By Rosalind Russell – Elliot Lake council received word this week that the city’s application for a federal net carbon zero grant has been turned down by the federal government.
City CAO Daniel Gagnon says the city received official word on Monday adding he had been hopeful the government would consider the funding for the arts hub planned for the former site of the Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre.
Gagnon says he was disappointed, but the city will forge ahead with two other grant applications, the first being another federal application to Canada Cultural Spaces and a second from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
It is estimated the new hub would cost around $15 million to build.
He adds some of the funding would also come from the insurance payout of $3.4 million following the collapse of the centre’s roof in 2019.
Photo: Since the roof collapsed at the Lester B. Pearson Centre in Elliot Lake, there seems to have been roadblocks put in the way of getting the new arts hub built. The city has been turned down for a federal grant and is now seeking fund to work towards building a new centre, which is estimated to cost around $15,000 to rebuild. Photo provided by Sue Grieves