to the cash machine we have beneath our feet. People of Alberta have been drilling for oil since its first discovery, and generally cannot imagine a world without it.
While out on the west coast of Canada, people have long been distracted by scenery and the arts, a movement the Government of British Columbia has been trying hard to put a stop to, its latest attempt being a sudden cut to arts funding of about 91%.
Artists have been fighting back, through protests and poetry slams aimed at diffusing their anger towards the government, but the cuts may prove effective in cutting back on the arts in British Columbia and keeping young Albertans here in Alberta.
“We are happy with the cuts in British Columbia,” said Servatave. “The destruction of British Columbia always helps Alberta look better. We have cheaper booze, less taxes, beef and oil sands. I’m sure young people will be more likely to narrow the view of their future, and stay here in Alberta forever.”
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