Imperial Oil, ConocoPhillips stop funding Inuvik arts festival

Oil and gas companies that have halted their N.W.T. exploration plans have stopped funding Inuvik's Great Northern Arts Festival.

Maia Lepage, the festival's executive director, says ConocoPhillips and Imperial Oil are no longer giving money to the 27-year-old event.  

"Inuvik has been going through a decline, like the oil and gas industry and the money that's available in town. So our corporate sponsorship is not where it used to be," she said.

This year the festival won't be able to provide any free programming for youth, and only 47 artists will head to the festival, compared to the 100 artists from all over Northern Canada who attended the festival's 25th anniversary two years ago, says Lepage.

Last week, Imperial Oil announced it is delaying much of its planning for oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea. Earlier this year, ConocoPhillips confirmed it has no plans to conduct further exploration in the territory's Sahtu region for the foreseeable future.

Aboriginal organizations like the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation have also pulled funding for the festival but are providing in-kind donations. 

This year's Great Northern Arts Festival, which kicks off July 17, is estimated to cost nearly $500,000.