Winnipeg cultural buildings could carry corporate names — for cash infusion

The Buhler Centennial Concert Hall, maybe the Canad Inns Manitoba Museum, or the Old Dutch Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre?

The Manitoba Centennial Centre Corp. is looking for new ways to bring in cash, including the possibility of selling the naming rights for its major assets.

"We've been, you know, struggling with revenues and it's been difficult to rely on government funding, so we've been looking for other sources of income and revenue to support our operations," said Karl Loepp, chair of the Crown corporation's board of directors.

"Many of the arts centres have been branded with naming rights that help fund activities at the centres and improvements, so that's something we want to pursue and study."

The Manitoba Centennial Centre is a cluster of provincially owned arts facilities, many built in Canada's centennial year, 1967. They include the concert hall, the Manitoba Museum, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre's two stages, the Manitoba Production Centre and Artspace.

A mandate letter from the provincial government sent last week directs the board to "develop a five-year plan to achieve self-sufficiency."

The board — eight of its 10 members were appointed by the current government in 2016, replacing 10 members appointed under the previous New Democrat government — has already been working toward making the centennial centre self-sustaining, Loepp said.

"The model of self-sufficiency is something we've talked about for some time, so it doesn't come as a surprise."

Funding of the centennial centre was reduced by about 22 per cent two years ago, Loepp said. It received around $2.4 million this year, compared with around $3 million five years ago, he said.

The cuts come as the people running arts organizations that use the facilities call for renewal of the 50-year-old spaces.

The entire facility needs work, from the main infrastructure to the carpeting and seating and the unusable orchestra shell, Loepp said — work that will require funds "probably in excess of $50 million."

"There's a lot of money that could be invested into the building and we well know that the government doesn't have excess funds to spend, so we're looking at other sources of revenue."

That includes hosting more events and bringing more people through to try to generate more revenue.

It would be nice if a white knight came in to help, but Loepp isn't expecting that.

"At the end of the day, this is a government facility," he said. "So that's something we'll work with the province with to figure out the best way to go forward."