Sudbury Theatre Centre gets $200K bailout from city council

The Sudbury Theatre Centre is getting $200,000 in emergency funding from the city to help it get through its current financial woes, which city councillors described as a "perfect storm."

"This isn't a Bombardier," saidcity councillor Fern Cormier, emphasising that this is one-time funding and "a first" ask from the local professional theatre in its 40 year history.

"In the very very long history of this organization, this is a first. I would hate to see us lose this valuable asset in our communitydue to some circumstances that got beyond anyone's control on a temporary basis."

The Sudbury Theatre Centre has been going through tough times after losing its artistic director and general manager in recent months and wondering if it could keep operating into the new year.

City councillorMike Jakubo questioned why this request came out of the blue, being added to the council agenda at the last minute.

But he said he felt reassured knowing the theatre is doing some long range planning

"The $200,000is not going into a hole. It's going into a brighter future," he said.

City councillor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said she was"extremely disappointed" in staff for not providing a more fullsome report on this emergency funding request saying it "didn't fall out of the sky."

She was the lone vote against the emergency funding, which passed by a vote of 10-1.