Dedicated to Preserving Our Built Heritage Winter 2009 Volume 36, No. 1 Our Ottawa still Includes Culture! By David B. Flemming recently attended two excellent local theatre I productions, one by Vintage Stock Theatre and another, a benefit for the Ottawa International ) e Children’s Festival which included young artists r t n e from the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama. The C e g a one thing these three organizations had in common t i r e was that the City of Ottawa’s draft 2009 budget H ' s r recommended cancellation of city funding for two Meg Hamilton, manager e k r of them and a 42% cut to the third. of the Council of o W Heritage Organizations f o y Many Heritage Ottawa members will remember in Ottawa, chats with s e t r the 2004 budget deliberations where similar cuts to some of Ottawa's u o c most renowned n arts and heritage funding were proposed. At that o s “historical figures” n i k time the cultural community mobilized and after a r at a press conference a P long and acrimonious debate, the proposed cuts attended by hundreds y r r a were reinstated. With the subsequent approval of of arts and heritage B : o supporters at City t the Museum Sustainability Plan, the Arts o h Investment Strategy and the Festival Sustainability Hall on November 18. P Plan many of us felt that the city had finally recognized the value of investing in local arts and heritage organizations and programs. As in 2004, the arts and heritage community How wrong we were! responded to the proposal by demonstrations, letter-writing, meetings with councillors, attending The draft 2009 budget proposed the elimination budget consultation meetings and making up a of municipal funding for historical and heritage large proportion of the 250 public delegations at the organizations (including Heritage Ottawa), Committee of the Whole (see copy of my address numerous arts organizations and festivals, and on page 2). Again, as in 2004, we were successful in proposed drastic cuts and deferral in funding having all the proposed cuts reinstated when for community museums and arts service council passed the 2009 budget on December 10th. organizations. This amounted to 54% of the proposed budget cuts even though the entire arts, Thanks to those of you who wrote to your heritage and festivals funding envelope only councillor or spoke at public meetings. Your efforts amount to one third of one per cent of the total were instrumental in having the proposed cuts reinstated. City of Ottawa budget. David B. Flemming is past-president of Heritage Ottawa. 1 Arts and Heritage Funding At Risk Remarks by David B. Flemming, Past-President of Heritage undertaking much-needed research to identify Ottawa at the meeting of Ottawa City Council’s Committee buildings and landscapes with potential for of the Whole on Monday, December 1st, 2008. designation under the Ontario Heritage Act, research I am here to speak in support of the City of that the city does not have the funds to undertake. Ottawa’s arts, heritage and festivals programs and Our efforts complement the important work services and to urge you to table a budget which done by Ottawa’s under-resourced but dedicated will reflect a balanced approach to the needs of Heritage Planning Section whose two employees Ottawa and its citizens. are hard-pressed to meet the demands arising from Heritage Ottawa is a totally volunteer Ottawa’s policy of intensification of development. organization which has worked for nearly 35 years (The City of Toronto has 13 employees in its to preserve our city’s built heritage. We have Heritage Preservation Services section.) contributed to the development of the city’s We also support the work of the city’s Official Plan and Arts and Heritage Plan. We also hard-working Heritage Development Section participate in numerous consultations dealing with that has seen a recent major management staff community design, intensification of development loss with threats of still future cuts as part of the and other matters dealing with our built heritage. mayor’s effort to find “efficiencies” in the city’s Over the past year we have contributed nearly 2000 operation. volunteer hours to our community. Through our yearly series of eight lectures, We make regular presentations to the Local 12 walking tours and our quarterly Newsletter we Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, educate and inform the public of the importance Planning & Environment Committee, City Council of our built heritage as an integral part of Ottawa’s and the National Capital Commission on a wide civic history. The city does not have the staff or range of subjects. A year ago I wrote to council resources to deliver these services. urging the establishment of an emergency heritage Heritage Ottawa is also a founding member preservation protocol to prevent “demolition by of Doors Open Ottawa and was the lead neglect,” an all-too-frequent occurrence in our city. organization in a collaboration which successfully I am pleased to note that Councillor Bédard with obtained a $33,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation the participation of city staff, have developed our Grant to develop a sponsorship and educational proposal into a report that will go to council in 2009. plan for this important popular event. Without our We also work with neighbourhood and participation in this application, the city would not community groups to advise and assist them in have been eligible to receive such funding. Heritage Ottawa is a non-profit Directors: John Arnold, organization dedicated to the preservation Richard Belliveau, of Ottawa’s built heritage. Marc Billard, Susan Buggey Vacant Ken C. Clavette, President Ken Elder, Anwareen Farouk, Ian Ferguson, Meryl Oliver, Veronica Vaillancourt Heritage Ottawa David Jeanes Editor 2 Daly Avenue Vice-President Peter O’Malley, Carolyn Quinn, Paul Stumes Jan Soetermans Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6E2 Willam R. Price Secretary Graphic Designer Tel: 613-230-8841 Heritage Ottawa acknowledges David Ivison the financial support of the Tina & Company Fax: 613-564-4428 Treasurer City of Ottawa and the Printing Email: [email protected] Web: www.heritageottawa.org David B. Flemming Ontario Ministry of Culture Past-President 2 Currently, in partnership with the Architectural and with the Ottawa Museum Network. We are Conservancy of Ontario and the University of currently working with the Bytown Museum in the Waterloo’s Heritage Resources Centre, Heritage development of its new Capital Neighbourhoods website. Ottawa volunteers are conducting door-to-door Ours is just one example of how funding for surveys as part of a province-wide Heritage arts, heritage and festivals supplements the work of Conservation District Study supported by an a small core of city arts and heritage staff. This $80,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. “investment” has a multiplier effect by enabling The result of this study will support the work of these organizations to raise even more funds from the city’s Heritage Planning Section which does not other levels of government and private sector have the resources to undertake such a study. sources, all for the benefit of the citizens of Ottawa. We work closely with the Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa in its promotional activities From the Past President…. This is my first report to the Because of the February 27th vote for membership as Heritage Ottawa’s reconsideration, council’s motion to order Ashbury past-president. Despite efforts of not to demolish 204 Springfield was not deemed to the search committee to find a have been passed within the time period allowed new president, the position under the Ontario Heritage Act and thus had no remains vacant. legal standing. Mayor O’Brien encouraged the Although much time was spent over the past reconsideration which resulted in the lapse of the six weeks dealing with the proposed municipal order to save the buildings during which he openly budget, Heritage Ottawa volunteers have been admitted to council that he had served as a member engaged in matters other than “fighting City Hall” of the Ashbury board when the two buildings had over the proposed budget. been purchased. He assured councillors, however, that Ashbury was aware of council’s vote to retain I received no reply to my request to the mayor 204 Springfield and assured them that the school and councillors for an explanation of the vote to “…would never do anything that is not in the best reconsider the proposal by Ashbury College to interest “of the community. Despite the mayor’s demolish 204 & 212 Springfield Road, two of the assurance, Ashbury demolished both buildings in oldest buildings in the Village of Rockcliffe Park. early October. (“What Happened?” Heritage Ottawa Newsletter Spring/Summer 2008, pp.1-3) The on-again/off-again status of 456 Lansdowne Road North is now in the hands of the Ontario Municipal Board who will consider the owner’s appeal of city council’s decision opposing the demolition of the building (see Heritage Ottawa Newsletter Winter 2008, p.6 & Spring/Summer 2008, p.9). On a more positive note, I am pleased to report s n progress on Heritage Ottawa’s recommendation a m r e that the city adopt an emergency protocol to deal t e o S with heritage buildings at risk (see Heritage Ottawa n a J : Newsletter, Winter 2008, pp.11-12). The intent of the s o t o proposal was to develop an emergency heritage h P preservation protocol, similar to that adopted by Two of the oldest houses in the former Village of Rockcliffe Park, the City of Hamilton that involves fast response now demolished.