St. Catharines Downtown Association

The province was expected to announce long-awaited funding Wednesday for a $42.9-million downtown arts school, a critical element of the city's plan for a new performing arts centre.

Brock University has been planning for two years to relocate its school of fine and performing arts to the former Canada Hair Cloth building. Progress had stalled, however, while officials waited on the province's reaction to a $26.1 million funding request.

Liberal MPP Jim Bradley was scheduled to make an unspecified announcement with university president Jack Lightstone at the proposed downtown school site Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

"I'm not privy to the details, but my assumption would be it's the Brock funding," said St. Catharines Coun. Mark Elliott Tuesday night. "That would be huge. It's a good thing, a very happy day for St. Catharines and the downtown especially."

The arts school is an integral feature of the city's larger plan for a performing arts centre on St. Paul Street, long heralded as a major ingredient in downtown rejuvenation. The federal and provincial governments committed $18 million each towards the performing arts centre last May, and city officials hope to complete the project by 2013.

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