Despite the City of Burnaby offering a one-time grant alongside the Burnaby School District’s comprehensive review of the costs of the Michael J Fox Theatre, the Burnaby Board of Education has decided to close the doors of the theatre to public events.

The theatre will continue to be used by Burnaby students and K-12 educational needs.

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While the board thanked the city’s proposal, they decided to prioritize its resources on the school district’s needs.

The transition will continue as previously planned on July 1.

“We want to thank the City of Burnaby for their efforts throughout this process. This decision was not made lightly by the Board. We appreciate the uncertainty surrounding the future of the theatre has been difficult for the community, user groups, and the dedicated theatre staff,” said Burnaby Board of Education Chair Kristin Schnider.

“While we recognize the significance of this loss to the community and that this is not the outcome many had hoped for, we cannot redirect classroom dollars and staff resources to community theatre, as our duty is to prioritize education.”

The Burnaby School District ran an analysis on the costs taken on by them to run the theatre and it has run at a financial loss for more than a decade.

Estimates of the operating costs are a minimum $150,000, which is what the City of Burnaby was offering in the form of a grant. The District states that they have spent over that for the cost of the time of staff.

Also, the theatre requires more than $700,000 in capital upgrades.

The District states it recognizes the value of the theatre to the community and was in negotiations with the City of Burnaby for more than 18 months to come to a partnership agreement where the city would manage the theatre’s operations.

Access for students and staff would have been maintained through the partnership.

After determining that taking on a larger role would impose costs and long-term liabilities on taxpayers, the City of Burnaby proposed a one-time grant of up to $150,000 per year over the next two years to maintain access for community productions.

Superintendent Karim Hachlaf says that the grant would not solve the financial issues.

“We appreciate the City of Burnaby’s collaboration throughout this process and absolutely respect their decision. Even with the City’s offer of a grant, it does not resolve the underlying financial and staffing pressures. We need to ensure our resources, including staff time, are aligned fully with our educational mandate.”

The City of Burnaby and Burnaby School District each conducted a comprehensive review of the theatre’s operational costs and required capital upgrades.

The Michael J Fox Theatre, which is located next to Burnaby South Secondary school, will remain open for use by schools and the District, with reduced technical features.