The City of Sudbury has received a funding boost in its effort to get its Junction East project built.

The federal government announced on February 4 that it has invested $500,000 to help fund a comprehensive feasibility study for the development of Junction East. The project aims to bring together the Greater Sudbury Public Library's central branch, the Art Gallery of Sudbury, and potential partners the Sudbury Theatre Centre and the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association.

It will explore various aspects of architectural planning prior to the construction of these cultural assets within the Junction East development.

Expected to open in 2024, Junction East will be a building of approximately 62,000 square feet building on Shaughnessy Street in Sudbury’s downtown that will bring four of the city’s main cultural institutions under one roof.

"Junction East will serve as an inclusive hub for arts, culture, technology and innovation in Greater Sudbury, and this funding will allow us to engage with the public and develop a facility that is truly reflective of the Greater Sudbury community," said Mayor Brian Bigger.

The City of Greater Sudbury has retained a design consortium led by WZMH Architects and which has specialized expertise in library and art gallery design. On February 4, the city officially launched a community-engagement process that will ask for the community's input into the development of a design for the Junction East building.

That consultation, which will be open through April, will include innovative approaches to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic constraints with online activities and more traditional approaches at libraries.

"I am very proud that our government is partnering with the City of Greater Sudbury and its partners—the Greater Sudbury Public Library and the Art Gallery of Sudbury—on this transformative project,” said MP Paul Lefebvre. “Like the McEwen School of Architecture and Place des Arts, our government is investing in Sudbury as its downtown continues to grow and prosper."

Federal funding for the study is being provided through The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, which supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation, including creative hubs.

The fund supports renovation and construction projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment, and feasibility studies for cultural spaces, and has supported more than 1,000 projects, including spaces for performing arts, visual arts, media arts, museum collections, heritage displays and creative hubs, since its creation in 2001.