CALGARY — The federal government has pledged up to $40 million toward the final phase of a major redevelopment project that will transform Calgary’s historic Centennial Planetarium into a contemporary arts and cultural destination.The funding, announced by federal Culture Minister Marc Miller and Calgary Confederation MP Corey Hogan, will come through Ottawa’s Build Communities Strong Fund and support the third and final phase of the Contemporary Calgary Centennial Planetarium Transformation Project.The project will see the former Centennial Planetarium expanded and modernized with a new entrance pavilion, additional gallery and education space, larger event areas, a public art park, and what organizers describe as Canada’s first LED dome dedicated exclusively to contemporary visual artists.Federal officials say the redevelopment will preserve the landmark’s distinctive architecture while significantly increasing public access to arts, culture and community programming in Calgary’s downtown west end.“The Centennial Planetarium has been part of Calgary's story for generations,” Miller said. “Today, we're helping write its next chapter.”Hogan said the project will help revitalize the downtown area while incorporating environmentally focused design features and preserving the building’s iconic brutalist architecture.The total budget for the final phase is estimated at $160 million, with Ottawa contributing up to $40 million through the Direct Delivery stream of the Build Communities Strong Fund.According to project officials, two earlier phases of the redevelopment have already been completed.Once finished, the facility will contain more than 39,000 square feet of gallery and education space, making it the largest non-collecting contemporary art gallery in Western Canada and one of the largest in the country..Feds spend $5 million to make Caribbean more 'LGBTQ2IA+' friendly.Project organizers say the redevelopment is targeting net-zero operational performance through geothermal energy and high-performance building systems. The expansion is expected to increase usable floor space by nearly 57% while reducing total energy consumption by up to 41%, resulting in an estimated 60% reduction in energy-use intensity.Contemporary Calgary CEO David Leinster said the project builds on the legacy of a building originally constructed to mark Canada’s centennial celebrations in 1967.“This building has served Calgarians as a planetarium, a science centre and, today, as Contemporary Calgary,” Leinster said. “Together we are transforming one of our city’s most important civic gathering places into a globally significant destination for contemporary art.”The Centennial Planetarium first opened on July 1, 1967, with funding from all levels of government. It later became home to the Calgary Science Centre from 1984 until 2011 before being redeveloped as Contemporary Calgary, which opened in the building in 2020.The funding announcement is part of Ottawa’s broader Build Communities Strong Fund, a $51-billion infrastructure program that supports projects related to housing, transportation, education, health care, recreation and community development.Beginning in 2026-27, the program will distribute funding through provincial and territorial, community and direct-delivery streams. Federal officials say the infrastructure fund is expected to boost Canada’s GDP by $95 billion over the next decade and leverage billions more from provincial, municipal and private-sector partners.Under the Direct Delivery stream, at least 10% of funding will be directed toward projects in indigenous communities. Eligible applicants can submit shovel-ready projects through the federal government’s online portal until July 15, 2026, with an extended deadline of August 12 for indigenous and territorial applicants.
