Information
- Category:
- Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
- Description:
- Stop the CUTS!
Ottawa festivals will lose all city funding under the current planned budget cuts!
The Ottawa 2009 Draft Budget is calling for a $4.1 million cut to the arts, culture and heritage funding that would see all support for festivals, fairs, heritage programs, new art fund initiatives and art project initiatives eliminated and 42% less funding for established art programs.
Show that you support Ottawa's arts, culture and heritage by joining this group. But do more! Send letters to... (read more) - Privacy Type:
- Open: All content is public.
Admins
- Alan (creator)
Ottawa Citizens Support Arts, Culture and Heritage Funding
JoinBasic Info
- Name:
- Ottawa Citizens Support Arts, Culture and Heritage Funding
- Category:
- Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
- Description:
- Stop the CUTS!
Ottawa festivals will lose all city funding under the current planned budget cuts!
The Ottawa 2009 Draft Budget is calling for a $4.1 million cut to the arts, culture and heritage funding that would see all support for festivals, fairs, heritage programs, new art fund initiatives and art project initiatives eliminated and 42% less funding for established art programs.
Show that you support Ottawa's arts, culture and heritage by joining this group. But do more! Send letters to... (read more) - Privacy Type:
- Open: All content is public.
Contact Info
- Email:
- Location:
- Ottawa, ON
Recent News
- News:
- With a City Budget of $2.5 billion, it is incomprehensible that solutions are being sought through such destructive measures. This is the second time in five years that the city staff who prepared the draft budget have attacked the arts disproportionately. Slashing the cultural sector to make a difference of one-fifth of one percent of the total budget defies all logic.
It equally defies all logic to cut 100% of funding for festivals that are able to turn every dollar invested by the city into $21 of direct investment within the local community. Making such cuts will not only threaten the longevity of festivals themselves but will also have serious economic consequences.
Drastic cuts to cultural funding will impact local businesses that directly supply goods and services to festival organizers and gain business from festival goers. Such losses will result in severe multiplier effects throughout the local economy. In a time of economic crisis, such cuts are not optimal. While the City of Ottawa is largely sheltered from the economic effects of a recession, as revenues and expenses are likely to undergo only small immediate impacts, such belt-tightening would worsen any economic downtown for the City.
In addition to the monetary impacts, these cuts will have harsh socio-economic effects for the citizens of Ottawa. Whether it is the food enjoyed at Greekfest and Italian Week; the performances at the Fringe Festival, Bluesfest, Ottawa Children's Festival, the Jazz Festival and Canadian Dance Festival; the sites at Winterlude, the Lumière Festival and the Tulip Festival; or the culture celebrations of Capital Pride Ottawa, the Caribbean Festival, Latin American Festival, Aboriginal Experiences program, the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival and the Franco-Ontarien Festival, all citizens gain satisfaction from Ottawa’s festivals in a multitude of ways.
These and other numerous festivals, cultural and heritage events help promote and foster diversity and create an incredible intangible benefit to the spirit of community and culture in our city. Strong, healthy and vibrant cities must foster diversity!
Arts are not just for arts sake—they go straight to the community!