Aylmer gets 20% of city’s events-and-festivals funding
Aylmer is getting its piece of the pie from the city’s events and festivals envelope for 2017. On January 17, council approved the city’s funding of 14 events and festivals in Gatineau in 2017, as recommended by the Celebrations and Festivals Committee. Five other events and festivals are still under review and a decision will be made in spring.
The budget for 2017 is below $1.5 million; $692,000 in services and $770,000 in cash. Of the total amount, close to 20% ($152,000 and $139,000 in services) will support events hosted in and around Aylmer, including the Auto-Show, Outaouais en Fête, and Christmas in Old Aylmer (Santa Claus Parade and the Christmas Market). Of the 14 events supported by the city, three are in the heart of Aylmer. Once four, the Yesteryear’s festival folded in 2016.
The Aylmer event promised the biggest contribution is Outaouais en Fête which will receive $75,000 in cash and a $75,000 contribution in services; organizers have long complained that the “fête national” celebration in Aylmer was undersupported by elected authorities. Gatineau’s Auto-Show will receive $22,000, plus $12,000 in services.
The Grand Prix cycliste de Gatineau which is not in Aylmer proper, but remains easily accessible for Aylmerites is receiving $80,000 in total -- $40,000 in services and an increase of $10,000 for the event.
The festival which absorbs the biggest part of the Committee’s budget is Gatineau’s Hot Air Balloon Festival: $200,000 in cash and $320,000 in services.
As for services, these help organizers get a location, pay for city-provided services such as police, firefighters, and public works, and provide support for insurance. Services also include public endorsement, support for the boards of directors, equipment-lending, and other benefits.
To obtain funding from the city, each event must meet various criteria on the Committee’s evaluation grid. These criteria include clientele potential, economic spinoffs, and whether the event will raise Gatineau's national profile.
