Shaw Festival executive director Tim Jennings is still waiting for the official word of $35 million promised by PC leader Doug Ford at a campaign stop on Saturday at the Niagara District Airport.
Today Ivana Yelich, a spokesperson for the PC leader, confirmed to The Trillium, Village Media's website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park, that “a re-elected PC government is committing $35 million in funding to rebuild the Royal George Theatre.”
It is slated to close at the end of the 2025 season due to serious structural issues. Built in 1915 as a vaudeville theatre, it was also used as a temporary lecture hall and training centre for First World War officers. It has been renovated twice since the Shaw purchased the building in 1981.
The main structure of the foundation has continued to crumble in recent years, Shaw executive Tim Jennings told The Local, and rain water pouring in has caused shows in recent years to be cancelled.
While no official announcement has been made, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said the money “is a major show of support for our community, for the arts and culture in Ontario, and will galvanize the Shaw's role in the future as a lead driver of the town's cultural assets,”
Zalepa told The Local that “the Shaw and the town have been very engaged with the federal government and the province in seeking a public contribution” to rebuild the Royal George.
Jennings attended Saturday's press conference and was surprised to hear Ford reference donating money to a theatre. “I was actually hoping that they were going to be making an announcement about the expansion of the airport,” he said.
Jennings said that 35 percent of Shaw’s attendees are from the United States, and he attends local government press conferences frequently to stay on top of news that affects tourism.
Last December, both Zalepa and Jennings met with Ford and Minister of Tourism, Culture, Gaming, Stan Cho a the home of local developer Rainer Hummel, where Jennings said financing the Royal George was discussed.
In “every meeting I've been in with the government, which includes dozens of them over the last number of years, I'm asking for money to help rebuild the George,” he said. “I met with the premier and Mr. Cho at that meeting and talked to them about that.”