Why do local governments always insist on looking just at the bottom line? Negotiations to sell the main branch of the public library and lease it back from Cadillac Fairview Development Corp. reflects the current trend of the abdication of responsibility over public services by government.
Libraries, by their very nature, do not make money. They must hire librarians, pay utilities, buy books, and incur a myriad of other costs.
But the costs have always been seen to be worth it. Civilization requires a place for the accumulation and sharing of knowledge.
At the turn of the century libraries became an integral part of a more urbanized and industrialized society.
Cities incurred the great costs of erecting these institutions not to turn a profit, but to facilitate the growth of an educated populace.
But cities now have begun to look for new ways to cut costs. Services not deemed essential are put on the chopping block — skating rinks, community centres, and, now, libraries, have seen huge cuts to their budgets.
The City of Ottawa has taken the next step, and wants to give up control of the library building to a Toronto-based corporation. They are willing to abandon the heritage of public access to the goldmine of knowledge libraries represent, for a favourable balance on their accounting books next spring.
Local government is a public institution. Its job is not to turn a profit, but to ensure the public has a thriving community in which to live.
The trend to outsource our government services has become very tiresome. Services run in the public interest should remain public.
What’s the next step after selling the building? If current trends hold, the outsourcing of library services will be next.
And with outsourcing comes a lack of public control and accountability and greater costs in the future.
If the city can consider selling the nerve centre of the public library system in Ottawa, there is nothing to prevent it from doing the same with the other branches.
No one has yet commented on how ever increasing rental prices will keep the city in the black. By owning the building, the city does not pay tax to itself. It only has to deal with basic maintenance and upkeep.
If the city goes through with its plan, there will be no protection from sky-rocketing lease rates. A quick cash grab by the city now could see the end of this publicly accessible institution in the near future.
—Rawlson King and David MacGillivray