| The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has received a grant from the provincial government as part of its movement to stay financially afloat, but the grant has city council upset.
Gene Zwozdesky, the minister of Alberta community development, announced a $250,000 one-time accelerated grant payment to the orchestra earlier this month as part of its effort to reorganize after declaring bankruptcy last year.
The government is forcing the orchestra to pay the money back by reducing its annual operating budget by $50,000 in each of the next five years. In 2002/2003, the orchestra received an annual operating grant of $780,000.
That arrangement has some city aldermen saying they should expect their donation of $250,000 to be paid back too. City council recently agreed to give $250,000 to the orchestra with the hopes the provincial government would match the donation.
With both government grants, the orchestra has gathered 80 per cent of the $1.5 million it needs to restart performances this year under the restructuring plan.
Calgary playwright John Murrell has been named to the Order of Canada. Murrell, who is the librettist of Calgary Opera’s upcoming Filumena, was named an officer to the order of Canada for his contribution to Canada’s arts community over the years. He is a celebrated playwright, whose works include the well-known trilogy Farther West, Waiting for the Parade and New World.
Other Calgarians named to the order this year include Calgary Homeless Foundation founder Arthur Smith, Brijendra Sood, Gordon Swann and Bill Warren.
A new aboriginal community council has been formed to create stronger aboriginal advocates among children’s services decision-makers.
The Aboriginal Community Coordinating Council was created through a joint effort of the City of Calgary and Calgary Rocky View Child and Family Services. The 11-member council will create relationships with various social agencies on behalf of aboriginals in Calgary.
A campaign to create buffer zones around national parks in an effort to protect wolves has been launched after the death of a well-known Banff-area wolf.
An organization called HOWL (Help Our Wolves Live) aims to protect wolves that move outside national park boundaries by creating buffer zones where hunting and trapping would be outlawed.
The protest, being launched by Canmore resident Gunther Bloch, comes after an important male wolf, named Storm by researchers, was legally killed by trappers just outside the boundaries of Banff National Park. Storm was crucial to the Banff wolf pack – its population has fallen from nine in 1991 to two today.
The University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business was named one of the top 100 business schools in the world by the Financial Times.
The school ranked highly in categories including career progress and the number of students employed after graduation. In the MBA rankings, U of C placed 83rd.
Artists are being asked to take part in a survey being conducted as part of the city’s wide-ranging review of its arts policy.
The survey asks respondents their opinions on the biggest problems facing arts and cultural organizations in the city and suggestions for improvements.
The online survey can be accessed at the Web site of Cameron Strategy, the company hired to conduct the survey (www.web-research-online.com/cameron/start-calgary-arts.html). |
