It’s news that’s been a long time coming — the Shaw Festival is going to be using the Upper Canada Lodge building as an artists village and education centre.
CEO Tim Jennings first completed an application through the request for proposals (RFP) process last November, along with many others, telling The Local he was hoping to take on the lease of Upper Canada Lodge when it closes.
It’s now officially closed, and Jennings told The Local this afternoon he had the keys in his hand.
The regional long-term care home has been scheduled to close on several different dates, most recently in June. but residents have now officially moved out and the doors are closed.
Jennings has said in the past that he was interested in turning the building into accommodations for Shaw employees, but he’s not expanding on plans at the moment, simply saying “more in the new year.”
Tod Harrison, the region’s commissioner of corporate services, told The Local earlier this year they had received an “enormous number of submissions” in response to their request for proposals, and after a break in the process in the fall of 2023, it had been restarted.
The facility is a regional building with a lease on Parks Canada land, so negotiations had to involve both.
Jennings said they were “awarded the buildings by Parks (Canada) earlier today and received the keys this afternoon!”
“We are thrilled to be the recipients of these amazing assets through the region’s public RFP process for a successor,” he said, “and now to work with Parks Canada on the next stage of life for them and for us.”
Once renovated, Jennings added, “this site will form the core of our new Artists Village and Education Centre. This project will expand our campus, will fit within the existing footprint and connect brilliantly to our adjacent main Festival Theatre space. We look forward to announcing more details early in 2025."
