Post by Jari on Dec 17, 2004 17:59:00 GMT -5
City's music hall of fame bid dies
But Manitoba shrine to rock 'n' roll greatness still supported
Fri Dec 17 2004
By Bartley Kives / Music Writer
WINNIPEG has been scratched off a list of potential homes for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame after the city declined to submit a final proposal for the planned facility.
Toronto and Hamilton will now vie for the $30-million national music centre, after a Wednesday deadline set by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences came and went without a submission from the Manitoba capital.
"At this time, the province, the city and others are not in a position to put in a full-blown bid that would meet CARAS's requirements," Destination Winnipeg president Stu Duncan said yesterday in an interview.
But thanks to the excitement generated by the hall of fame idea, which was supported by Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman and a handful of CBC Radio personalities, the city and province are committed to building some kind of made-in-Manitoba facility to honour Canadian rock music, possibly with the help of CARAS.
"Winnipeg would be an obvious choice for a centre celebrating Canadian rock 'n' roll, given all the great recording artists that have come out of here," said Duncan, whose arm's-length government agency is responsible for economic development and tourism in the city.
A lack of planning time led to the decision to abandon the bid for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The city and the province were only recently made aware of Winnipeg's initial hall of fame proposal, which was submitted to CARAS in September by a group that included Winnipeg music historian John Einarson.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials at city hall and Manitoba's Culture, Heritage & Tourism Department expressed excitement about the hall of fame idea. But neither wanted to make a choice between the Canadian Music Hall of Fame bid and a proposed Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Burton Cummings Theatre.
The heritage building's $5-million renovation plan, which includes a hall of fame component, has already received preliminary funding from government sources.
"Two proposals would have been a disaster. We want everyone on the same page," said an official at city hall.
That said, the decision to drop the Canadian Museum Hall of Fame bid was less about resolving conflict than a matter of resources, several sources
insisted. The facility's estimated $30-million price tag -- the bulk of which would have been paid for by the city and province -- was also a deterrent, especially as Premier Gary Doer continues to lobby for more federal funding for the proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
So far, there are no specific plans for Winnipeg's future rock facility. An expansion to the Burton Cummings Theatre is just one of several options.
"There are a number of good ideas out there," said Duncan.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca
But Manitoba shrine to rock 'n' roll greatness still supported
Fri Dec 17 2004
By Bartley Kives / Music Writer
WINNIPEG has been scratched off a list of potential homes for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame after the city declined to submit a final proposal for the planned facility.
Toronto and Hamilton will now vie for the $30-million national music centre, after a Wednesday deadline set by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences came and went without a submission from the Manitoba capital.
"At this time, the province, the city and others are not in a position to put in a full-blown bid that would meet CARAS's requirements," Destination Winnipeg president Stu Duncan said yesterday in an interview.
But thanks to the excitement generated by the hall of fame idea, which was supported by Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman and a handful of CBC Radio personalities, the city and province are committed to building some kind of made-in-Manitoba facility to honour Canadian rock music, possibly with the help of CARAS.
"Winnipeg would be an obvious choice for a centre celebrating Canadian rock 'n' roll, given all the great recording artists that have come out of here," said Duncan, whose arm's-length government agency is responsible for economic development and tourism in the city.
A lack of planning time led to the decision to abandon the bid for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The city and the province were only recently made aware of Winnipeg's initial hall of fame proposal, which was submitted to CARAS in September by a group that included Winnipeg music historian John Einarson.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials at city hall and Manitoba's Culture, Heritage & Tourism Department expressed excitement about the hall of fame idea. But neither wanted to make a choice between the Canadian Music Hall of Fame bid and a proposed Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Burton Cummings Theatre.
The heritage building's $5-million renovation plan, which includes a hall of fame component, has already received preliminary funding from government sources.
"Two proposals would have been a disaster. We want everyone on the same page," said an official at city hall.
That said, the decision to drop the Canadian Museum Hall of Fame bid was less about resolving conflict than a matter of resources, several sources
insisted. The facility's estimated $30-million price tag -- the bulk of which would have been paid for by the city and province -- was also a deterrent, especially as Premier Gary Doer continues to lobby for more federal funding for the proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
So far, there are no specific plans for Winnipeg's future rock facility. An expansion to the Burton Cummings Theatre is just one of several options.
"There are a number of good ideas out there," said Duncan.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca