Ottawa Jazz Festival Location in Jeopardy

[bouche]

Do you want to keep your Jazz Festival at Confederation Park? Have your say.

Dear Friends of the Ottawa Jazz Festival:

I recently met with Tobi Nussbaum, the new CEO of the National Capital Commission, to brief him on the festival’s plans for our 40th anniversary when we return to Confederation Park in 2020 after the completion of the sewer tunnel work there.

Mr. Nussbaum listened politely and then surprised me by saying it is not a "given" the jazz festival will be allowed back into Confederation Park. He explained the NCC is reviewing the role of the park, along with many of its other assets in the national capital region.

I know many of you have stuck with the jazz festival on Marion Dewar Plaza at City Hall as a short term measure while Confederation Park was unavailable to us in 2018 or this year -- but with the understanding we could return in 2020 when the construction in the park is completed.

Now, however, it appears the park may not ever be available to us again. This is not only disappointing, it is not good for the festival or for you, our audience.

Over the years, so many of you have told me Confederation Park is THE best place in the city to listen to music: it’s a beautiful setting by the canal and among the trees in a safe, urban environment that is easily accessible by bus, bike, and on foot.

You have told me you love the sound quality there as well as the park's proximity to the indoor venues at the National Arts Centre. And you have told me that sitting outside on the grass on a warm summer evening looking at the stars, enjoying the music with your friends, family and fellow jazz lovers are among the high points of your summers in Ottawa.

There may be no more such memories unless we -- taxpayers and proud members of our community -- speak out about how our tax dollars are used and the access we are given to the resources our taxes support.

There is no question about the economic value the festival brings to the region, to the city and to our neighbourhoods. But more than those economic benefits, the jazz festival brings to the city the things that make a community's heart beat: creative excellence, cultural significance, international recognition, a sense of togetherness.

If being in Confederation Park is as important to you -- music lovers AND taxpayers -- as it is to those of us who put this event together for you each year, then please take a moment to add your name to the petition that’s linked here. And feel free to add your personal comments as well.

We want this festival to remain what it has become noted for over the past four decades:  an unimpeachable musical event in a sublime setting in the heart of the nation’s capital.

Thank you for your support. 

Catherine O’Grady, Executive Producer

[Velvet]

I'll take Festival Locations for $200.

[bouche]

Cliff Clavin ON Jeopardy