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Feds invest in Sudbury arts and culture

Lefebvre announces $137,500 in funding to be split between three organizations
LefebvreSized
A trio of Sudbury arts and culture initiatives got a financial boost on June 26, thanks to $137,500 in federal funding that was announced by Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre. (Matt Durnan/Sudbury.com)

A trio of Sudbury arts and culture initiatives got a financial boost on June 26, thanks to $137,500 in federal funding that was announced by Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre.

The Sudbury MP held a small press conference on June 26 at Theatre Cambrian, one of the three recipients of grant funding.

Theatre Cambrian, along with the Sudbury Downtown Independent Cinema Co-operative, will each receive $50,000 through FedNor. The remaining $37,500 provided through the Department of Canadian Heritage's Canada 150 Fund, will be used to inform and educate young Sudburians on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures.

The Canada 150 Fund grant money will be designated to Laurentian University to host the Great Canadian Experience - Indigeneity Celebration. As part of this project, roughly 1,500 Grade 6 students from across Greater Sudbury will be invited to participate in workshops that serve as a celebration and education about First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures.

Theatre Cambrian will be using their $50,000 in grant funding to upgrade and modernize their building, including fire safety and suppression upgrades, a new boiler system, energy-efficient lighting and windows. The project will also support the installation of a professional stage and backdrop, and accessibility features such as ramps and automated doors.

"The funding announced today will allow us to meet growing demands for arts and cultural programming in Greater Sudbury," said Dennis Cropper, Theatre Cambrian executive director. "We are the leading community theatre in the north; our lights, sound and artistic merit are of a professional calibre, however, our home is in need of repair."

Sudbury Downtown Independent Cinema Co-operative will be using their share of the grant funds to transform the gymnasium at the former St. Louis De Gonzague School into a fully digital cinema dedicated to screening festival-quality independent films from around the world.

"It's a web that we are strengthening between community, audience, film makers, art, and downtown," said Beth Mairs, managing director Sudbury Downtown Independent Cinema Co-operative. "This announcement today is very critical because it helps us to leverage with our other funders, some who have been on hold for a couple of years, to move forward with this project."

All of the funding that was announced on June 26 is provided through the Canada 150 Infrastructure Program (CIP 150) and the Canada 150 Fund which are part of the Canadian government's approach to mark the anniversary of Confederation.

The CUP 150 program is designed to leave a lasting legacy in communities across Canada by supporting improvements to community infrastructure that provide community and cultural benefits for the public.

"Today's announcement will help put in place the infrastructure and resources needed to support the continued growth of Greater Sudbury's creative economy and promote the cultural diversity of our region," said Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre. 

"Arts and culture are critical to the social and economic prosperity of Northern Ontario, and this funding will help generate new opportunities for these important sectors."


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