Ottawa announced on Wednesday the granting of aid of three million dollars over two years for the renovation of the legendary Imperial. Remember that this cinema in downtown Montreal ceased operations less than a month ago, due to lack of sufficient financial support from the federal government.
No reopening date has been announced at this time, as work must be carried out.
This increase in aid from Ottawa must also be used for “the restoration of the heritage elements of the building and the modernization of the rooms”. It is in addition to the $5.6 million already announced by Quebec. The City of Montreal, for its part, confirms aid of one million dollars.
“We are very happy to be able to help the Imperial Cinema, this century-old institution whose reputation is well established. The Government of Canada supports this project which aims to keep alive an important venue for creators, artists and the public from here and elsewhere,” declared Wednesday evening the Minister of Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, during the launch of the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, which runs until March 2.
Some films from this event were originally scheduled to be screened at the Imperial, one of the largest venues available to film festivals in Montreal. But the organization of Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma was forced to review its plans at the last minute after the old cinema closed on January 31.
This decision also complicates the holding of other festivals which take place partly at the Cinéma Impérial, including Cinemania and Présence indigenous.
Standoff between Quebecor and Ottawa
Federal government assistance was initially limited to $1 million over two years. But Quebecor, which has ensured the financial survival of the Imperial Cinema for more than six years, considered that this sum was largely insufficient to carry out the repair work required for the establishment built in 1913. “Projects of this importance must be carried out in a manner equitable between public and private contributions,” lamented the media and telecommunications giant last December.
Disappointed with the response provided by the federal government, the company decided at the end of 2023 to stop replenishing the coffers of the Imperial Cinema, which led the administrators of the place to close the door once months later.
Quebecor saved Imperial from the abyss for the first time in 2017. The owner of the place, Serge Losique, was then riddled with debt. Its World Film Festival never recovered, and the Imperial then risked experiencing the same fate.
The company headed by Pierre Karl Péladeau says it has injected $8.5 million over six years to maintain the activities of the Imperial Cinema, while waiting for renovation work to be carried out there. The company initially hoped that Ottawa would support the project it was carrying out for Imperial to the tune of $7 million. The financial assistance granted by the Trudeau government will ultimately amount to three million dollars over two years, still two million more than what was first announced.
The non-profit organization that administers the Imperial, on which several personalities close to Quebecor sit, did not wish to comment on the increase in federal financial support for the renovation of the cinema. It is therefore impossible to know at the moment when it will be able to reopen its doors.