Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Wind and rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm surrounding the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new 5,000-seat theatre on land at the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday.
Speaking to a gathering in the Spyce Lounge at the Hilton after the groundbreaking, provincial Minister of Finance Charles Sousa said the theatre — which will be connected to Fallsview Casino Resort via a pedestrian walkway — was “another outstanding draw for the people of Ontario, Canada and the world” who make the city a destination for travel.
“Niagara Falls is a great draw,” he said. “It’s one of Canada’s most popular and beloved tourist destinations.”
The theatre is a way of keeping it relevant, he added.
“It’s important to stay fresh, to keep building and creating new attractions, to entice new visitors and to keep them coming back.”
Mayor Jim Diodati took the opportunity to thank Sousa for putting up with his constant phone calls concerning the project.
“Time and time I called him, and he still answers my calls. I don’t know why,” Diodati said. “He’s changed his number about 14 times, but I still keep getting it.”
The theatre, he said, is just the latest in a several initiatives where he has approached Sousa.
“Whether it’s a hospital for more than a billion dollars, whether it’s bringing the GO train to Niagara — to Niagara Falls, specifically, to plug into the GTA like and umbilical cord — whether it’s an entertainment theatre that’s also going to change the game, he’s been there time and time again.”
The mayor pointed to a study that showed a new theatre would mean more visitors coming to the city.
“I remember it was about seven years ago that we sat here with Falls Management (operators of Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara) with the Deloitte study that showed a theatre was one of the missing pieces of the puzzle. One was a convention centre, one is a theatre.” He also praised the OLG for accepting input from council on the facility, especially for making sure it could accommodate all-ages events.
“We wanted the venue to have all-ages opportunities, where you could bring your grandkids or your kids at some shows, instead of leaving it dark all the time. And I know that doesn’t directly benefit the casino gaming floor, which we all benefit from, but it is still a benefit to the community at large — and that matters to us.”
Referring to the groundbreaking as a “key milestone,” Stephen Rigby, president and CEO for the OLG, said the new centre would “provide customers with, we believe — we know — is a new, integrated entertainment experience,” while also representing a large step in the OLG’s gaming modernization strategy.
“Its construction is a critical part of the modernization of the Niagara casinos and a part of the broader modernization of OLG in general,” he said, adding that it will be a factor in driving business to the city’s casinos.
“It will also mean new jobs for this community, which I think is fundamentally important.”
Jobs were something that was important to Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates, who could not attend Wednesday’s ceremony, as he is out of the country on vacation with his family.
“It’s a great day for Niagara,” Gates told Niagara this Week when reached by phone, adding that originally he had hoped the theatre would have a capacity of 7,000.
“But, on a positive note, it’s good for local jobs,” he said. “It’s something that will help protect not only the casino jobs, but also suppliers. It’s all good news.”
He also said he has spoken with facility builder Bird Construction of Mississauga, encouraging them to hire local labour for the build.
“They were open to using local workers,” Gates said.
Approximately $132 million is being pumped into the build, creating 800 construction and entertainment industry jobs. It is expected that the theatre will open in 2019.
In addition to the groundbreaking, those at the new conference also received a virtual peek inside the facility in a presentation guided by Guela Solow-Ruda — partner for Architects Research Knowledge Inc. (ARK), the designers of the facility.
The Dicosimo family, through its Hospitality Resorts Inc. business (which owns the Hilton property among its holdings), are a part of the consortium Niagara Falls Entertainment Partners, which was awarded the rights to the project by the province earlier this year.
Company president Joe Dicosimo said the company was happy to be involved.
“We are pleased to be a part of this exciting project,” he said. “The Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre will provide visitors to the Niagara Falls area with another exceptional first class experience.”
by Richard Hutton for www.niagarathisweek.com.
Photo: Image of the Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre. ©2017 Richard Hutton.
2017-10-11
Niagara Falls: Ground broken for new 5000-seat theatre near the Hilton Hotel