Ward 8 Candidate Information
All candidates were asked to respond to the following questions:
1. How do you experience the arts in Calgary? What are some of your recent experiences?
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2. What role do you see for the arts in building a strong, vibrant Calgary in the future?
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3. Other than in the municipal budget, how would you champion the arts in the community as a city councillor or as mayor - to funders, the business community, and constituents?
4. Given what you know about the importance of the arts in building a competitive, prosperous city and your position on public arts funding, please choose which of the following statements best aligns with your perspective:
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I believe a thriving, prosperous city must have a vibrant arts scene in order to succeed. The municipal government should prioritize finding strategic ways to increase investment in the arts sector.
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I believe Calgary currently has many important civic priorities, including the arts. Current municipal investment in the arts is sufficient and should be maintained at its current level.
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I believe the arts are a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have for Calgary. Calgary is facing a diverse range of challenges and it is not viable for municipal arts funding to remain at its current level.
Below are their responses verbatim, with no edits or omissions.
Cornelia Weibe has not yet completed the survey.
#1: We [The Calgary Party] experience the arts in Calgary both as active supporters and engaged audience members. Members of our team have played leadership roles—professionally and as volunteers—in shaping the arts community, helping build platforms and spaces where creativity thrives. At the same time, we deeply value being part of the audience: attending Folk Fest, catching performances at Alberta Theatre Projects, enjoying Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, and visiting local exhibitions and galleries. We've also experienced the arts through family outings, sharing Calgary’s creative spirit with the next generation. From boardrooms to back rows, the arts have been a meaningful and multifaceted part of our lives in this city.
#2: The arts must be treated as foundational to Calgary’s future—not an afterthought. A truly vibrant, world-class city embeds arts and culture into its economic, civic, and community-building strategies. From drawing in tourism to supporting talent attraction and retention, the arts play a critical role in shaping Calgary’s identity and economic strength. A strong cultural scene helps fuel the hospitality industry, adds to our quality of life, and drives broader investment by making Calgary a more desirable place to live, work, and play. Culture contributes $5.3 billion annually to Alberta’s economy and creates over 53,000 jobs. While many artists face low wages, the broader impact of the sector is undeniable. Whether it’s Folk Fest bringing thousands to our parks, or local theatre and music scenes engaging Calgarians and newcomers alike, the arts are essential infrastructure for a future-focused city. If we want to attract global talent, keep young people here, and grow our local economy, investing in the arts isn’t optional—it’s strategic.
#3: As a mayor or city councillor, championing the arts goes far beyond budget lines — it’s about reframing the sector as a driver of economic, social, and civic growth. To funders and the business community, we would position arts and culture as essential to Calgary’s competitive edge that requires both public and private sector investment. . Culture contributes $5.3 billion annually to Alberta’s economy and supports over 53,000 jobs. A thriving arts scene is directly tied to tourism, hospitality, talent retention, and innovation. We would actively seek cross-sector partnerships that embed the arts into economic development, infrastructure projects, and placemaking strategies, treating artists as co-creators of Calgary’s future. We would encourage the business community to do their part, by investing in the arts, through sponsorships, philanthropy or engaging artists for their events. To constituents, we would highlight the lived experience: Calgarians engage in an average of 2.5 cultural activities each month. Arts are already a core part of people’s lives — whether through festivals, local theatre, music, or public art. We would champion grassroots arts initiatives, support activation of public spaces, and advocate for better access to affordable arts venues, including in underserved communities. Ultimately, we would use our platform to celebrate artists as builders of the city’s spirit, economy, and shared identity — and ensure their work is valued and visible across Calgary.
Statement Chosen:
I believe a thriving, prosperous city must have a vibrant arts scene in order to succeed. The municipal government should prioritize finding strategic ways to increase investment in the arts sector.
Gary Bobrovitz has not yet completed the survey.
#1: For more than 20 years I have been involved in the arts and culture sector in Calgary throughout my work at Casa Mexico. I have worked with artists, creators, innovators, and different organizations in the private and public sector involved in supporting this important sector of our economy. I have been involved in different art celebrations including Chinook Blast, Celebrating Life, Calgary Stampede Parade, and Dia de Muertos Festival to mention some of the many activities we promote.
#1: I worked as a freelance musician in Calgary from 2008-2019 and lived through all the positives and negatives of being an artist in Calgary and Southern Alberta. I worked countless gigs during that time and also had to support myself through other work as a delivery driver, brewery warehouse staff, census enumerator, barista, you name it! Until my decision to run for council in January 2025, I served on the boards of Kensington Sinfonia (President for 7 years and board member for 14 years) and the Mountain View Festival of Song and Chamber Music (Treasurer for 10 years). I am also a graduate of RAMP which was a huge help in these roles. Finally, many of my close friendships continue to be with the artists I met during these years.
#2: The Arts and Culture sector plays a significant role in our society by supporting artists and creators so they can bring to life theatrical performances, musical presentations, visual art exhibitions, and many networking activities that bring joy, entertainment, health, healing, and also an important economic activity to our society. The Arts and Culture sector is the glue that brings our society together by waking up our senses and creating positive vibes that are needed to be productive and find balance in our lives. I see a great potential for our city to continue to support the creative industries and all our artistic community so we can be a most cosmopolitan city, that can be proud of its arts and culture sector. This implies to build infrastructure for first class venues that can support the our communities of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs.
#3: Working closely with artists, creators, entrepreneurs, and with businesses, non for profit organizations, other levels of government to constantly promoting and bringing to the table the amazing talent that we have in our community. In the work that I do with Casa Mexico and other projects, I discover daily new talent in diverse areas. We need to be sure that these talent is visible and that we can provide the environment to be successful and thrive.
Statement Chosen:
#2: The arts are a central part of a thriving economy and livable city. A city without the arts is a place where people have fewer reasons to go out and explore where they live and our economy and culture suffer as a result. A city that supports the arts is a city that has life. The arts give people a reason to go out after work and on the weekends and in doing so they visit different neighbourhoods, explore the businesses, and fill our streets with social activity. But perhaps most importantly, a city with a thriving arts sector is a better city for our young people. Being exposed to and participating in the arts as a child has lifelong benefits to health and intelligence (both practical and emotional). To get political for a second, the slogan of my Ward 8 City Council campaign is "Future Focused," and as we look to the future of our city, the arts cannot be left behind. Even as we grapple with difficult economic, social, and environmental issues, we need to give people a reason to hope for the future and a city without the arts is a city without hope. When people's lives are fulfilled in this way, their mental and physical health improves and that puts us all in a better position to deal with the tough things in life.
#3: By promoting the foundational place the arts have in a city like Calgary. There is so much data showing the positive benefits of a healthy arts sector and we need leaders who are able to tell this story to funders, the business community, and constituents. I think I am well placed to tell this story because my own story would be incomplete without the arts.
Statement Chosen:
I believe a thriving, prosperous city must have a vibrant arts scene in order to succeed. The municipal government should prioritize finding strategic ways to increase investment in the arts sector.
I believe a thriving, prosperous city must have a vibrant arts scene in order to succeed. The municipal government should prioritize finding strategic ways to increase investment in the arts sector.
Kent Hehr has not yet completed the survey.