Alberta Leads Canada’s Cultural Spending

Alberta is frequently referred to as Canada’s answer to Texas – a conservative, cowboy-intensive enclave full of wide open spaces and unimaginable oil money. Now, an annual survey shows that, for the third year in a row, Albertans led the nation in per-capita spending on arts and culture. But there’s a catch: the lion’s share of the $3 billion Albertans spent on culture in 2005 went to pay for products (home entertainment systems, books, etc.) which can be enjoyed without ever leaving the couch.