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Awarded this spring by the outgoing Liberal government, the grant was to have assisted La Nouvelle Scène with its programming and with reducing its $3 million debt incurred during its recent reconstruction.

Prior to receiving the grant, the theatre’s debt “was so large that they were unable to meet their obligations in a way that was threatening their very existence,” Des Rosiers said in an interview. She said “it made no sense” to allow La Nouvelle Scène to close, given previous provincial investments.

Des Rosiers said she would reach out to Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Michael Tibollo to see what could be done to mitigate the new blow to La Nouvelle Scène.

La Nouvelle Scène is very open to working with any government to continue its mission, Des Rosiers said. The theatre could also boost its own fund-raising efforts to address its financial situation, she said.

The 23,000-square-foot facility on King Edward Avenue serves four francophone drama companies and is home to two theatres seating 180 and 80 people respectively.

Also on Wednesday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson wrote Caroline Mulroney, Ontario’s attorney general and minister responsible for Francophone affairs, to protest the abolition of the French-language commissioner’s position.

“The abolition is a big disappointment for us and a step back for Franco-Ontarians,” Watson wrote in French, noting that more than 145,000 Ottawa residents — or more than 15 per cent of the the city’s population — are francophones.