Councillors approve $220,000 for Westdale Theatre

Cash coming from special Ward 1 infrastructure fund

Councillors have signed off on using $220,000 in ward infrastructure cash to help restore the facade of the Westdale Theatre.

The Westdale Cinema Group, which purchased the beleaguered landmark in May, is trying to raise $1.5 million to restore the theatre to its original 1935 finishes and update the building to meet modern accessibility standards. It hopes to open the restored theatre July 1, 2018. Members of the non-profit group, Fred Fuchs and Graham Crawford, told councillors Wednesday the ward cash would be “very helpful” in the effort to turn the theatre into a “community cultural space.” Each old city ward receives about $1.6 million a year in cash that is supposed to be dedicated to “infrastructure.”

But that definition has been interpreted broadly over time by many councillors, paying for everything from school nutrition programs to building expropriations to floral medians.

Ward 1 Coun. Aidan Johnson said the theatre restoration was the most popular choice among ward residents who participated in an annual “participatory budget” vote on how to spend the infrastructure cash. Johnson emphasized the importance of the theatre-saving effort, noting residents from all over his ward — not just Westdale — voted to allocate the cash. “I think it speaks to the democratic nature of the process.”

Some councillors have complained about the use of area-rating cash to pay consultants to coordinate “participatory budgeting” efforts in wards 1 and 2. Staff have also said this runs afoul of procurement protocols if consultants are sole-sourced. As a result, Johnson used a competitive tender for the 2018 consulting contract.

No councillors opposed the use of ward funding for the theatre.

The cinema group is running a local celebrity campaign appealing for help. Funnyman Martin Short — who grew up near the theatre — recently provided a video.