Is Rob Ford planning to steal the spotlight – and more – from TIFF?
As the city basks in being the centre of the film universe for the next week, Ford is reportedly considering eliminating municipal funding for TIFF and other major arts organizations, which could make cultural festivals more expensive and less accessible in the future.
According to media reports, one week from Monday a city manager’s report will go before Ford’s executive committee that recommends eliminating $6 million in annual funding to Toronto’s top ten arts groups, which include marquis organizations like the AGO, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, and the National Ballet.
While groups like the AGO or TIFF wouldn’t go bankrupt without city funding, Toronto Arts Council director Claire Hopkinson said their programming would become less affordable without financial help from the city.
“We’re trying to provide these programs at the lowest possible cost. Many of these organizations have, as you know, a series of free concerts, programs for youth,” she said.
The TAC convened an emergency meeting with the arts groups Friday, and Hopkinson described the mood as “sombre.”
“I would say there’s disbelief,” she said. “I cannot believe the executive committee would pass such a recommendation. It would definitely mean the loss of jobs, the elimination of some offerings or programs. It would be felt.”
“The AGO, like other cultural organizations, is concerned,” wrote gallery spokesperson Antonietta Mirabelli in an email after the meeting. “We are hopeful that city council recognizes that arts and culture are integral to Toronto as a world-class destination and economic driver.”
The report comes during a week in which the economic impact of city-funded cultural events is particularly apparent.
“Last night I walked home from a TIFF film along King Street,” said Hopkinson, “and at 11 pm the restaurants were overflowing, taxis were lining up back to back, hotels were bursting. That’s absolutely created by the arts.”
TIFF gets roughly $800,000 a year from the city, and according to festival spokesperson Jennifer Bell, much of it goes right back to city coffers through fees TIFF pays to hire paid duty police officers and buy event permits. Most of it goes towards film programs for at-risk youth.
It’s no secret that ideologically the Ford administration is not a big supporter of government arts funding. During the bitter debates on budget cuts at city hall this year the mayor’s allies on council have bashed Toronto artists as whiners seeking handouts.
Worrying that cuts could be coming, a group called Friends of the Arts set up an online petition earlier this month to urge the mayor to spare the arts from the axe. According to the group, the arts industry generates $9 billion each year and employs 130,000 people.
