Sweeping plan for arts and heritage has city's support

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Laura Mueller

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EMC News - A brand new five-year plan for arts, heritage and culture is drawing support for ideas like building a new downtown library, re-introducing a local poet laureate, overhauling the city's process for commemorative naming and establishing a plan for archeology.

In the $5-million plan, a total of $2 million will be added to the city's contribution to local arts, heritage and cultural groups over the five years as part of a "seed" investment.

"We invest in these communities and they will grow themselves," said Lilly Koltun, the chair of the steering committee that developed the plan.

The city will also put $1.5 million over five years towards renewing and preserving capital facilities for the arts, heritage and culture.

There are a few other programs, including $25,000 for a poet laureate in 2014 and $100,000 in the same year for a pilot program to create new cultural initiatives at a neighbourhood level. The goal is to foster the grassroots development of cultural "districts" or clusters throughout the city.

Heather Jamieson of Arts Ottawa East said the plan is strong because of the geographic component that considers the role of arts in rural, suburban and urban areas.

"This is validating the contribution each area makes to our arts sector," she said.

The plan was roundly applauded before the community and protective services committee endorsed it on Jan. 19. Advocates lined up to convey their accolades for the plan, with a notable lack of criticism of a nature rarely seen from public delegates at city hall.

"It's as cohesive and comprehensive of a document as you're ever going to find," said Catherine O'Grady, chair of the city's citizen advisory committee on arts, heritage and culture.

David Flemming of Heritage Ottawa said he and the group are pleased with the inclusion of a plan to not only preserve Ottawa's built architectural heritage, but also to create a new archeological plan for the city.

"This really ties in the built heritage and the importance of that," Flemming said. "It's important to recognize that it's part of arts and culture."

The National Capital Commission was also happy with the plan, particularly the archeological aspect.

Part of the plan that stood out to arts advocates who spoke at the Jan. 19 meeting was the focus on creating spaces for arts and providing easier access to existing spaces.

The plan wants the city to look at finding ways to boost access to underused spaces, encourage the private developers to include cultural space in their buildings, along the lines of the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Wellington West.

One of the spaces contemplated in the plan is the development of the long-planned concert hall for Ottawa, which was originally contemplated to be part of a new building at 150 Elgin St. in Centretown, however, privet sponsors weren't forthcoming, so that plan was dropped.

"This expression of engagement of the city is much appreciated," said Alan Bowker of the Friends of the Concert Hall group. "Now, we no longer have to deal with the refrain that the concert hall is dead."

Part of the plan looks are responding to the city's changing demographics as the population ages. In the next 20 years, the percentage of seniors in Ottawa will more than double. But the plan also looks at nurturing the opportunities for youth to get established in the art community from a young age, and creating cross-generational opportunities for collaboration and learning.

The plan is also important because the arts and culture are big moneymakers for the region and have potential to grow, Koltun said. In Ottawa/Gatineau, the cultural industry represents just under $2 billion, that's 4.1 per cent of the gross domestic product. Four million people took in arts and cultural events and performances in Ottawa in 2010 - works that were created in great part 22,500 cultural workers who is in the city, according to the report.

The arts sector also runs on a very dedicated base of volunteers. In 2010, 21,861 volunteers gave 519,755 hours, for a total value of $9.1 million.

The plan has been in development since the summer of 2010 and included vast participation from groups and individuals representing 185 groups across the city, including rural areas.

People from the city's 27 annual festivals, 19 theatre troupes, 30 galleries and visual-arts training centres and 24 museums were all consulted, which helped create a consensus and build support for the plan, Koltun said.

Of note, aboriginal groups were widely consulted and considered in the plan and voiced their support for it, whereas no indigenous people participated in the city's last arts plan, said Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes.

Council will vote to give final approval to the plan on Feb. 8.




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