Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan gets funding, province and feds put spat to bed

After a spat between the federal and provincial governments over project funding, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan’s project is back on track.

On Wednesday afternoon, a handful of local, provincial, and federal dignitaries gathered at the festival site to announce the funding agreement had been finalized.

Federally, funding will be provided under the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund ($1 million), and the Community, Culture and Recreation Stream of the Investing in Canada Plan ($676,838) to a total of $1,676,838.

Meanwhile, the provincial government will cover $1.397 million in funding as part of their shared-funding agreement with the federal government.

Adding in $3.2 million from private donations, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan will now have a rough total of just under $6.3 million for the project.

That project will include redeveloping the site and festival into a potential year-round facility and the construction of a new amphitheater base, audience seating, and pavilions within the area.

Some of that total will go back to the City of Saskatoon for infrastructure because the grant was put in a joint application.

Alan Long, Director of Marketing and Development for Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, said their original goal for the project was $4 million, so the funding will give them added room for the facility.

“We had a fundraising campaign for 4-million dollars, that was based on a shoestring budget, so now we can add back in a lot of those things we had to cut.

“We did that because we didn’t want to be stuck in a long fundraising campaign as a small non-profit.”

In giving themselves that flexibility, Long said it ensures that their goals will be met.

“We lowered our expectations, and said ‘we’re going to build this in 2020, no matter what.’ Now, we can build it. It’s going to have all the right things. It’s going to be very accessible, it’s going to be a really great venue (for the entire community).”
 
To turn, or not to turn

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan originally scheduled their sod turning event for the new project this past Saturday, but the government back-and-forth forced them to push that back.

Long said they do plan to have that event, but it won’t be set in stone until they’re able to meet next week.

“It’s been such a whirlwind the past couple weeks here we’re going to have to look at when we’ll do that..we have to strike it all down and decide what we’re keeping, and what we’re not keeping.”

Some projects solidified, others still under water

Even though Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, the Gordie Howe Bowl and Regina’s Globe Theatre have now secured funding for their respective projects, there still seems to be animosity between the feds and the province.

A recent back-and-forth between federal minister Ralph Goodale and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe surrounded two Regina pools that the feds offered in an open letter to fund.

Minister of Natural Resources Amarjeet Sohi announcing the federal side of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan’s funding on August 14, 2019. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)

Moe responded, and said this isn’t “the Ralph Goodale re-election fund.”

Federal Minister of Natural Resources, Amarjeet Sohi was in Saskatoon today for two announcements, including the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan project.

“I would say Minister Goodale has been (one of) the strongest voices for the people of Saskatchewan,” Sohi said. “(Goodale) has delivered so much over the last four years that I have known him as a colleague, than the Harper government did in a decade.”

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan Deputy Premier Gord Wyant was also at the Shakespeare announcement.

“We’ve had some difficulty on this file. There was $56 million available in the Culture, Community and Recreation Stream,” Wyant said.

In conversations regarding the funding for Regina, it was indicated in Wyant’s eyes that the Globe Theatre was their main priority.

“To suggest that we should now do the swimming pools, really amounts to allocating 40% of the Cultural stream to the City of Regina. We wanted to make sure there was a balance.”

— With files from Keenan Sorokan and the Canadian Press