(via The Ottawa Citizen)
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Reggae Festival was cancelled Sunday after a financial meltdown forced organizers to axe the remaining finale line-up.
The festival took a hit Saturday after headliner Ky-mani Marley bailed and police and law enforcement officers stormed the gate for money owed by court order.
An official statement was released Sunday night announcing the cancellation and placing blame on festival founder and president Benjamin Williams.
“In his role of festival president, Mr. Williams’ youth and inexperience caused him to make decisions that were ambitious, and ill advised. His financial decisions were made without consultation, and ended up costing the festival its’ reputation, and put him in ‘over his head,’” the release said.
On Saturday, an enforcement officer, flanked by police and touting a court judgement against Williams, seized cash from the gate and beer tent.
The order was for $14,000 in cash owed to former chief financial officer A. Raoul Nembhard, who said he was never reimbursed after footing the bill for last year’s beer supply. In all, the officers collected less than $500 in the round-up.
But the financial trouble didn’t end there.
According to the statement, Sean Paul, who was also scheduled to perform, never even arrived in the city. After the deadline for deposit was extended, Paul’s booking agency, Headline Entertainment, apparently didn’t feel the $50,000 performance fee would be met.
In 2009, Nembhard said Shaggy refused to take the stage at the last minute when the festival came up short on his $44,000 fee.
Vendors from this and previous years had also begun contacting organizers for payments owed, the release said.
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