Nova Scotia to spend $15M on 11 arts, community projects across province

Nova Scotia's provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Friday July 3, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

The Nova Scotia government is spending more than $15 million on 11 arts and community projects around the province, including a new community centre in Oxford and upgrades to Neptune Theatre in Halifax.

Matthew Bragg, vice-president of the Oxford Community Centre Association, says the new centre will bring services to the community that are currently missing.

“This is about building a sustainable community centre that will retain and attract residents from across Nova Scotia, Canada and around the world,” said Bragg in a Monday news release.

The province says the centre will have a walking track, gymnasium, meeting and community rooms, child care, a library, commercial rental spaces and a full-service kitchen.

The province is spending $7 million on the centre, and $886,000 for digital and infrastructure upgrades to Neptune Theatre.

“As we begin to round the corner on recovery from the challenges of the last few years, this funding is a real game-changer,” said Paul Laberge, board chair at the Neptune Theatre Foundation. “We are very, very appreciative of the support.”

Other projects receiving money include:

• Pictou Cultural Hub – $4.7 million toward project costs
• Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, Eskasoni – $1.2 million toward environmental learning centre
• Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, Halifax – $500,000 toward a new home in the Scotiabank Centre
• Chester Playhouse — $400,000 toward repairs from fire damage
• Gaelic College Beinn Mhabu — $300,000 toward the Mabou satellite campus
• Turret Arts Society, Halifax — $200,000 for Khyber building remediation and design
• Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, Canning — $150,000 for solar energy project
• Portapique Community Hall — $150,000 to complete the community hall project
• Inverness Centre for the Arts — $100,000 for an HVAC system

The 2023/2024 provincial budget, released Thursday, added $5.1 million more in operating grants for arts and culture organizations and community-owned museums. It also included $2.6 million more for provincial museums and the operation of the iconic Bluenose II, the province said.