Timmins Council Agrees To Keep Supporting The Shania Twain Centre

Council preparing to spend up to $200,000 to enhance tourist attractions

"Up, Up, Up, there's no way but up from here" .... That verse from a popular Shania Twain song has to be echoing in the ears of the manager and volunteers at the Shania Twain Centre following a decision by Timmins city council this week to eventually spend $200,000 to enhance both the Shania Twain Centre (STC) and the nearby Gold Mine Tour (GMT).

Council's decision came after more than two hours of debate Monday night where, at one point, it was suggested that the Shania Centre could be shut down.


In the end the issue was decided by a five to three vote. Councilors Pat Bamford, Mike Doody, John Curley, Andrew Marks and Gary Scripnick voted to move forward with the enhancements. Councilors Steve Black, Todd Lever and Noella Rinaldo voted against.


City council took the action this week following a report tabled by tourism consultant Fran Hohol of PKF Consulting. It means the city will sit down with a group of stakeholders and committee members to work out of five year plan aimed at getting more visitors.


Hohol's report was commissioned to find out why the visitor numbers have declined over the past ten years and to explore solutions and alternatives.


Once a business plan is hammered out and some potential partners are identified, the plan is to spend $100,000 each on both the Shania centre and the mine tour. City of Timmins tourism manager Guy Lamarche was pleased.

He added that the continuing operation of the Shania centre will mean an increase of $7,000 a year to 2016, by which time the subsidy will be roughly $310,000 per year.
Hohol said there are several ways to "enhance" the two tourism attractions.

As for the Shania Twain Centre, Hohol said there may be a move toward less focus on Shania herself and more focus on music in general with other Northern Ontario artists, in the hopes there will be more a "buy in" from the community.

Hohol added that recent announcements about Shania Twain's new songs and her upcoming engagements in Las Vegas can only be seen as a positive thing.


Council's decision to move forward on the two attractions was welcomed by two key players on the city staff.