The Banff Centre received some good news Tuesday when the province announced $2.58 million in funding for the arts and conference centre.
The funding will be used to replace heating, ventilation and cooling systems in the Eric Harvey Theatre, as well as support systems in the Margaret Greenham Theatre and Laszlo Funtek Teaching Wing.
The upgrades will benefit performers, audience members, students and staff, as well as creating 14 jobs in the Banff community. It's a small part of the province's economic recovery plan, which they say has seen them commit $98 million to repair and restoration projects at various colleges, universities and polytechnics across the province.
The province said in a release that the additional funding, along with $118.5 million included in Budget 2020, will create about 533 full-time jobs across Alberta.
"The Banff Centre provides innovative arts and culture programs and plays a unique and important role in our post-secondary system," said Alberta Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides. "Funding these upgrades will create immediate jobs in the Banff area, while helping to ensure students have a safe space in which they can develop and pursue their creative passions."
Welcome news
It comes as welcome news for the Banff Centre, which recently was forced to lay off 284 staff members after cancelling its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has decimated one of the country's top creative incubators.
Among a few of the artists who have generated new work at Banff are choreographer Crystal Pite and theatre artist Jonathon Young, whose collaborative dance-theatre piece Betroffenheit became a global sensation, winning an Olivier Award when it was produced in London. The Old Trout Puppet Workshop have created a number of their shows there, including their 2019 hit, Ghost Opera as has the Alberta Ballet, and thousands of novelists, playwrights, poets and filmmakers.
"The Banff Centre is the largest proponent of arts in my riding and the largest post-secondary arts institution in Canada," said Banff-Kananaskis MLA Miranda Rosin. "Our government appreciates their contribution to the arts, and as such, this $2.5 million to upgrade heating, cooling and other systems is another way to affirm that. The effects of COVID-19 have been devastating on Banff Centre, and this funding will help ensure they are sustainable for the future."
Banff President and CEO Janice Price added, "We are very gratreful to receive this capital renewal investment for the Banff Centre campus.The funding will allow Banff Centre to replace 50-year-old heating and ventilation systems in the theatre complex, supporting the overall comfort and experience of artists who come here to train and work on their craft, and the audiences who benefit from the artists' performances."
