The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is ready for the final fundraising phase for the new Waterfront Art Gallery.
A total of $24 million needs to be raised for the $75,000,000 facility.
“This is more than a building; it’s a gathering place that reflects who we are as a community,” said Executive Director Matthew R. Hills.
“The new gallery will be fully accessible, designed for all ages, and home to exhibitions and programs that celebrate Indigenous, regional, and national artists. It will be a space where everyone feels welcome.”
The cost of the project has increased amid the build duration, new tariffs, and site assessments.
Environmental remediation and cleanup at the site cost over $10 million alone.
The waterfront project was originally estimated to cost roughly $50 million, but increased construction costs have pushed the price tag up.
“Throughout this process, we’ve adapted; the gallery has made compromises,” explained Hills. “Originally, when this building started, it was a 44,000 square foot. We’ve reduced the footprint down to 37,000 square feet.”
“We’ve taken working with our excellent construction team and architects, taking steps to make scope reductions to look at different finishes, different sourcing of materials, something like the siding, making sure that it comes from Canada to avoid cost overruns or to avoid the potential of tariffs.”
“We’ve taken steps throughout this process, and we will continue to do it to adapt the design to make sure that we’re being cost-efficient and rigorous as possible with the funds we have received”.
The building is expected to welcome 40,000 visitors a year, generating roughly $5.2 million in annual revenue for the community.
The new building will meet Category A Standards with the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The gallery is also uniquely designated to be able to hold cultural property of outstanding significance and national importance.
To meet the standards, the gallery needs to work with the Canadian Conservation Institute to ensure that the facility’s climate controls and security standards are in place, which allow the gallery to present and care for cultural treasures of national importance, according to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
The facility is being built to meet Rick Hansen Accessibility Standards as well.
Hills adds that the facility will benefit the region as a whole.
“It’s a cultural, educational and economic engine. We love our current space at Confederation College, but it’s off the beaten track. We will be a jewel of the waterfront here. This is a beautiful arena space for people to walk around.”
Another significant change for the gallery is that the new space will allow them to triple the capacity of their collection.
The gallery hopes the facility will open up in the summer of 2027.
