Thank you for expressing not just support for CO*LAB, but for sharing your thoughts on how important this venue is.
We at CO*LAB are working with the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Arts Council to ensure the venue stays. There is support there, but this is the tip of the iceberg.
Our volunteer board (QAS) is shagged out and needs fresh faces and people able to get ahead of the constant scrambling to pay rent, maintenance, and construction deficiencies, which had us on our heels from July 2020 (remember that global situation that obstructed so many people and orgs?) and has finally overwhelmed us. With a core group of 3-6 volunteers, getting ahead has proven very difficult.
Things are tough all over, and we know that this isn't JUST about us. Talking with the vendors of the downtown markets, local business owners, artists, and community members, we are ALL being squeezed from all sides.
We, as a city, need to decide if we want to have a vibrant community OR empty assets that look good on paper.
This is a constant fight to exist, and for the naysayers (that are only looking at just the dollars and cents, the intangibles like the value of arts, culture, vibrancy, crime prevention, continuance of care for the most vulnerable) are dismissing us and our efforts. There's no metrics on that R.O.I. until years later, often well after provincial and civic elections. SOME at the city do see the value, but we can hear the knives being sharpened in anticipation of what the Province will likely put forward in their election promises.
We can only do so much on our own. The City can only do so much without support from the Province and the Feds.
Fact is, there's a battle coming and we need to decide what's important. If we didn't think CO*LAB wasn't absolutely necessary, we wouldn't be doing this!
Community Arts access isn't just necessary, but vital to community.
If you agree, please engage not just with us to understand these factors, but with Chinatown residents and businesses.Talk to ALL arts organizations. Talk to Downtown Market vendors. Talk to people directly involved, to understand what's happening and what needs to be done. We can have vitality, or we can have vacant spaces dotted with "high-market" businesses supported by global shareholders.
There may be a middle/moderate path here, but that would require a LOT of work towards solutions, borne entirely by the locals, as multinationals are only nominally interested in local supports (often part of marketing strategies, with no actual heart). Is that fair, or is it "just business"? We have given more than we can, and the system is asking for more. This needs to change.
What do you want for Edmonton?
Are you willing to advocate for that?
I am, and I hope you see that there's power in community and working together.
This is the first step towards longevity, and we are so very thankful for community support. However, it is unfair for the community to bear the entire weight of this struggle. Others need to step up, and we will not stop until there is real hope.
We will be keeping this petition alive until we have more solid footing, both economically and organizationally.