‘This is a national project that tells Canada’s national music story’
A national music centre to be built in Calgary’s East Village received a huge financial boost this week with promises of cash from the federal and provincial governments.
Both governments pledged to give the Cantos Music Foundation $25 million each toward the $120-million price tag of the 33000-square-metre music epicentre. The city ponied up $25 million earlier this year for the project.
The remaining $55 million will be raised through “Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast” fundraising efforts says Camie Leard a Cantos spokesperson.
“This is a national project that tells Canada’s national music story — something that’s not being told anywhere right now” she says. “This belongs to all Canadians.”
However the provincial funding to be rolled out over three years hinges on whether the Alberta government — already facing a $1 billion deficit — keeps its financial house in order.
“It wasn’t unexpected that those would be the conditions” says Leard. “That’s just how things are working in the province right now.”
If everything falls into place the shovels could be in the ground next summer with the grand opening set for 2013 says Leard.
