General Information

The project will result in the founding of a cultural leadership institute which will establish the Centre as a place to gather to discuss the Canada of today and tomorrow. It will offer more attractions and programs to residents and visitors year-round. New spaces and facilities will inspire new Canadian work in theatre and visual arts, expand training opportunities in the national cultural industry, serve the local community with accessible arts classes for everyone, provide visitors with a cultural learning space to explore Canadian Confederation, and provide spaces for community events and conferences.

The renovation of the former library space is a major Infrastructure investment into PEI and Atlantic Canada. This investment has already provided work for more than 40 Island companies, contractors, tradespeople, and other workers in PEI with many more expected to join over the course of the project. Once complete, the new facility will attract more people to Atlantic Canada and will further drive employment and GDP growth. It will build on Confederation Centre of the Arts’ already significant tourism draw and economic impact, which includes $27 million to GDP and 403 full-time equivalent jobs.

Project Details

The renovation includes:

• Full renovation of the interior of the former library space.
• A major energy retrofit with rooftop solar that will reduce the facility’s energy consumption by an estimated 68.8 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 286 tonnes annually.
• The construction of a street level entrance on Victoria Row to make the space more accessible and welcoming, as well as new construction to add space and allow for more natural light.
• New classrooms and learning spaces for visual arts, choral music, theatre, and dance.
• Artists in residence spaces.
• The addition of a stage-sized rehearsal hall on the southwest plaza that will also serve as rentable community space for events and conferences.
• Major improvements to accessibility.
• The development of interpretive spaces to facilitate learning about Canadian Confederation and its wider impact.

Construction Information

Confederation Centre of the Arts worked closely with the Halifax-based architecture firm Abbott Brown on the overall design. The Centre also contracted Brighton Construction to carry out construction management activities on its behalf. Brighton Construction is a highly reputable, Island-owned company that prides itself for its quality work completed on-time and on-budget. 

Brighton has issued and awarded several tenders for subcontractors for everything from electrical, to plumbing, to mass timber. Many Island companies and tradespeople are seeing direct benefit from this project. 

The project began in early October and is expected to be complete by May 2026. 

Brighton Construction and the Centre have worked closely with the City of Charlottetown on the permitting process to ensure the project can be carried out safely with as little disruption as possible.  

At no point during the project is there any plan for Victoria Row businesses to close or shut down. This includes the south sidewalk and patios which can remain open and accessible to the public. 

There will be periods of time where a safety partition must be in place on the south side of the roadway, but still north of the patios on Victoria Row, as depicted in the images. 

The Centre expects the partition to be in place beginning sometime in the winter of 2025 to the end of June 2025 at which time it is expected to be removed and the Victoria Row stage rebuilt so people can continue to enjoy “The Row” as they always have.

The safety partition is expected to be re-installed in fall 2025 and is expected to remain in place until the end of the project in May 2026.

For more information, check out the Project Blog.

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Province of Prince Edward Island.

Learn more about the project