Imagine opening the morning paper or clicking a news app on your phone or tablet and reading the following headline: Rich teen actor with a passion-project band receives almost 30K in taxpayer money for band that now doesn't exist! How many of us would skim and move on? Would you roll your eyes and mutter about there being yet another example of irresponsible government spending? Or would you go a step further and file a request for Access to Records with the Province of British Columbia. As you might have guessed, we took the latter approach.

On June 1, 2020, CreativeBC announced that the BC government had renewed their investment of $7.5 million for Amplify BC “to stabilize, support and sustain BC’s music industry during the pandemic”. Given the difficult year, it was no doubt a relief to learn that funding had been secured. To note, Amplify BC was first introduced by the BC Liberal Government, and the program was inherited by the BC NDP government when they took office.

For many of us who are unfamiliar, CreativeBC seeks to “strengthen a number of BC industries” and “act as catalysts to help the sector realize its economic and creative potential, contributing to the future prosperity of our province”. The organization is highlighted on the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports portfolio currently held by the Honourable Melanie Mark. CreativeBC offers funding opportunities under Showcase BC, the Vancouver Music Fund, and Amplify BC.

According to the information requested by Coastal Front, CreativeBC’s AMPLIFY BC Career Development funded a total of 78 projects in 2018-2019. One payment was made to a Vancouver-based rock band named Calpurnia for $28,575. While the band itself might not ring any major bells, the lead vocalist and guitarist Finn Wolfhard – perhaps better known as Mike Wheeler from Netflix’s science fiction horror Stranger Things – is recognizable around the city of Vancouver. At 18 years old, Wolfhard has won a Screen Actors Guild Award, has an estimated net worth of $3 million dollars, and was signed to Royal Mountain Records until his band Calpurnia dissolved in November 2019 – the same year they received funding. *

Why is this specific individual or the funding stream in which he benefitted from important? Let us frame the question a different way, if OVO Sound applied for funding under AMPLIFY BC and were successful, would it be considered fair? For context, OVO Sound is a Toronto-based record label founded by hip hop artist Drake. How do we as taxpayers ensure that organizations, which receive government funds, maintain eligibility criteria which fairly and accurately evaluate applications?

* For further information on recipients for 2018-2019, we would encourage you to browse through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in British Columbia (FOIPPA) website as the information is now publicly available.