Ottawa theatre group gets $175K city grant

The struggling Great Canadian Theatre Company will get some help from the City of Ottawa.

City council approved the $175,000 grant requested by the non-profit group following a long and heated debate Wednesday. The money will come out of interest earned on money held in trust for a future concert hall.

The GCTC had been struggling to make payments on its new building on Wellington Street West, which opened 2½ years ago. City staff said that if the city didn't approve the money and the banks came calling, the theatre itself could be in jeopardy.

Coun. Peter Hume called the GCTC a successful organization that was dealt a blow by the economic downturn. He expressed dismay when councillors began discussing whether to provide a grant or a loan that had to be repaid.

"I thought this would be no problem, given that this council in 2007 bailed out the Bell Sensplex to the tune of $1.4 million," he said.

In the end, council approved the grant.