Place des Arts to open at the end of April in Sudbury

A report headed to city council March 23 outlines the challenges the $30-million Place des Arts has faced since the onset of the pandemic. Progress has slowed significantly as new work rules had to be implemented and skilled labour became harder to find. (Supplied)

Place des Arts, the $30-million project being built in downtown Sudbury, will officially open its doors April 29.

Officials made the announcement Thursday. Chairperson Alain Richard revealed the opening date after drawing up an assessment of the work to be completed before the site can welcome its first visitors.

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of labour on the site,” Richard is quoted as saying in a news release.

“Then, a shortage of certain materials and recent roadblocks at the Canada-U.S. border made it difficult to receive what we needed to complete the work early. Now that the situation has improved, we will be able to receive artists and patrons shortly.”

The final work is taking place on the ground floor, mainly in the auditorium, a space with highly specialised equipment and facilities. A new schedule has been established with the contractors to complete the work while respecting safety standards.

When completed, the facility will be the first of the so-called big projects undertaken by city council. The city is currently going through the selection process to pick a company to build the Kingsway Entertainment Centre. And plans are in place to build a new art gallery and library downtown, a project known as The Junction.

Place des Arts’ co-founding organisations will move into the building at the end of March, while the training of the technical teams and the running-in of the equipment and facilities will take place in April, before the official opening.

The activities surrounding the opening will be announced at a later date, officials said.

Place des Arts said its mission is to “make possible and accessible quality cultural and artistic experiences, which have a lasting impact on the lives of citizens and contribute to the development and the well-being of the Francophone and Greater Sudbury communities.”