Council passes budget

Property tax hike set at 4.9 per cent

Mon, December 8, 2008Residents are facing a 4.9% increase on their city taxes after a surprise vote ended what was expected to be a lengthy week-long session of nitpicking through the 2009 draft budget.

An omnibus motion moved by College Coun. Rick Chiarelli, with the backing of the majority of councillors, passed in the blink of an eye – just moments after Mayor Larry O‚Brien vowed to reporters to drag the meeting out as long as he had to in order to force debate.

Saved from the chopping block are the proposed cuts to arts and culture, transit routes, outdoor rinks, school crossing guards and childcare spaces.

Full story on the Ottawa Sun website: Council passes budget

O’Brien’s wish list excludes arts

By DEREK PUDDICOMBE | Ottawa Sun

O’Brien said he will be supporting all of city staff’s proposed $33 million in cuts and fee hikes to keep the property tax hike to 4.8%. The staff plan includes cutting millions of dollars for city festivals and other arts, culture and heritage programs, as well as increasing user fees for arena and pool rentals, and many other services.

“The arts is something I feel comfortable cutting,” O’Brien said.

Read the full article: O’Brien’s wish list excludes arts

Find big bucks, not arts nickels and dimes

From Walter Robinson | Ottawa Sun

Back in January 2007, I clearly remember that council passed the Arts Investment Strategy and Museum Sustainability Plan; both plans were designed to provide sustainable multi-year funding to these two sectors.

The quid was that council would protect this funding in return for the political quo that these two sectors wouldn’t ask for a penny more. It was good policy and good politics.

Guess who didn’t keep their end of the bargain?

This explains why 60-plus delegations publicly lobbied this week against proposed cuts to arts and museum funding.

Read full story on the Ottawa Sun website: Find big bucks, not arts nickels and dimes

The art of the protest

 December 3, 2008 | The Ottawa Citizen

One of the prime directives in politics is never annoy the arts community. Mayor Larry O’Brien and council are discovering this as they contemplate whacking $4.1 million out of the city arts budget.

If you listen to the new guru of things societal and urban, Richard Florida, he’s very much against cutting Ottawa’s arts budget. On Ken Gray’s Inner City podcast on ottawacitizen.com, Mr. Florida says artists are the kind of people cities should nurture. The author of the ground-breaking book The Rise of the Creative Class says the arts, an industry unto itself, also creates an atmosphere that attracts other creative individuals.

Mr. Florida, has been doing research on this country from his new outpost at the University of Toronto for his upcoming Canadian edition of Who’s Your City. That research has revealed Ottawa might be the most creative city in North America with about 43 per cent of jobs here dubbed “creative.” That includes our public service.

So our festivals, theatres, orchestras and the like are an industry. And they attract other industry. The arts are not just enlightenment and enjoyment, but good business.

Read the full story on the Ottawa Citizen website: The art of the protest

Arts groups weary of ‘begathon’

24 Hours/Sun Media – Deember 3, 2008

Christina Tessier is the executive director of the Bytown Museum, but only until Friday.

After six years at the museum, Tessier has decided that she can’t take the uncertainty that comes with the annual threat from the city that the museum’s budget be cut as an option to save money.

Even after the city and its museums reached an agreement for sustainable funding a couple of years ago the city continues its threat to slash museum budgets.

Tessier is angry that every year at this time, members of the city’s arts, culture and heritage community have to take time out of their schedules to fight for money they have been promised as a result of the Arts Investment Strategy and the Museum Sustainability Plan negotiated with the city.

Tessier said it’s difficult for an organization to plan its annual budget when they don’t know year to year if the money they receive from the city will be taken away. She added that groups are dependent on the money and use the funding as leverage to obtain support from the federal and provincial governments.

Read the full article on the 24 Hours online version: Arts groups weary of ‘begathon’

Citizens rally against cuts, fees

TIM WIECLAWSKI/METRO OTTAWA
December 02, 2008

Few things can bring a city together like a whole whack of budget cuts.

Dancers, actors, musicians and artists joined poverty and community activists for a large rally at city hall yesterday to protest a broad range of cuts, service reductions and user-fee increases proposed in order to balance the budget.

“I have never seen council chambers so full or so animated,” said Paul Durber, with People for a Better Ottawa. “However negative the cuts are, it has really energized the community and that’s very good for democracy.”

Durber said the turnout should be a wakeup call for council that residents are paying attention to what they are doing and people do not like the directions proposed in the budget.

 Read the full story on the Metro website: Citizens rally against cuts, fees

Hundreds protest arts and culture cuts

Patrick Dare,  Financial Post

Published: Monday, December 01, 2008

Julian Armour, president of Ottawa Festivals, said the city has broken its word with arts groups by going back on its promise of increased funding for culture over four years. He said he was saddened to be once again at City Hall fighting arts cuts when there have been so many such battles over the years.

Mr. Armour said he was dismayed that economic arguments for culture funding have not put an end to spending-cut proposals such as the one to eliminate grants to arts festivals.

“The arts are, beyond question, what a great city has to have,” said Mr. Armour.

Capital Councillor Clive Doucet told the crowd that for the price of one large new intersection construction, $4 million, the city could cover its arts budget for a year. Mr. Doucet noted that tourists from around the world who come to Ottawa aren’t interested in intersections, but the festivals and other cultural events that are under threat.

 Read the full story on the Financial Post website: Hundreds protest arts and culture cuts

Councillor moves against Ottawa arts cuts after hundreds protest

Monday, December 1, 2008 | CBC.ca

Clive Doucet, councillor for capital ward, was unable to move the proposal Monday during the first day of budget hearings for public delegations, but is expected to do so on Thursday once council begins formally debating the budget.

About 300 people of all ages packed the council chambers at Ottawa City Hall on Monday, carrying signs that read “Stop the cuts: My city still includes culture” and “My Ottawa includes festivals.”

Those who got up to speak said it was irresponsible for the city to put arts and culture groups in the position of having to beg for funding year after year, and complained the annual cycle makes it impossible for them to plan for the culture.

John Reid, chair for the city’s arts, culture and heritage advisory committee, called on council to change how the whole process works, bringing all 300 people to their feet in applause.

 Read full story on CBC.ca: Councillor moves against Ottawa arts cuts after hundreds protest

Ottawa literary scene faces funding cuts

November 21, 2008

By Danielle Ng-See-Quan, Quill & Quire
Several literary events in Ottawa are facing financial shortfalls next year, due to 2009 budget cuts that have been proposed by senior City of Ottawa staff.

The Ottawa International Writers Festival, the Ottawa Book Awards, Bywords, and the Tree Reading Series are among the 286 arts groups, festivals, and individuals slated to lose some or all of their funding in the city’s draft budget, which was presented early this month. Overall, the budget calls for a 43% cut to Ottawa’s arts, culture, and heritage funding, from $13.3-million this year to $6.1-million in 2009.

The decision appears to renege on a 2006 proposal for an increase of $2.5-million in arts funding over the following four years. That move came after a fiery public debate over proposed arts cuts in 2004.

“For most of us, the current budget deliberations at City Hall seem like a bad case of déjà vu,” wrote Sean Wilson, director of the Ottawa International Writers Festival, in a message to members of the event’s Facebook group. Wilson later told Q&Q Omni, “They figured that rather than expanding fewer roads, ‘Let’s just kill the culture and make sure that Ottawa lives up to its reputation as the city that fun forgot.’”

Read the full article on the Quill & Quire website: Ottawa literary scene faces funding cuts

Mixed Media: Riopelle sells while money woes dog arts organizations in Ottawa, L.A., England

Posted: November 20, 2008, 11:20 AM by Adam McDowellMixed Media, Art and Culture, Museums

In arts and culture news today, the sky is falling … • First, Ottawa loses its chance for a new destination when the Harper government decides to scrap the Portrait Gallery of Canada. Now the capital’s city council is mulling massive cuts to municipal arts funding. According to the Ottawa Citizen:

“In total, the draft budget option would see funding for heritage, festivals and arts groups chopped by 43%. Of particular concern is that … three local heritage organizations … and seven local historical societies face 100% cuts to their operating grants, and community museums face a 24% decrease in city support.”

And this is a city that’s trying to promote cultural tourism.

National Post: In arts and culture news today, the sky is falling