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 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

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

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

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’

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

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

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

English:
http://www.ottawa.ca/online_services/council_live/english/index.html

Francais:
http://www.ottawa.ca/online_services/council_live/french/index.html

Speakers List:
December 1 [download]
December 2 [download]
December 3 [download]
December 4 [download]