A councillor's two cents on arts funding

Here's an update from Bay Ward councillor Mark Taylor, who chairs the city's Community and Protective Services Committee. He wants us to know there has indeed been plenty of cultural investment since the period covered by the Hill Strategies study:

"The study reveals that between the period of 2006 - 2009 that there has been significant progress made in Ottawa's local cultural development such as the Museum Sustainability Plan (2005), the Arts Investment Strategy (2007) and the Festivals Sustainability Plan (2007) and the development of key cultural facilities such the Musoparc Vanier Museopark  (2006), Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre (2007), and Shenkman Arts Centre (2009).

What the study does not show is our i

Since 2009 the City has continued its progress with investments such as the new Black Box Studio at Centrepointe Theatre ($4M in 2011), a new Central Archives and Library Materials Distribution Centre ($1M in 2011), the planning of the redevelopment of the Arts Court ($12.1M) and many facility upgrades to local libraries and community museums.

We've also just completed a broad, community-wide cultural planning renewal process that has produced arenewed six-year action plan (2013-2018) for arts, heritage and culture in Ottawa.

On January 19, my Committee (Community and Protective Services) will be receiving the renewed Action and Investment Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture in Ottawa.

The renewal process brought together the strongest diversity of representation and participation ever for municipal cultural planning purposes in Ottawa, including First Nations, Inuit and Mtis individuals, Anglophone and Francophone cultural communities and new Canadians as well as several arts,heritage, festivals and fairs representatives.

The actions included in the renewed plan are aimed at closing cultural gaps, meeting emerging needs and proposes further progress for  Ottawa's per capita investment (subject to annual Council budget approval)."