Why ACT Now? The Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) Enters a New Phase
Time to read: under 6 minutes
Times have been better. Today, we are experiencing unprecedented social and economic upheaval and transition. Although oil prices have been volatile for many years, they are now at an all-time low. While in 2018, Calgary’s population was on the rise, we are now losing skilled workers to other locations within Canada and around the globe. And of course, we are now also in the midst of a global pandemic, which has slowed the economy down entirely. As Calgary Economic Development (CED) stated in its Calgary in the New Economy strategy report, “our economy is at a crossroads and must adapt”.
Calgary as Most Liveable City
Every year since 2008, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) rated Calgary in its top five most livable cities in the world. The EIU ranks 140 cities on 30 factors divided into five categories— stability, health care, culture and environment, and education and infrastructure. Calgary scored 100 in each category, except culture and environment, which includes a factor called “cultural availability”. According to LiveableCity.org, “there are five fundamental aspects of great, livable cities: robust and complete neighbourhoods, accessibility and sustainable mobility, a diverse and resilient local economy, vibrant public spaces, and affordability.”
““Place-building and being a dynamic, vibrant city is now an integral part of all economic development.””
Why does being the most liveable city matter?
CED’s New Economy report indicates “four key elements for enduring prosperity”, with one being PLACE. “Place-building and being a dynamic, vibrant city is now an integral part of all economic development. It is mutually reinforcing for attracting and retaining key talent. The idea of “investment in place” includes encouraging investment in physical and social infrastructure to support connections within the city and to the rest of the world.”
Once ACT is complete, Arts Commons will be able to accommodate the diverse needs of a world-class city, aligning with Calgary and Alberta’s long-term strategic objective to build a culturally vibrant and economically diverse community.
A Vibrant and Dynamic Downtown
While the number of head offices has dropped slightly over the past few years, Calgary is still home to headquarters of every major energy company in the country, including renewable energy and clean technology. Calgary’s downtown core has become known as Alberta’s ‘economic engine’. Thankfully, our downtown has been in renewal mode since the success of the revitalization of the East Village, which is now becoming one of the most vibrant areas in the downtown core. To be a liveable city, we need to continue on this path of revitalization. Calgary needs to be an attractive place to live and the downtown core needs to be a vibrant area in order to attract and retain talent.
According to ImagineCALGARY, the 100-year vision for Calgary is: “A great place to make a living, a great place to make a life.” In order for this to become a reality, we need to offer “safe communities; a global centre for business; a centre for arts, culture and recreation; and a city that welcomes people. A city that offers these elements will attract talent, foster innovation and lead in economic growth.”
Making the Case for ACT
The ACT Steering Committee, was established in 2008. Together with input from all resident companies (Alberta Theatre Projects, Arts Commons Presents, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Downstage, One Yellow Rabbit, and Theatre Calgary) and other stakeholders, a shared vision for an expanded and revitalized facility was created – a civic arts centre that would be more accessible, vibrant, and integral to the community. The ACT project was officially launched back in the Spring of 2009, under the name “Arts Centre Transformation”. Serendipitously, our new name – changed from EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts in December 2017 – fit perfectly with the old acronym and is now known as the Arts Commons Transformation project. We are now over 10 years into promoting and lobbying for this project to help revitalize and re-energize Calgary’s downtown core. The funny thing is that not much has changed in terms of why ACT was originally proposed.
““If you think artists are useless, try to spend your quarantine without music, books, poems, movies, and paintings.””
Back then, existing venues were operating at over 90% capacity. Today, aside from the COVID shutdown, Arts Commons is operating at full capacity and unable to satisfy the market demand for access to our facility. With a population that has more than doubled since the centre was built in 1985, we are currently turning away some 600 critically important revenue-generating events annually. This means our community is not being served as it should be and the revenue potential to sustain the organization and support the resident companies has been capped. Additionally, the Arts Commons building is working harder than was designed to when it was built 35 years ago, and is facing over $71M in critical lifecycle issues.
Imagine the Jack Singer Concert Hall or the Max Bell Theatre going offline because of infrastructure failings. If there is anything that the pandemic has shown us is how much we rely on the arts to see us through difficult times. A quote I recently read from Stephen King reminds us of this: “If you think artists are useless, try to spend your quarantine without music, books, poems, movies, and paintings.”
Arts Commons is home to some of the most respected and beloved arts and culture organizations in Calgary. The resident companies rely on the Arts Commons ecosystem and its associated support to imagine, create, and deliver amazing arts and culture experiences to you, members of our community. Without the ecosystem, each company is left to its own devices to find affordable space to rehearse and perform and loses out on the collaborative and creative environment that an arts centre provides. This is a lose-lose not only for each resident company, but for the community as well, as it would likely result in higher costs for the consumer, as well as a disjointed arts community.
Additionally, Calgary’s community of artists rely on these organizations, the resident companies amongst others, to make a living and to contribute to the arts in their own unique ways.
Is Now Really the Time?
As we’ve learned, not much has changed in terms of why ACT was originally proposed. In fact, the case for ACT becomes stronger every day. The original business case outlines the following long-term opportunities:
Creates a ‘must-see’ destination in the heart of Calgary that attracts visitors regionally, nationally and internationally;
Stimulates the revitalization of Calgary’s downtown core to attract and retain the people and businesses necessary to maintain a flourishing and sustainable economy;
Positions the city, province and country as leaders in arts and culture
Encourages and facilitates innovation and collaboration within and across arts, business, community and government partners.
For Today’s Calgary
Today, in addition to those long-term benefits, ACT will also provide some immediate benefits to Calgary, Alberta, and Canada, according to the Economic Contribution Analysis performed by Deloitte in 2019.
For Today’s Alberta
The province also wins, with $424M added to Alberta’s GDP during construction and $59M added to provincial GDP annually. In 2017, according to the Government of Alberta website, the arts contributed approximately $1.3B in GDP and sustained nearly 20,000 jobs in the province. In promoting September 2020 as ‘Month of the Artist’, the provincial government, through the Alberta Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women, Arts Branch also stated that, “artists’ work enriches our lives, promotes creativity and innovation, and contributes to a more diversified economy. When the arts thrive, Alberta is a better place to live, invest and do business.”
Moving Ahead
On Friday, October 9, 2020, along with our partners at the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and The City of Calgary, we announced the completion of a tri-party development agreement that will initiate the design process for ACT and position CMLC as development manager responsible for stewarding the design process. On Friday, October 16, 2020, an invitation was sent to over 200 architectural and construction management organizations as part of an RFP to join an information session on October 29th . This marks the beginning of the design stage for the project. The detailed design work will be for both Phase One and Two of ACT, with Phase One being the construction and development of the new building and Phase Two being the renovation and revitalization of the existing facility. The design team that is ultimately assembled will be responsible for the design development, leading to a shovel-ready status for Phase One in the last half of 2022.
Funding
There is currently $160M of funding in place, for Phase One of ACT, from the City and the Province - $25 million through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) and $135M through CMLC’s Community Revitalization Levy (CRL).
On August 30, 2019, at an event held at Arts Commons’ Jack Singer Concert Hall, the Honourable Kent Hehr pledged the Government of Canada’s support of the Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) project, in the amount of $80M. As this funding has yet to be secured, Arts Commons will continue to actively pursue this funding, during the design process.
Final Words
Calgary has a global reputation as a prosperous, entrepreneurial, inclusive, and hospitable city. We are known for the Calgary Stampede, the 1988 Olympics, and as the “gateway” to the Rocky Mountains. But we are also known for an economy heavily reliant on the oil and gas industry. And while that reliance is likely to continue for some time, economic diversification is paramount to our future success. Now is the time to invest in the future of Calgary’s arts community by investing in ACT. Over time, the successful completion of ACT will reduce our dependency on government funding, attract new business, and support a diversified private sector in Calgary. Now is the time to invest in ACT to ensure we remain one of the top five most liveable cities, welcoming talent from around the world and providing services and opportunities to build social and civic roots. And even if we put economics aside and look at some of the negative cultural shifts happening around us, today more than ever, we need to find ways to build a more creative and compassionate society. ACT and the revitalization of the downtown core to be safe and welcoming for all is the platform to help realize that vision.
Please visit our website to learn more about the Arts Commons Transformation project.
