2025

The Performing Arts Centre Advocacy Group recruits new working members, updates its key messages, and remains active during the 2025 municipal election cycle, engaging candidates and the community to keep the Performing Arts Centre a civic priority.

2024

PACAG and City planning continued to coordinate the PAC’s integration into the Civic Common Redevelopment strategy (i.e. ensuring PAC is central to downtown renewal).

PACAG hosted an information and update session in September, providing the community with an update on the Civic Common Redevelopment Strategy and its ongoing inclusion of PAC.

2019-2020

In June 2021, City Council passed resolutions in the CIP process:
  • The Civic Common site area was formally designated as the future home of the PAC (i.e. integrating PAC planning into broader downtown / public realm redevelopment).
  • The PAC project was moved forward in the CIP, with adjustments: the prior PAC allocation of $375,000 was reduced to $229,000, and $146,000 was reallocated to 2022. 
  • A cap was placed on the maximum City of Lethbridge contribution to PAC at $75 million.

2019-2020

A Performing Arts Centre Steering Committee is formed, consisting of five voting members — three City Councillors, one representative from the Allied Arts Council, and one representative from the Performing Arts Centre Advocacy Group — along with City administration. The Committee reviews two previous feasibility studies and tours performing arts centres in Southern Alberta. AMS, the consultant engaged to develop the operating model, confirms the proposed size of the venue and verifies that, ten years after the first study, the facility is still needed by both audiences and performers. The Committee also identifies a preferred site for the venue.

2017

In May 2017, the Advocacy Group formally submitted a request to City Council as part of the deliberations for the 2018-2027 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Their proposal included $375,000 for concept design, funding strategy, operational modelling, project management, and location analysis.

On May 23, 2017, City Council approved elements in the draft CIP that included PAC items:
  • $6,200,000 (in 2018 dollars) prospectively for detailed design (for 2021)
  • $375,000 for a PAC study starting in 2018 (Project D-34)
  • $62,000,000 (2018 dollars) for construction in 2022–2025 (conditional on funding)
  • Establishment of a Steering Committee and direction for business plan / operational planning

2016

The Performing Arts Centre Advocacy Group is working to gather increased community support for the Performing Arts Centre. The Next Stage Initiative was launched in April, and the Advocacy Group is in the community, at various events, developing community support.

2015

A group of community members was formed and initiated a strategy to build increased community support for a new Performing Arts Centre in Lethbridge.

2014

The AAC Board of Directors has resolved that the AAC will take a leadership role in building and supporting a larger committee to generate funds for a Performing Arts Centre and will continue to build support in the community, engaging and aligning stakeholders and expressing the need for a new Performing Arts Centre to the community at large.

A stakeholder’s update was held on June 24, 2014.  It was clear from this meeting that although there is much enthusiasm for building a new Performing Arts Centre there is still work to be done to build stakeholder alignment for the project.  The committee also developed a communication plan with timelines and assembled a committee of community individuals who are working on fund development strategies.

2013

City Council committed $10 million towards the Performing Arts Centre Project on the following Conditions:

• The balance of the costs of approximately $50 million come from other sources, whether it be, provincial government, federal government, or any other source not identified;
• The Provincial component, if any, will not come from the present Municipal Sustainability Initiative Grant (MSI), for clarity, the provincial contribution, if any, is required to be “new” money;
• The City of Lethbridge’s conditional commitment of $10 Million be for the 2018-2027 Capital Improvement Program Budget Plan;
• The funding source of $10 million City of Lethbridge contribution is to be identified once all other funds are in place.

2010-2011

After the original study was presented to the City in the spring of 2010, City Council requested the Performing Arts Centre Steering committee to do a review of the study and its recommendations, as well as to come up with some funding ideas. Richard Schick, of Schick Shiner Associates who undertook the Performing Arts Centre Study Review over the spring/summer of 2011, presented on Monday October 20, 2011 along with the Performing Arts Centre Steering Committee.

2009

In the spring of 2009, the City of Lethbridge assembled a Performing Arts Centre Steering Committee (comprised of community volunteers) to oversee a needs assessment and master planning process for a possible Performing Arts Centre.

The Performing Arts Centre Steering Committee selected the local firm of Ferrari Westwood Babits Architects (FWBA). FWBA assembled a consulting team with an international reputation comprised of Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC), Webb Management Services, Inc. and Threshold Acoustics LLC. FWBA managed the planning process, and together the team created a Schematic Design.

In the month of November 2009, the team met and interviewed over 100 individuals, which included a cross-section of representatives of regional arts and culture organizations, facility managers, educators, funders, local business owners, and City leadership/personnel. During this time they also toured existing facilities, researched other venues located within the local market, and studied the existing arts audiences and population trends. The analysis of this information will be the basis of the needs assessment.

2007

In 2007, the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge initiated the Arts Re:Building Together initiative in hopes of improving the state of the arts facilities for the present and for the future. The AAC worked with the arts community to advocate the value of a cultural corridor and actively pursued keeping the construction of the performing arts centre in the City of Lethbridge’s capital improvement plan.

2000

The City completed a comprehensive facility assessment study that indicated that many of the existing facilities were no longer serving the needs of the community. As a result of this study, the City began the process of investing Capital Improvement money to upgrade and expand the community facilities.