Media Release – New Waterfront Gallery Funding Update
January 14, 2019
Following an announcement today by FedNor of $3.5 million in funding toward construction, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery provided a progress update on the new Waterfront Art Gallery project.
With 90% of required funding in place, the Art Gallery is moving ahead with its plan to create a new purpose-built facility on the shore of Lake Superior as part of the City of Thunder Bay’s developing waterfront. The Gallery is in its 42nd year of providing extensive visual arts programming to the City and surrounding area and the region of Northwestern Ontario from its current location on the campus of Confederation College and has been working to resolve space issues and improve visibility since 2010.
A site south of the Spirit Garden on Tugboat Basin has been formalized as the future home of the new facility as detailed in the City of Thunder Bay Phase 2 – Waterfront Master Plan Update.
Early support for the Architectural Design Phase in the amount of $2.5 million was received from the federal, provincial and municipal governments. The Design Phase is nearing completion with the pre-qualification of contractors planned for Spring 2019 and tendering in the last quarter of 2019.
In April 2016 the City of Thunder Bay approved $5 million toward the construction of the new facility pending support from the Federal and Provincial governments.
On January 31, 2018, then Premier Kathleen Wynn announced a contribution of $5 million toward the project from the Province of Ontario through NOHFC (the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation). This was followed by the commitment by the Federal government of $11.5 million through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund announced by Minister Patty Hajdu and MP Don Rusnak on July 17, 2018.
Today’s announcement of funding from FedNor in the amount of $3.5 million brings total government support for the project to $27.5 million.
Katie Crowe, Chair of the AWE Community Capital Campaign which was launched in September 2017 announced that to date over $2.2 million has been donated and pledged by local individuals and families, Foundations, and businesses. The public community campaign will launch in May/June 2019.
The construction phase of the new Waterfront Art Gallery Project is estimated to take 2 years.