| Calgary’s bid to host the 2008 Juno Awards is in jeopardy because a federal government department won’t provide funding to support the bid.
Ald. Madeleine King, who was on the committee that placed the bid for the Junos, says the committee is still hoping the federal government will come through on funding.
"We’re hoping that they might reconsider," she says.
The bid specifies that the province and the federal government would provide $400,000 each and the city would provide $250,000 to host the Junos. The Canadian Association of Recording Arts and Sciences organizes the event every year but hasn’t decided what city will host the Junos in 2008. A spokesperson says the decision will likely be made by the end of January.
King says the Junos would have a huge economic impact on Calgary and would also help promote the local music scene.
"This is the premiere Canadian music event and so it has a huge following. It’s a fabulous tourist draw. It will leave a legacy for the local music industry," she says."Previously (the federal government) has been very supportive of the Junos traveling across the country and we’re very much hoping they will continue that support."
The bidding committee has just sent out letters to Calgary MPs asking them to support the Junos being held in Calgary.
Marco De Iaco, manager of sports and major events at Tourism Calgary, who is also on the bid committee, says the committee submitted a funding proposal to Western Economic Diversification Canada, a federal government department. The proposal was based on "guidance and direction" from the department.
"It was a model used in other cities that hosted the Junos in Western Canada," says De Iaco. "We’re not quite sure why the proposal has not been approved. We’re still optimistic we’ll be able to get a deal done."
Western Economic Diversification Canada provided funding for the 2004 Junos in Edmonton and the 2005 Junos in Winnipeg.
"We’re trying to understand… why our proposal, our partnership is any different than that of the cities that hosted in 2004, 2005 in Western Canada," he says.
Terry Rock, president of the Calgary Arts Development Authority (CADA), who has also been involved in the Juno bid, says he feels the city made a strong business case for hosting the Junos.
"We’re not giving up on the option of trying to bring this event here but it makes it a lot more difficult when one of your core partners starts to waffle at the last minute."
He says CADA has been working on a "legacy" plan to ensure that the local music scene benefits as much as possible during and after the Junos.
"The Junos are a great opportunity for Calgary’s music industry to get some spotlight… and more profile for Calgary as a cultural centre so we think it’s a great investment of dollars so that’s why we keep on pushing for this to happen," says Rock.
Donna Kinley, spokesperson for Western Economic Diversification Canada, says her department did a "due diligence" review of Calgary’s Juno application and "upon completion of the review we have decided to decline the request."
"The application isn’t an appropriate fit for what our department is mandated to fund. Our renewed vision and focus is on the fundamentals of long-term economic development. The area of cultural events didn’t necessarily fit within our mandate."
Kinley says it’s possible another federal government department would provide funding for Calgary’s Juno bid. |
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