St. Lawrence Centre redevelopment in jeopardy as city staff recommend cancelling $421-million project

A $421-million plan to redevelop the aging St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts is now in jeopardy after city staff have recommended scrapping the project due to “outstanding financial risks.”
In a report from Sept. 17, the city’s chief financial officer and treasurer said $371 million in project costs remain unfunded, much of which was expected to come from the federal and provincial governments, along with third-party fundraising.
“In the absence of full funding commitments from other orders of government and third-parties, there is a financial risk that the redevelopment project will not be funded and completed as planned,” staff concluded. 
Instead of proceeding with the redevelopment, the chief financial officer said the city should consider repairing the existing facility and ensuring it meets current accessibility requirements. According to the report, preliminary results from an ongoing building assessment have pegged necessary repairs and upgrades to cost between $70 million to $80 million over the next 10 years. 
Staff with TO Live, the city agency that manages and operates the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, did not immediately respond to the Star’s request for comment. 
Mayor Olivia Chow and councillors on the city’s executive committee are expected to consider the recommendation at a meeting on Oct. 1. If the committee accepts the recommendation, it would still need to be considered by city council, which is set to meet in mid-October. 
On Wednesday morning, Chow said she hasn’t decided how she will vote on the recommendation but noted she has yet to see commitments from either the provincial or federal governments. The mayor added that her priority is “to fix what we have first,” pointing to the repairs needed for roadways and the city’s public transit system. 
However, the councillor whose ward is home to the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts called the new recommendation “really disheartening.” 
“It was shocking to me when I saw staff’s report,” said Coun. Chris Moise (Toronto Centre) in a phone interview Tuesday evening. “I think it’s very short-sighted.”
He noted that behind the scenes, the TO Live board has had “some success” in bringing other levels of government onside and is currently working to secure a corporate sponsor to bring in millions toward the project that’s been a decade in the works, although nothing is in writing yet.
“We want to show the world that we’re serious about the arts. We want great productions here,” Moise said.
The councillor went on to say that Toronto’s vibrancy can’t solely depend on building transit, roads and housing. “What message are we sending to the arts community when we’re saying, ‘you know what, you’re not really as important,’” he said, adding that the arts “is part of the social fabric that brings people here.”
Moise, who’s not on the executive committee, said while he can’t speak for his colleagues, he will not be voting in favour to “slam on the brakes” if it hits the council floor.
The latest recommendation from city staff comes after TO Live unveiled new renderings earlier this year of the proposed facility, which was to include a 900-seat auditorium and a smaller 400-seat acoustic hall, comparable to the capacity of the centre’s current Bluma Appel and Jane Mallett theatres. Through the 2024 budget process, the city had also previously allocated $8.56 million in funding to complete the initial design phase. Construction was expected to begin in 2026 with a planned completion date of 2030 or 2031.
The existing St. Lawrence Centre, in the downtown core near Yonge and Front streets, opened to the public in 1970 as part of Toronto’s centennial project. It now hosts multiple performing arts companies, including Canadian Stage and the Toronto Operetta Theatre. 
City council initially approved the redevelopment plans in 2020 after city staff found that the facility had fallen into a state of disrepair and no longer met current municipal codes.