| Resident company members canned
Theatre Junction has given a pink slip to some of the members of its new resident company before their contracts were finished. The theatre group created its resident company of 11 people from various disciplines, including dance, music, theatre, design and literature. The artists came from across Canada.
"Specific contracts are confidential, but some ended earlier than we were anticipating," says Carol Armes, general manager of Theatre Junction. Armes would not say how many contracts were terminated or why they were terminated.
Mark Lawes, artistic director, says Theatre Junction will continue to have a resident company next year. He says he can’t comment on which current members will be included in the new resident company. "I think we had some successes and we’re proud of our work that we did this year. When you’re finding a new way there’s always lots of learning involved," says Lawes.
Province commits more funding to arts, post-secondary and housing crisis
The province has increased funding to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) by 20 per cent to bring it up to $27.3 million. The provincial government has also increased tax credits for charitable donations, which could help arts groups.
The increase was not as much as arts groups were hoping for. Prior to the last provincial election the Alberta government received a petition with 18,410 signatures asking for the AFA funding to be doubled.
Post-secondary institutions got a 6.9 per cent increase in operating grants in the budget and the province has committed $136 million over the next three years to ensure tuition levels don’t increase over the rate of inflation. The government has also increased student loan living allowances by 14 per cent, increased the annual student loan limit to $13,000 and students will now be allowed to own vehicles worth over $5,000 and not receive loan deductions.
The Stelmach government is also committing $300 million over the next three years to increase affordable housing in the province. The Provincial Homelessness Initiative budget will be increased by $3 million and the province’s rent supplement program has been increased by $14.3 million.
Government announces plan to deal with housing crisis
The Stelmach government will not introduce rent controls in Alberta despite a recommendation do so by the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force that recently toured the province. However, the province is changing legislation so as to allow landlords to increase rent once a year. They will also be required to give one year’s notice to renters before an apartment is converted into a condo or before the landlord starts major renovations.
The province will also create a province-wide program to help landlords and tenants resolve disputes outside of court. The program will begin in Calgary in 2008 and will be based on an Edmonton pilot project in which landlords and tenants bring disputes before a tenancy dispute officer who makes a binding decision.
The government is also creating a new $7 million Homeless and Eviction Prevention Fund for Albertans who are at risk of losing their housing and becoming homeless due to rent increases. The program will also help newcomers who need temporary assistance until they receive their first paycheque. |
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