THUNDER BAY – City council will release its already approved $5 million to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
In a unanimous decision, council on Monday decided the city will release the money to help the cash-strapped waterfront project avoid a construction shutdown.
The first $2.5 million will be delivered upon execution of a funding agreement, and the Art Gallery will get the other $2.5 million upon execution of the required land-lease amendments.
“The priority for us is achieving enclosure on that building to protect the asset,” said Mathew Hills, executive director of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, at Monday’s committee of the whole meeting at city hall.
“But we have looked at partial operations, with the potential of looking at that in September 2026 in terms of being open in operation to the public. That would mean compromises in terms of the space or the programming that we could offer at that space at that time.”
According to the city council report, the gallery currently has funding commitments totalling $52 million, but inflationary pressures, supply-chain issues, and the availability of trades have increased the project to $74.7 million.
Hills said the art gallery is “open to partnerships” with the wider community to help fund-raise the $22.6 million shortfall.
Coun. Rajni Agarwal asked if the gallery considered a phased approach to open up the facility, where parts of the building, once completed, can be used sooner, while the gallery looks for more funding.
“It's a conversation we're open to and have been responsive in discussion with the city. I think for us as an institution, for us as a gallery, having secured $52 million in support for this project, having experienced some of the challenges of the COVID pandemic, the supply line, material supplies, inflation, potential tariff wars, we know that this project has merited this level of support. We are confident in this process and that we will secure the additional funds,” Hills said.
Hills told council that the gallery is open to many avenues of fundraising through collaboration with local waterfront businesses and local artists in the area, as well as provincial organizations like Science North.
“We are a mid-size not-for-profit with a national reputation because of our collection, because of the strength of culture in this city. We have that level of profile,” Hills said.
“When we look at our growth in that new facility and what it means to our organization, we anticipate a renewed level of outreach being able to serve our region, serve the entire north in a very different way and much along the similar model that Science North has achieved over its time with the support of a provincial agency.”
