'Nothing happened': Ottawa arts groups still waiting on city funding promise

Local arts groups remember celebrating on Feb. 28, 2012, the date Mayor Jim Watson and Ottawa city council unanimously voted to approve a plan to boost base funding for the region's festivals and arts organizations.

But now, almost five years later, they're wondering why that commitment failed to materialize.

"Nothing happened on it, absolutely nothing happened on it, and I am left scratching my head," said Julian Armour, executive director of the Music and Beyond summer classical music festival.

The Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture (2013-2018) pledged $5 million over six years. It was a recognition that investing in the arts made good economic sense — not only creating jobs, but enhancing the quality of life that attracts tourists and businesses to the area.

The plan called for increased grants to community festivals, museums, theatre groups and galleries to offset operating costs and programming, with the aim of bringing cultural expenditure more in line with other big Canadian cities.

Arts groups 'on life support'

But Armour said the groups have received a fraction of what they were promised.

"In terms of operation funding, Ottawa is near the bottom of the heap for the major Canadian municipalities, in other words our arts organizations are being seriously under funded by the city," Armour said. 

"Right now, we've got a lot of arts organizations, frankly, on life support that really need serious investment," he said.

Mayor Jim Watson says the city's cultural action plan was a blueprint — not a guarantee — that depended on economic realities.

"The promise it was predicated on had to go through the budget process," Watson said. "There's never enough money to everything that everyone wants."

Watson says city has made big investments

Rather than lagging behind in arts investment, Watson said the city has "spent more money than we have before."

In particular, he cites the $41 million towards the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) Expansion and Arts Court Redevelopment project, and a recent investment of $500,000 to local groups for events and promotion in 2017. 

"Where I come from, $500,000 is a lot of money." said Watson.

"We brought forward an extraordinarily high record number of dollars for the capital budget because the number one priority of the arts community was the Ottawa Art Gallery and Arts Court Renovation," he said.

"We provided funding to ensure that the [Great Canadian Theatre Company] kept its doors open — $250,000-plus per year — we provided funding that would ensure the opening and success of Nouvelle Scene."

Less about buildings, more about artists

Sean Wilson, president of Ottawa Festivals said, "it's less about buildings and more about what's happening in those buildings." 

While the local arts community is praising the city's investment in new building projects for the arts, they are in dire need of dollars to keep the doors open, Wilson said.

"We're not looking for gold-plated toilets. We're not looking for, you know, more black-tie galas.What we're looking for is money to turn on the lights, to bring the quality of artists the city needs, to pay people a living wage," said Wilson.

Victoria Steele, executive director of AOE Arts Council, said despite past disappointments she's looking forward to Nov. 9, when the city will release its 2017 budget. She is optimistic that arts groups will see money to help them grow.

"City funding is quite key in leveraging funds from the province, from the feds, but also the private sector. It shows a real vote of confidence," she said.

That vote of confidence is what local art groups will be looking for when Ottawa will takes centre stage in 2017 as a year of celebrations to mark Canada's 150 birthday, including high profile cultural, historical and sporting events. 

"I hope there will a big turnaround in this budget, because the arts organizations need it and the city will benefit," Armour said. "If you're going to celebrate a big year like 2017, you should do it through your arts and your festivals."