The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) has announced it will lay off around 30 staff members due to a significant financial deficit. The layoffs account for approximately 20% of the gallery’s unionized employees. A spokesperson for the gallery stated, “Staff have been informed that reductions will take place across all areas of the gallery.
These are hard decisions, but they are made with care and a commitment to our public mission.”
Warren Williams, the president of CUPE 15, the union representing workers at the gallery, expressed sadness over the decision. “Although the union has not yet completed its comprehensive evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to permit the employer to present voluntary severance package offers to individual employees,” Williams said. The financial downturn follows a $23.4 million deficit reported in the last fiscal year, a sharp decline from the previous year’s $26.1 million surplus.
Financial challenges lead to layoffs
This change is attributed mainly to a significant reduction in provincial funding, which dropped from $20 million to $646,000. The layoffs come three months after the departure of Anthony Kiendl, the gallery’s director and chief executive.
The VAG had previously announced plans for a new $420 million building designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron. However, the project has been put on hold due to ballooning costs. Williams mentioned that CUPE 15 will continue to negotiate for better severance packages and protection of benefits for the gallery’s members.
“Considering the financial status of the gallery and the new site being put on hold—they are in a bit of a pickle,” Williams added. “We also have members who work at the Museum of Vancouver and the Maritime Museum—institutions that are also struggling financially.”
The ongoing financial challenges highlight the need for greater support from both civic and provincial governments to sustain these vital cultural entities in Vancouver.
