'Needs versus wants' — Elliot Lake arts community still seeking new home 2 years after cave-in

It has been two years since the roof of Elliot Lake's art centre caved in and replacing it could cost more than the city wants to spend.

The Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre was demolished soon after the collapse in February 2019 and the city has been working on plans for a new arts hub.

City council heard this week that chief administrative officer Dan Gagnon was "alarmed" when the architects came back with a cost estimate of $15 million.

"Are we replacing exactly what we lost? I mean the existing building was 4,500 square feet, that would be $30 million," he told council.

"So we're trying to refine needs versus wants."

Murray Finn, the president of the Elliot Lake arts council or AERIAL,  sits on the planning committee for the new hub.

He was also one of the people who ran out of the Pearson Centre as the ceiling came down and was also in the Algo Centre Mall, when its roof collapsed in 2012.

Finn says he's been nervous going into buildings after that and when he could go to shows before COVID, would take the seat closest to the door and spend most of his time just listening to the "sounds of the room."

"It's like PTSD. It takes a long time for you to adjust and get back to normal," he says. 

Finn says Elliot Lake arts groups struggled to find new space after the Pearson Centre was demolished "and then COVID hit and all the groups are reeling from that and we haven't been able to do anything for the past year."

He hopes the new complex will get back the momentum they were building before the collapse. 

"All the arts groups were able to improve their successes and were able to create what we were beginning to call a vibrant arts community," says Finn.

Elliot Lake taxpayers have been covering some of the rental costs arts groups are paying while they wait for the new hub, which city councillor Chris Patrie spoke against at this week's council meeting.

"We're opening the doors to a very, very dangerous situation," he says. 

"Every organization should be coming to council because we're just giving out money to subsidize their rent."

Finn says the arts have to fight for funding in every city or town, but in Elliot Lake have traditionally been well supported with the Pearson Centre and a full-time arts coordinator on the city payroll in years past. 

He does worry that the arts hub may have to compete for funding with a multi-million-dollar recreation centre being planned for the former site of the Algo Centre mall.