The arts, culture and entertainment industries are crucial in every community. They enhance our lives. They attract tourism, boost economic growth and preserve our culture and our heritage.

Earlier this year, I was privileged to witness an incredible preservation of our community heritage and growth of the arts and entertainment in my riding of Sault Ste. Marie, through an investment of $500,000, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, into a space known as the Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music. The Loft is located in the attic of a building that over 100 years ago housed the offices of the historic Sault Ste. Marie Pulp and Paper Co. Although the paper mill was, unfortunately, closed in 2012, the site has been completely transformed over the last decade into a community hub. The Loft is now a huge part of that transformation. A dusty and forgotten storage area has been converted into a warm, beautiful, inviting performance venue, while preserving the heritage of a national historic site.

The Loft hosts a state-of-the-art recording studio with some of the best equipment available in the world, and it is connected to a live performance hall in the machine shop next door. This incredible innovation allows for live performances to be captured with the absolute best in sound and video capabilities. The unique possibilities of this one-stop shop for performance and recording is unparalleled.

I am so excited to see what opportunities the team at the Loft can continue to bring to the arts and entertainment industry in Sault Ste. Marie.