It was supposed to be the big event of 2020 in Kamloops, but after being shelved, it looks like a referendum for a new Performing Arts Centre still won’t happen next year.

In July, the province said it was safe again to hold elections, but because of economic impacts from the pandemic there are no plans right now to continue on with a referendum.

Councillor Mike O’Reilly says the city is waiting to see if government grant funding could be available.

“I think at this point, the only thing that would really kickstart the Performing Arts Centre going in 2021 would be large-scale grants from the federal government. That’s what would kickstart this. Without significant support from other levels of government, I just don’t see that coming forward in 2021,” O’Reilly says.

“We’re in a very different world than we were a year ago. But we have been hearing that there have been large grants coming forward throughout Canada, but nothing is official yet. So it’s kind of a hurry up and wait situation.”

A Performing Arts Centre is expected to cost $70 million, and taxpayers were going to be asked to say yes or no to borrowing a maximum of $45 million over a 25-year period.

The business case expected a minimum of $25 million in private donations would be coming in for the project, with philanthropists Ron and Rae Fawcett contributing $3 million of that amount and also donating land to build the facility, on 4th Avenue between Seymour and St. Paul streets.

The business case says construction alone would bring 565 full-time-equivalent jobs, and $9.2 million in government revenues.

Unlike in 2015, the proposed arts centre this time had the unanimous support of city councillors before the referendum was postponed. The Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society had also gained significant traction and had just surpassed 5,000 members in March.