Sudbury’s Place des Arts set to open its doors soon
Despite setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction of the $30-million Place des Arts in downtown Sudbury is nearing completion.
Construction of the 40,000 square foot building has been ongoing since 2018.
The centre, which will be home to seven francophone organizations, was scheduled to open in December 2020 but due to the pandemic, organizers faced several challenges in the past two years.
"Some of the materials coming from the states were delayed, sometimes just worker availability was not there as people had to isolate because they were close contact with somebody," said board chair Alain Richard.
"Accessing building materials was a big hurdle, especially early 2021."
Place des Arts organizers are excited to finally open and said there’s something for everyone.
"We hope it will attract a lot of tourists and newcomers to the downtown, and bring back life to the downtown," said executive director Léo Therrien.
"Inside, they will see a lot because there’s a big theatre of 300 seats, a black box -- like the TNO -- which is about 130 seats, there’s a daycare, there’s an art gallery, bistro, bookshop, gift shop."
And, with construction coming to an end, Therrien has decided it’s time to retire.
"It’s the right time for me right now to have somebody take over. We will be finishing construction, we’re opening to the public, it’s time to have some new energy, some new blood," he said.
"I’m turning 62 next month, I’m thinking of the other part of my life."
Therrien said he plans on volunteering at Place des Arts in the future.
Officials are hoping to open the doors sometime next month, and will be hiring a new executive director within the next couple weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.