MACLEOD GAZETTE EDITOR
“The Empress Theatre will become a cultural hot spot,” executive director Gerard Gibbs said. “This is going to have a significant impact on a lot of people in the area, and to a certain extent other parts of the country and other parts of the world.”
The $1.45-million grant to the Empress Theatre was one of four totalling $8.1-million awarded this month by the Rural Alberta Development Fund. The fund gave $5-million to the Alberta Rural Development Network, $1.5-million to the Vulcan Business Development Society and $255,000 to the Communities Leading Regional Recruitment and Retention project in Cold Lake.
“We feel these projects are great examples of how innovation and passion are improving the quality of life in rural Alberta,” development fund chairman Bob Clark said.
The Rural Alberta Development Fund is a not-for-profit company funded by the province to inspire innovation, collaboration and growth across rural Alberta.
“Rural development is not just about agriculture — it’s about creating a vibrant and sustainable Alberta for everybody,” Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development George Groeneveld said. “This fund continues to play a vital role in ensuring the ongoing strength of Alberta’s rural communities.”
Gibbs praised the development fund for its vision in supporting the Empress Theatre’s application.
“When people are looking at becoming permanent residents in a rural community they look at certain aspects as being attractive,” Gibbs said. “This (Empress Theatre) is a big element of quality of life and the government recognizes that.”
The classical music project would be an expansion of the Windy Mountain Music Festival. Top classical musicians would spend up to three weeks training young musicians and providing public performances.
“This is to develop Windy Mountain into something that is really unique not just in this area, but in the country,” Gibbs said.
The world music project will pair the best Canadian musicians with ensembles from outside of Canada. Composers, arrangers and choreographers would spend a week on a project in Fort Macleod.
“We want to create something so unique we are compelled to present this product out into the world,” Gibbs said.
The art film project would have the Empress Theatre screen more art or specialty films, host movie festivals and offer film schools and workshops for students in the rural area.
“This is really what they want to see developed here,” Gibbs said of the development fund’s objective. “To them it’s about quality of life, and it’s about access for all citizens.”
The $1.45-million grant can be used for the programs and to hire some additional staff, but it can’t go to operations or building maintenance.
“The challenge is that we have to match this grant to a certain extent,” Gibbs said. “We have to go to the community and build a certain level of support, so the programs become self-sustaining.”
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