Today, the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament for Waterloo, Tim Louis, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga, and Alex Mustakas, Artistic Director & CEO of Drayton Entertainment, announced a federal investment of over $1 million to convert an industrial warehouse into a new accessible cultural space for youth.
The new Drayton Entertainment Youth Academy will serve as a cultural incubator for youth throughout the Waterloo Region. This investment will support retrofitting the industrial space and constructing rehearsal halls, classrooms, music rooms, and acting studios. It will also enable the construction of an exterior ramp at the Youth Academy, as well as building accessible washrooms at three other locations.
Sustainable enhancements to the facility will decrease its fuel consumption by 44.7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 673 tonnes per year.
Operated by Drayton Entertainment, a registered, not-for-profit charitable arts organization, the facility is located adjacent to the Production Centre for the Technical Arts, resulting in bolstered multidisciplinary, artistic programming.
The 12,000-square-foot facility will host arts-based learning that will benefit local youth, particularly those identifying as Indigenous, black, persons of colour, 2SLGBTQI+, new Canadians, and/or persons with disabilities.
By investing in infrastructure, the Government of Canada is growing our country's economy, building resilient communities, and improving the lives of Canadians.
