Cash for NACC attacked
Funding 'outrageous' since Open Sky pays rent: council
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Monday, November 14, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Annual funding from the village for the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre may end in 2017 after councillors voted against providing the arts organization with $5,000 in funding.
The village has supported the centre since 2012. By the time the 2016 season ends, the centre will have brought a total of four shows to Fort Simpson this year alone.
During a meeting of council on Nov. 7, councillors tied a vote on the motion, which ultimately failed after Mayor Darlene Sibbeston cast the deciding vote.
Councillors were originally supposed to vote on a motion approving the $5,000 funding as well as committing to continued contributions for 2018 and into the future. However, councillors decided they would only vote on the first part of the motion.
Coun. Michael Rowe and Coun. Sean Whelly spoke in favour of the funding, with Whelly noting the centre brings exposure to different arts disciplines into the schools as well, since most of the shows schedule a session at the elementary and high schools on top of their community performances.
"There are some things that are just good for the community," Whelly said.
The vote turned on two issues. Coun. Charles Blyth, who has long been a member of the Open Sky Creative Society in Fort Simpson, said he found it "outrageous" the village would give $5,000 to the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre while charging Open Sky rent.
Instead, he suggested, the village should give Open Sky the $5,000 and let them use it to support the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre if they wished.
The second issue at play was a decision councillors said they made in the past to have a deadline set for funding and require all groups wanting funding to adhere to that deadline.
However, councillors noted the administrative work had not been done to put that process in place.
When contacted for comment on the decision, Northern Arts and Cultural Centre board member Lynn Canney said the centre will be appearing at a future council meeting to ask the village to reverse its decision.
"This has been an amazing program for Fort Simpson, and I'm sure many people will be disappointed that withdrawal of this support from (the village) will mean it no longer exists - 2016-17 will be the last season we get," Canney said.
She pointed to some of the initiatives the centre has created, such as 2015's Listen Up! program, which brought nine students from Fort Simpson to Yellowknife for a special music and arts residency.
In addition, there are community tours which have brought local and international musicians and performers to the Northwest Territories and to Fort Simpson.
"For that $5,000, Fort Simpson gets $60,000 value in the performances," she said, adding that other communities in the Northwest Territories have already approved funding contributions for the centre.
