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Executive director Nick Kowalchuk says the additional federal funding will further empower the organization to expand its lobby, open a new caf\u00e9 and wine bar, and create upgraded gender-neutral washrooms in the coming year.<\/p>\n
The centre\u2019s expansion will absorb space next door formerly claimed by a Subway restaurant, a commercial renter that moved out last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled with the Government of Canada\u2019s support. As we evolve with a variety of performances, our artists and patrons are so excited about the changes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The performing arts centre regularly hosts film screenings, art exhibitions, plays and concerts and is associated with the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the Winnipeg Improv Festival.<\/p>\n
A cornerstone of Osborne Village, the venue has struggled in certain respects over the past decade as street crime and assaults have risen in the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
Kowalchuk long campaigned for upgrades to modernize the facility and make it more resilient.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just can\u2019t help but make sure that (Kowalchuk) gets lots of credit because he is the guy who\u2019s kept this place alive through some tough times, dealt with all of the challenges of Osborne Village as it goes up and down and up and down,\u201d says Geof Langen, chairman of the organization\u2019s fundraising committee.<\/p>\n
Federal funding was provided by Canadian Heritage\u2019s Canada Cultural Spaces Fund and dovetails with Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s so-called \u201celbows up\u201d commitments to Canadian protectionism and sovereignty.<\/p>\n
The 2026-27 budget announced in November offered significant investments in media-production funds, but also budgetary reductions to Canadian Heritage, one of the cultural sector\u2019s largest umbrella funders.<\/p>\n
Chenette highlights how the 2026 budget\u2019s emphasis on infrastructural upgrades isn\u2019t just about ports, rails and roads but culture as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cCulture is who we are \u2014 and in order to express that, we need to have the space. So the infrastructure of culture, just as we are doing here, is so important,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
While the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund\u2019s budget was reduced to focus on funding specialized equipment, the 2026-27 budget sets aside $2.8 billion for a program supporting capital projects across all sectors, including arts and culture.<\/p>\n
While Chenette says that Canada\u2019s media industry is \u201ckey\u201d \u2014 adding that Winnipeg has \u201cgreat production\u201d \u2014 she emphasizes the importance of supporting more performance-based and social forms of arts and culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperiential is not through a phone. It is not through a screen. It is through people connecting to each other. So, investing in those facilities to bring people to come to a festival, to an exhibition, to have a coffee in the space is inspirational,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
winnipegfreepress.com\/conradsweatman<\/p>\n
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Conrad Sweatman Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for\u00a0outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad.<\/a><\/p>\n
Reporter
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