The City of Burnaby will provide $300,000 to the Burnaby School District (BSD) to keep the Michael J. Fox Theatre running.
Last month, the school district said it could not afford to keep it open and ended community bookings after June 30, citing operational deficits.
On Tuesday, Burnaby City Hall said it has approved a one-time grant, which will be allocated through this year and 2027.
“We are in unprecedented economic times, and this funding is a small yet significant way to ensure the doors to the theatre can remain open while other solutions are looked at by the school district,” Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley said in a written statement.
He stresses that the grant is not supposed to be a long-term remedy as the goal is to find other “sustainable solutions.”
The financial issues became worse for the school district when the Michael J. Fox Theatre Society, which ran the facility together with the school authority until 2024, exited the operational business.
Ever since, the BSD has been urging the City of Burnaby to fill that gap to save the future of the theatre, with Burnaby City Council saying back in April that it would look into the matter.
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However, Tuesday’s announcement sounds like a rejection of any active participation through the City of Burnaby.
“After a comprehensive review, City staff determined that assuming a larger role would impose significant costs and long-term liabilities on taxpayers without proper ownership or control,” Cole Wagner, public affairs manager at Burnaby City Hall, said.
“The City’s review also found that the theatre requires more than $700,000 in capital upgrades, beyond ongoing operating costs.”
He advises the school district to use the time the grant provides to keep searching for other business partners, such as non-profit organizations.
After last month’s announcement, union workers and artists said the closure of the theatre could have significant impacts on the employees of the facility and the arts and culture scene in the city.
On average, the Michael J. Fox Theatre hosts 200 performances in a year.
According to BSD’s board chair, Kristin Schnider, the theatre runs at an annual deficit of more than $150,000.