Canad Inns Entertainment Centre at the Metropolitan Theatre will offer a unique food and beverage emporium, a flexible, state of the art conference, banquet and meeting facility that can accommodate upward of 1,000 persons while retaining the original look, feel and grandeur of the old-style theatre.

The historic Metropolitan Theatre – “The Met” – will soon re-stake its claim as a vibrant downtown venue, with plans finalized to transform the Winnipeg landmark as a multifunction event space.

“The restored MET is an exciting complement to Winnipeg’s developing downtown Sports Hospitality and Entertainment District, ” said Leo Ledohowski, President & Chair of Canad Inns, who made the announcement with Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux, Mayor Katz and RossMcGowan of CentreVenture .

Canad Inns is investing more than $13 million in the project; the additional $ 3 million in public sector funding will be applied to the incremental cost associated with revitalizing ”The Met” rather than building a new comparable facility.

“The province is demonstrating its confidence in the future of downtown Winnipeg with a $ 1.5 million commitment for the Met renovation project that will create another star attraction for the city centre,” said Minister Lemieux. “We are proud to be part of this innovative plan that combines an important part of our past with our expectations for the future.”

“Through the City’s contribution of $ 1.5million from the Heritage Investment Reserve Fund, we are continuing our commitment to encourage major private sector investment in our downtown and ensure we maintain the building’s rich roots in our city since 1919,” said Mayor Sam Katz. “Thanks to CentreVenture, we are making significant progress building relationships with the private sector to ensure vibrancy returns to the heart of Winnipeg.”

“CentreVenture supports heritage conservation and we commend Canad Inns for their vision for the restoration and adaptive reuse of this nationally designated heritage building,” said RossMcGowan. “Public funds to help fill the economic gap along with significant private investment is required to restore the Met Theatre. This public-private investment illustrates the confidence in the direction we are headed and the willingness to be part of downtown revitalization.”

“The upscale “Met” will attract business and visitors to downtown during and beyond the normal business hours every day of every week throughout the year,” said Ledohowski. The state of the art entertainment and meeting facilities adjacent to the MTS Centre will introduce a unique type of venue currently not available in Winnipeg.

Beyond the rehabilitation of one of Winnipeg’s most loved landmarks, the project will create 40 permanent full-time equivalent jobs in the downtown area and result in more than 100 person-years in construction jobs. Construction is expected to start quickly.

The Met was built in 1919 and is the City’s only remaining theatre that retains its original form from the golden age of cinema. After nine decades of operation, first as an Allen Theatre and later as a Famous Players Movie Theatre, the Met closed its doors in 1987. The building was boarded up and Canad Inns acquired the building in 2007 after two decades of vacancy.

Contact:
Cindy Carswell
Director of Corporate Relations
(204) 697-6555
cindy@canadinns.com

Download as a pdf