Arts and tourism centre stage in Niagara this weekend

This is turning out to be a banner weekend in Niagara, with two events in two cities taking centre stage in tourism and the arts, respectively. Let's start with Niagara Falls, which hosted a much-anticipated gala opening of the new Scotiabank Convention Centre on Stanley Avenue this weekend. This is a dream literally years in the making, and it is almost hard to believe the dream is now a reality. City fathers in Niagara Falls have been working on a viable plan for literally decades, in hopes of turning what Mayor Jim Diodati says was once a 100-day industry (tourism) into a year-round industry to help drive the local economy. Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday afternoon, I noted smiles all around, both from attending dignitaries and the general public, who came out in droves to toast the event, packing the lone parking lot out back long before the event started. As a result I arrived a little late, but soon enough to hear Mayor Diodati list the many people, both past and present, who have worked so hard to make this dream a reality in 2011. Far too many to list here, of course, but suffice it to say, it is a wonder all levels of government and interested business groups all worked together to come up with the $ 105-million cost of the new convention facility. Some nay-sayers may wonder about the cost, but from my vantage point, it will quickly prove to be money well-spent. A medium-market convention facility such as this can do quite well for itself, all the while posing no threat to larger convention markets such as Toronto or Ottawa. The one big advantage this facility will have over similar-sized counterparts, aside from state-of-the-art design and equipment, will be all the city has to offer conventioneers while not attending the convention. Think of all the restaurants, hotels and entertainment options already in place, and you can't help but think this will all come together to fill the yearly calendar for convention dates in the city. In addition to Mayor Diodati, I chatted with former mayor and Tourism Chair Wayne Thompson and Convention Centre President and General Manager Kerry Painter, and both are simply brimming with pride at what they have achieved. Time will tell if the good feelings and wishes are well-placed, but I suspect it won't take all that long for people to see the results of all this hard work in action. Following this event yesterday afternoon, I walked down to the friendly confines of St. Catharines' old courthouse next to the Saturday farmers' market for an announcement at the Sullivan Mahoney Theatre prior to a performance of Peg and the Yeti by Carousel Players. Word came yesterday St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley would be making an annoucement, along with Livia Martin, a volunteer with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, of provincial government support for our local arts community. Hot on the heals of the announcement of federal funding for the Marketing the Arts of St. Catharines last month, which I wrote about in March in this space, the provincial government has announced that Inspire! Niagara Arts in Niagara Schools, part of that marketing initiative outlined in March and involving Carousel Players and the Centre for the Arts, Brock University, would receive a $ 19,500 commitment from the Ministry of Tourism through the Cultural Strategic Investment Fund. But that's not all. Both Mr. Bradley and Ms. Martin also announced an additional $ 45,000 grant from the Foundation to help the Carousel Players purchase a new touring vehicle to transport sets, costumes and equipment to schools throughout the Niagara Region, part of the mandate to bring the arts to the schools of Niagara on a regular basis. Talking to Jane Gardner of Carousel Players after the announcement, she says this is a great example of governments realizing the need and also the opportunity to expose young people to the arts at an early age, and help launch the transition to our own crown jewel still a few years away, the much-anticipated performing arts and school complex in the city core. There will be several performance spaces in the new facility, and Jane expects although the space they will occupy, along with several other smaller groups, will be more expensive to rent than their present facilities, the accessibility advantages and modern facilities will make the extra expense worthwhile. Plus, a larger space than they presently have means a chance to fill more seats on a regular basis as well. I know our own landmark facility hasn't even been designed yet, let alone started construction, but the wheels are certainly in motion, and one only has to travel down that stretch of St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines to see the work already done to ready the site for future development. I know supporters of our complex must be looking at Niagara Falls' achievement and looking to the future when they will host dignitaries and the public alike at a shining new complex that will do wonders for our local economy, too. The big difference, aside from the intended use of both facilities, is ours is in the heart of downtown, rather than outside the downtown core as is the case in Niagara Falls. Still, downtown Niagara Falls cannot help but benefit from the economic advantages as well as the facility gets up and running. So what we have here are two facilities in two cities, each with a specific design and use in mind, and each intended to give a shot in the arm to each cities' local economy. That is what several levels of government and private parties working together can achieve: in short, great things. I can hardly wait for the gala opening in downtown St. Catharines not too far in the future! April 9th, 2011.