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The price tag attached to the Werklund Centre’s renovation in downtown Calgary has risen by $75 million, city councillors heard on Monday.
City administration updated councillors about progress on the Werklund Centre’s overall transformation, which included an estimated $345-million budget attached to the existing building’s modernization, most of which still needs to be secured. The total cost has risen from a $270-million estimate in January.
Modernizing the Werklund Centre, the multi-venue performance centre formerly known as Arts Commons, includes exterior renovations, redeveloping the Jack Singer concert hall lobby, improved accessibility, more connectivity between theatres, and expanded space for offices and arts education.
The renovation goes hand-in-hand with development on the overall Werklund Centre Campus, which also includes Olympic Plaza’s renovation and the construction of a new performing arts centre.
Roughly $75 million has been committed to the existing centre’s modernization, leaving a $270-million gap that still needs to be filled.
Kate Thompson, president and CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, said the rising project cost reflects a better understanding of the more than 40-year-old building’s condition, and what’s needed to bring it up to code.
She said the increased cost is also due to seismic upgrades to the building, an expanded scope for its operations, and alignment with an expected construction timeline that would begin in 2029 if funding is fully committed for the project.
“This is about further understanding what the project is. So the more detailed understanding you have of the project, the more detailed you get in the budget, and that’s where we are today,” said Thompson.
Administration is requesting city council commit to help cover the funding gap by roughly doubling its contribution to the centre’s renovation to $125 million in the next budget cycle.
“What we’re describing is the opportunity to complete the project that we started to renovate the existing Werklund Centre, and make it what Calgarians probably expect in 2026,” said Thompson.
The city is also asking Ottawa to match the province’s $103-million contribution to the overall downtown arts campus development. Administration intends to raise private donations to fill the rest of the funding gap.
City council will decide how much to commit toward the Werklund Centre’s renovation during budget deliberations this fall.
Monday’s update to city councillors also noted construction is underway and on schedule for the new downtown arts centre and the Olympic Plaza renovation.
Werklund Centre pivotal to Calgary’s arts strategy
Mayor Jeromy Farkas said on Thursday he’s not opposed to the city pulling its weight and contributing more to the Werklund Centre, but said he would like to see its investment matched by another order of government.
“We should only be making those investments once we see leverage from at least one of the other two orders of government,” said Farkas on Thursday.
Ward 6 Coun. John Pantazopoulos said after Monday’s update that any cost escalation gives him pause, but the city needs to move the project forward. He noted the Werklund Centre’s planned transformation is a cornerstone of the city’s arts and culture strategy.
“We need to spend that dollars to make sure that we have that core asset right in the heart of downtown Calgary,” said Pantazopoulos.
Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly said the city needs to improve at communicating the range of estimated costs for city projects, especially early in the planning stage, “so that Calgarians know that when they hear a solid number, depending on where we’re at in the process, it might not actually be a solid number.”
While there will be a lot of competing budget priorities for council to consider this fall, Kelly said the Werklund Centre project is one the city needs to complete.