It’s been 40 years since an Ottawa resident has won an Oscar award.
But a mayoral candidate wants to make the little guy feel welcome in the nation’s capital.
“Filmmaking is a perfect example of what worked in the past and what can work in the future,” said Clive Doucet. “We have marvelously talented filmmakers … who want to make Ottawa their home for their families and their professional lives.”
The city needs to change its priorities to support culture and the arts, said Doucet.
“We need a capital budget for … rehearsal halls, studios and performance spaces. Every world capital has a capital budget for cultural spaces. We have none.”
The city also needs to establish a proper Ottawa art gallery, and while Ottawa needs its own film festival, it needs a system of funding, he said.
Ottawa needs to develop a plan so that when the opportunity comes forward, “you can grab it and run with it,” he said.
Each budget is the same, said Doucet. “We regularly go after the arts and we regularly see artists and performers coming forward, saying, ‘Don’t cut our budget.’
“Imagine a mayor … that changed its priorities to create possibilities instead of constraints.
“This is what all great cities of the world do.”
