THUNDER BAY — Officials with Cambrian Players in Thunder Bay say they expect a new lift that will allow people with mobility disabilities to access the theatre to be installed this summer.
The main entrance to the community theatre’s building on Spring Street on Thunder Bay’s south side requires people to go up several steps. In 2023, the not-for-profit started fundraising for accessibility upgrades — the first being a lift that will take people from street level up to the elevated main floor.
“August 31st is our deadline to have it all completely done,” said Cambrian Players board vice president Maranda Dumas. “Hopefully we'll see it finished a little before that.”
“Unfortunately, it's not going to be ready for the end of this season, just due to difficulties with getting contractors who are certified in all these specific areas that are required for this type of lift, but we're very excited.”
Another project, which has yet to start, is the conversion of a space just inside the main door that’s currently being used for storage into an accessible washroom.
“At the moment we only have washroom facilities located in our basement, so volunteers and patrons have to use stairs in order to access washroom facilities, which is of course not accessible,” Dumas said.
“So, we have a big plan to put a main floor washroom on this level so that everyone who can get into our building can also have some dignity while they're here.”
When Cambrian launched its fundraising campaign, officials set a goal of $150,000 for the work they were planning. Dumas said they’ve raised just under $70,000 so far, which has allowed them to start on the initial phase, however, she added, the theatre will need to raise more than its initial goal to complete everything.
How much more, she said, hasn’t been determined.
“From the time that we started fundraising to now, a lot of the costs have also increased, so our $150,000 goal is looking like it might not actually be quite enough,” she said.
“We may need to continue that fundraising push — with tariffs and just the cost of everything these days.”
Overall, though, Dumas said the support from the community has been “incredible.”
“Any time that any of our ambassadors from Cambrian are in the community, talking about our plans for innovations, the feedback is phenomenal,” she said, adding that people are very supportive of the changes to the building they’re working on.
“Some of our volunteers and patrons who have been coming out and braving the stairs when it's not necessarily the safest for them to do so are also extremely grateful that we're undertaking this big project,” Dumas said.
“Just because we want everyone to be able to come in safely and enjoy our programming.”
