Winspear expansion work set to resume with $12.8M top-up from province
Work on the expansion of Edmonton's Francis Winspear Centre for Music is about to resume with a $12.8-million commitment from the provincial government.
"Decades ago, Dr. Francis Winspear imagined the Winspear as a true cultural hub where everyone could gather to play, enjoy and share music. But budget constraints at that time reduced the size of the building," recalled the facility's president and CEO, Annemarie Petrov, at a news conference on Tuesday.
"This expansion completes the dream that Dr. Francis Winspear had."
Work on the performance centre's expansion began in 2019 but the COVID-19 pandemic both delayed construction work and increased costs.
What was once a $65-million undertaking has grown to $115 million. A remaining $28 million needs to be fundraised.
The extra funding from the Alberta government will be doled out over three years starting in 2025 so long as Budget 2024 is passed.
"We know how important a thriving arts and culture community is to building vibrant communities," Tanya Fir, Alberta's minister of arts, culture and the status of women, said.
"There'll be something for everyone, young and old. It's open, it's accessible and it's not only great for locals in Edmonton, but it's going to be a tourist draw as well."
The expansion will add more than 4,600 square metres to the Winspear, including a 550-seat performance hall called the Music Box, classrooms and multi-functional spaces for music programming and community rentals, indoor and outdoor community spaces, and upgrades to the existing concert hall.
"The challenge we've always found is we're not open to the public during the day. And we know that there's so much interest and desire to learn music and that's why this is so important," Petrov said.
For the founder of 5 Artists 1 Love – an event celebrating Edmonton's Black artists during Black History Month in February, which has used the Winspear for the musical portion of its event for the last three years – the physical expansion also represents an expansion of access and opportunity.
"We get to show them excellence in a space like this, excellence being created by people that look like them. And that is important. It is essential because inclusion begins with representation," Darren Jordan told reporters.
As for the 2022 timeline, Petrov is now aiming for a grand opening in 2025 – but more likely 2026.
The government expects the Winspear to bring in $4.5 million in tourism revenue in its first year of opening, in addition to 240 construction jobs and more than 110 post-construction jobs.
Alberta contributed $13 million to the project in 2019.
The Winspear, home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, opened in 1997.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski and Marek Tkach
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
BREAKING Hosting Vancouver's FIFA World Cup games could cost half a billion dollars
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.
Moe 'will respond' to CRA, insists Saskatchewan has 'paid in full' amid carbon tax audit
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government 'will respond' to the Canada Revenue Agency when it concludes its audit of the province, but that his position is Saskatchewan doesn't owe Ottawa any money.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.