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Update and Campaign Archive
I have today written to all members of Heritage Ottawa on the effect of Ottawa City budget suts on heritage. It is reproduced below. I have also today written to the Mayor and all City Councillors describing the views of Heritage Ottawa on this issue, and calling on them to oppose the proposed crippliung cuts to Ottawa's heritage programming. You can read it here. - David Flemming
February 16, 2004 (The remarks below were delivered today by Heritage Ottawa President David Flemming to the Heritage Day reception at Ottawa City Hall.) Heritage workers and volunteers, honoured guests, your worship and members of council. I am here today representing the Strong Voice for Heritage Coalition of the Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa / le Conseil des organismes de partiomoine d’Ottawa. Today we celebrate our proud Canadian heritage as manifested here in the City of Ottawa, our Nation’s Capital. At this year’s Heritage Day ceremony, we are showcasing aspects our of military history. The military conjures up qualities such as courage, defence of our way of life and loyalty, qualities that are sadly lacking among most of our current municipal politicians. L’historie militaire évoque les qualities comme le courage, la défense de notre qualité de la vie et loyauté. Malheursement, B Ottawa en deux milles quatre, ces qualités n’exist plus avec notre maire et nos conseilles. We have a municipal government that does not have the courage to espouse a vision for our City beyond what can be found on a property tax bill and who are threatening to destroy our quality of life for the sake of political opportunism. As we enter the year leading up to the 150th anniversary of the City of Ottawa, the destruction of our City’s arts and heritage programs and services appears to be all-encompassing and almost complete. Le budget préliminaire de deux milles quatre d’Ottawa aboutira B la fermeture de nos musées, la cessation de financement des sociétés historiques et les projets patrimoniaux uniques, et la cessation de financement des grandes foires et les événements spéciaux commes Portes Ouverte Ottawa. A cut of over 80% of the City’s cultural budget eliminates our museums, reduces our Archives, eliminates our heritage services and programs and seriously impedes our ability to protect our built heritage. The $1.8 million that the City spends on heritage institutions and activities, supports thousands of hours of volunteer work within the community and enables our museums, archives, and historical and heritage societies to leverage tens of thousands of dollars in grants from other levels of government and the private sector. Without this seed money from the City this will not be possible. Le budget de patrimoine serve comme un investissement qui attire des investissment plus grand que l’original. And so, after these cuts, all that will be left are a few Archives staff and the volunteers, many of whom are here today. Les bénévoles contribuent de notre pâtrimoine pour le bien-Ltre de notre ville. These are your heritage volunteers. They are not the developers who give $750 to the campaigns of municipal politicians; they are not the people who go to the $100 a plate Chamber of Commerce luncheons to hear you speak, the price of which they can write off as a business expense . They are the people who show their dedication and loyalty to their community by giving of their time and effort. These people your worship, have been listing the numbers of hours that each volunteered for the City in 2003 and I am proud to report that the 79 heritage volunteers who registered here today, have donated over 45,000 hours of service to the heritage community. At $17.00 per hour this is worth over $ 765,000 to the City. And remember, only a few of the hundreds of volunteers are here with us today. And what is the City proposing to give them in return for their efforts? Fifty-seven cents, cinquante-sept sous , is the per-capita contribution that the City will give for culture in the proposed budget. Here today also, are the professional heritage staff who work for the City and in our museums and archives. If the draft budget is approved, most of them will be laid off by the end of March. We also have with us today a number of Museums Studies students from Algonquin College. Ces étudiants sont le future de la preservation de notre patrimoine. With these budget cuts, these students will be deprived of opportunities to undertake community museum workplace assignments in Ottawa. And your worship, to talk in the language that many of your colleagues might understand, these 100 students bring with them Ontario transfer payments from the Ministry of Education amounting to $800,000. On the east coast of Nova Scotia, the town of Canso lies on the far easternmost point of land on continental North America. For over 500 years, Canso has been a fishing port and over the years the community has seen some tough times, especially in the past few years with periodic closings of the fish plant and the decline of the fish stocks. Despite the hardships, the Town of Canso with a population of 900, one of the poorest towns in the country, contributes to an award-winning cultural event held each July, Stanfest, a cultural festival inspired by the music of the late Stan Rogers. They contribute more than 57 cents per capita to culture. Perhaps you, the Mayor of one of the wealthiest cities in Canada should call Mayor Frank Fraser of Canso and seek his advice on the proper stewardship of our City’s culture. Two years ago we began work on an Official Plan for the City along with a number of subsidiary plans, including the Arts and Heritage Plan. At that time we told you of our vision for arts and heritage and you seemed to have agreed. In January, you asked us again, and again we told you. You and your colleagues seemed to ignore the Plan almost from the time that you approved it. During January’s consultations we were branded by some of your Council colleagues as "special interest groups", as if our view were somehow not as worthy as those of the "silent majority" whose desire for a continuing tax freeze seemed to coincide with that of you and most of your Council colleagues. Did you listen? I guess but you still allowed City staff to propose an 82% reduction in the cultural budget, a reduction out of all proportion to its share of the total City budget. Mayor Chiarelli, we don’t want to live in Jan Harder’s Ottawa; it is a mean-spirited place and its only visionaries are those who can’t see beyond their property tax bill. We shall continue to share with you our vision for Ottawa over the next five weeks and offer our suggestions on how the City can operate , more effectively and hope that at the end of this process, most of these programs will be restored. If not, your only legacy as a supporter of the arts may be the answer to a question on some future Great Ottawa Heritage Day Quiz: "What Mayor presided over the destruction of the City of Ottawa’s cultural programs in 2004?" And there will not be a multiple-choice answer. We are going to mourn and protest now with a moment of silence. Please stand and hold your copy of the Arts & Heritage Plan on high as your placard. Nous pleurons la mort de la direction politique , a tué par l’opportuisme politique, et nous pleurons la perte de nos museés, et nos programs et traivailleurs patrimionial. We mourn the death of political leadership at the hands of political opportunism; we mourn the loss of our heritage resources and we mourn the loss of so many excellent heritage colleagues. A moment of silence, un moment de silence, s’il vous plait. Thank you, merçi beaucoup. February 3, 2004 Urgent Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12 I have received the notice below from the Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa about a crucial meeting about the City's planned cutbacks to programs, and the danger to our Heritage. I would invite all people interested in saving our heritage to attend this important meeting. Sincerely,
January 21, 2004 Dear Supporter of Ottawa’s Heritage: As you probably know, the City of Ottawa is facing a serious budget shortfall for 2004. Yet, the municipal budget is not just about dollars and cents. It’s about your quality of life and about life in your community. Citizens are integral to setting the City's budget. Your Mayor and City Councillors have requested that you provide input on the development of the 2004 budget. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard on the spending of municipal funds. To deliver a balanced budget, a Universal Program Review (UPR) was conducted by City staff to describe the impacts of a 5, 10, 15, 20 and 100% reduction on all City’s services and programs. City taxes have not increased in over a decade, reducing the availability of municipal funding as the City continues to grow. The heritage community has not recovered from the $1 million that was cut from municipal funding of heritage and arts in the 1990’s. A 20% reduction in municipal support for local heritage could mean:
This 20% reduction will also result in the loss of valued volunteers, fewer training opportunities for youth and fewer learning opportunities for students of all ages. City Council wants to know how you, as residents and taxpayers, want your municipal funding spent. Council also wants to know your vision for Ottawa now and in the future. If your vision of Ottawa is a city rich in culture, preserved history, personality and unique identity -- one that thrives on creativity and a higher quality of life – make your voice heard. Tell your Councillor what you want your city to be for you, your children, and your community. E-mail, write, phone, or fax your Councillor today. If you don’t know the name of your Councillor, contact the City’s main switchboard at 580-2400, or use the city's web site to locate your ward and Councillor. You can also contact the City’s budget office directly at: Phone: 580-2628 (TTY: 580-2401) You will find a standard statement of support for protected heritage and cultural funding below. Please feel free to use or adapt this document when e-mailing, writing, or faxing your Councillor. If you would like to be even more involved in the development of the 2004 budget, you can attend one of several public consultation sessions being held by Council members. Some of the sessions are led by City Councillors. They are another opportunity to voice your concerns about Ottawa’s budget and future. Act now or your heritage will be history! Yours sincerely David B. Flemming,
December 30, 2003 Please note these City of Ottawa meetings concerning the City's Universal Program Review (UPR). Plan to attend the one in your Ward and speak-out in support of the City's heritage programs. Also, don't forget to send a letter to your
councillor and the Mayor emphasizing your support for these programs,
as I suggested in my previous posting. - David B Flemming Dec. 24, 2003 Last Saturday, we mailed off 170 copies of the Volume 30, No. 4, (December 2003) issue of Heritage Ottawa Newsletter. This is the first time since 1988 - 15 years ago - that we have published four issues of our Newsletter in a single year. Many thanks to Jim Georgiles, Carolyn Quinn and Gordon Cullingham for making this possible. Heritage Ottawa requires more "active"
members if we are to sustain and expand our activities in support of Ottawa's
built heritage. We especially need volunteer help in developing and implementing
our public lectures and walking tours as well as in the areas of membership
services and development. If you wish to join Heritage Ottawa, or want
to volunteer, check here for details,
or call the office at 230-8841 and leave a message or e-mail me at info@heritageottawa.org
Firm but politely worded letters or e-mails
(letters get more attention) should be sent to the Mayor and your individual
Councillor at the addresses noted at: - David B Flemming Dec. 20, 2003 This morning, Gordon Cullingham and I mailed
off 170 copies of Volume 30, No. 4, (December 2003) issue of Heritage
Ottawa Newsletter. This is the first time since 1988 - 15 years ago -
that we have published four issues of our Newsletter in a single year.
Many thanks to Jim Georgiles, Carolyn Quinn and Gordon Cullingham for
making this possible. Heritage Ottawa requires more "active"
members if we are to sustain and expand our activities in support of Ottawa's
built heritage. We especially need volunteer help in developing and implementing
our public lectures and walking tours as well as in the areas of membership
services and development. If you wish to get involved please call the
office at 230-8841 and leave a message or e-mail me at info@heritageottawa.org
Dec 3, 2003 Further to Heritage Ottawa Update on November
29 (below) Ottawa City Council, at their meeting this afternoon, defeated
an amendment to the Council
Governance Review: 2003-2006 Council which would have permitted the
Heritage Advisory Committee to continue as a separate committee and not
have its responsibilities amalgamated with those of the Arts Advisory
Committee, in a new Arts, Heritage and Culutural Advisory Committee. Nov. 29, 2003 At next Wednesday's City Council meeting (December 3 at 1:30 pm), Council
will be considering and approving a document entitled:
Council Governance Review - 2003-2006 Council. This report, presented
by Acting City Manager, Steve Kanellakos, contains recommendations relating
to the operation of Council and its standing committees and to the City's
various advisory committees.
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February
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