jdot: First of all, there is lots of money out there, and money is being made everyday. As of 2001, 1% of the country was millionaires, while that is expected to triple by 2010. Last year there were 23 Canadian billionaires. Hell, one of them is trying to buy the Maple Leafs right now, and prior to this he was virtually unknown. So if we need rich people to donate, I'm sure they can be found.
However, who says you need rich people to donate? The French government spends about €3billion per year on the arts. Has Canada even invested that much over the last 50 years? The fact is that art is an investment that creates a number of benefits for cities. Considering tourism is the fastest growing sector in the world, it only makes sense for our government to invest more in creating venues that will attract people from all over. Unfortunately, tourism is an afterthought in this country. We really could take a page from the French book because investing in this type of stuff really does pay off.