THUNDER BAY — A member of city council says it was no surprise to learn the cost of the new Thunder Bay Art Gallery has now reached $75 million, given that "most projects like this across Canada are struggling."
At-large councillor Shelby Ch'ng was responding Monday to the revelation the projected price tag for the waterfront gallery is now 50 per cent more than it was estimated to be in 2022.
Ch'ng said she will support a recommendation from city administration that the city proceed with the release of the $5 million municipal contribution to the project which council initially approved in 2017.
"We don't really have any other option," she said. "Leaving the art gallery as it is, I think, is just a big risk for the city."
According to the administration report prepared for the council meeting Monday night, TBAG requires the city's share of funding now in order to close in the partially-completed building and protect it from the weather.
Ch'ng said she continues to believe the investment in the redevelopment of the former waterfront industrial site will pay dividends to the city.
"When we initially put the investment in, the space was a brownfield. [It's] very difficult to advertise a space like that, considering just the contaminants," she said. "But the art gallery was able to put forward a good plan, and I think we need to send a signal somehow that this is still an important project for the city."
As the gallery continues to search for additional sources of funding to make up the current shortfall of about $23 million, executive director Matthew Hills isn't excluding the possibility of approaching the city for an additional contribution.
"Part of the conversation, we hope, is around additional support," he said in an interview Monday afternoon.
"We haven't ruled anything out. Part of the challenge for this organization is we're managing a construction management project," Hills continued. "We're being rigorous in the ways that this happens, and we're exploring all possibilities, absolutely. And not just at the government levels, at foundations, individuals within and outside of Thunder Bay."
Hills confirmed consideration is being given to opening just a portion of the building in the fall of next year, leaving the rest of the project to be completed later.
He also addressed a statement he made in a newsletter issued last month, in which he wrote "the gallery is exploring opportunities to further enhance the vision for the site as a vibrant, multi-purpose cultural hub for Thunder Bay" and the broader northern Ontario region.
"One of the things we're doing as a responsible not-for-profit organization is looking rigorously at different possibilities for getting this over the finish line, and one of those has been discussions around possible partnerships," he said. "We do have to consider what those partners would bring to the table ... we're open to any discussions that will address the variants that will help our organization realize this facility."
Gallery board co-chair Shelley Crawford concurred, saying the current funding challenge requires the art gallery to be flexible and nimble.
"As we're looking at ways of conserving funds, or cutting costs, we're also looking at the money that will be coming in from various sources down the line that we can't identify specifically at the moment," Crawford said. "The asks are out there, the grants are being prepared, and there are more opportunities coming forward ... trust me, this organization is turning over every rock to find ways and means to make [the facility's completion] happen as quickly as we can."
The gallery's other co-chair, John Hodson, noted the importance of TBAG with respect to reconciliation in the community.
"There's no mystery that we have struggled in our relationships in the past, but I think we're turning the corner when I look at the work being done across the institutions of our city," he said. "All institutions are looking at how we can make change, heal the past, move together ahead in a unified way, and that's what you're seeing rising on the shore of this great lake, something that is a testament to the kinds of partnerships that need to occur."
City council is scheduled to consider releasing the $5 million it has already committed to the new gallery at its meeting Monday evening.
To date, the gallery has raised approximately $52 million from various sources, but it requires another $23 million.
As of July, 30 per cent of the construction work was completed.
