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WHERE CANADA CONNECTS
Support our Shared Voices Campaign as we grow as a destination for conversations on important issues, and expand conferences, forums, and programming that allow Canadians to get together and explore what it means to be Canadian, strengthening the country.
Donate to our Shared Voices Campaign
Our Vision
In 1964, Confederation Centre of the Arts was founded as a monument to Canadian Confederation. At this pivotal moment in our history, we are embarking on a transformative journey with the creation of a Canadian leadership institute. This bold initiative will establish a vibrant and inclusive venue for discussion on issues important to Canadians, and the creation of new artistic works.
How This Project Evolved
This ambitious project reflects years of planning and community engagement, shaped by voices from cultural industry professionals, local businesses, Indigenous leaders and many others. We’re committed to celebrating our cultural heritage and deepening connections with Canadians from all walks of life.
What This Project Will Do for Canada and PEI
This Canadian leadership institute will provide a venue to discuss important issues that shape and affect our lives. Fostering inclusive discussions and diverse perspectives, it will deepen our understanding of Canada’s past, present, and future. It will also allow for a major expansion of arts education activities and will support the development of new Canadian work.
Confederation Centre of the Arts has reached a turning point in its history. Built in 1964 as Canada’s national memorial to the Fathers of Confederation, the Centre has grown into a place where people can learn about how our country was formed and how it continues to grow and change—always with the arts at the heart of it.
Through world-class art exhibits, original theatre performances, music, dance, education, and heritage programs, millions of visitors from across Canada and beyond have experienced the cultures, stories, and identities that make up our past and present. Now, we’re looking ahead to the Centre’s biggest transformation yet.
Confederation Centre of the Arts is holy ground for a kid from Petty Harbour. For a young Atlantic Canadian like myself, I needed a place close to home that showed me that we out here on the edges of the country could make great art, too. Maybe I would not have to move to Toronto or Chicago to make it. Maybe I could tell my own stories and sing my own songs. One step down the hallowed halls of this place and I knew I could be me.
By working together to create this exciting leadership institute, we are building new facilities and programs focused on Canada and strengthening regional ties through facilitating public discourse and knowledge about important issues facing Canada. It will provide millions of Canadians and visitors with the opportunity to better understand the country, and to learn by engaging with the rich cultures and stories of Canada’s origins and evolution.
Learn More & Get Involved!
Honorary Chairs
Cynthia Dale
Alan Doyle
Peter Mansbridge
Lloyd Robertson
Campaign Leadership
H. Wayne Hambly
George Rogers
D. Kent MacDonald
Dan Mathieson
Bill LeClair
At the heart of the Shared Voices Capital Campaign is the launch of a cultural leadership institute that blends discussion of national identities with the creation of new work, and community and professional learning. Adding to the Centre’s world-class theatre and gallery programming, the new institute will enable the Centre to lead through three central levers and their respective spaces:
Create
The Arts Innovation Hub will significantly support the growth and development of new Canadian work in theatre, visual arts, and artist residencies.
Collaborate
The Arts Academy will actively strengthen the national arts sector as a training ground for artists and arts industry professionals, while building capacity in the Atlantic region, and serving the local community with accessible arts classes for everyone.
Connect
The Charlottetown Forum will provide a dedicated space and events for the discussion of Canadian Confederation and national identities. Whether a more inclusive account of our shared history or wide-ranging perspectives on Canada’s potential for the future, the Charlottetown Forum will facilitate a deeper understanding of the many identities of Canada.
Donate to our Shared Voices Campaign
Working with nationally-recognized architectural firm, Abbott Brown, the revitalization of Confederation Centre of the Arts will remove barriers to entry and engagement, and provide welcoming spaces for diverse communities. The original Brutalist architecture will be updated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, and integrate the structure more seamlessly into its surroundings. The resulting spaces will be inviting, transparent, fluid and inclusive
Key to this new-generation sustainable addition is not only what has been planned for the future, but how we get there. The entire project prioritizes sound environmental stewardship through leading carbon-reduction standards for retrofits of historic buildings, maximizing the Centre’s ability to reduce our carbon footprint.
AS CANADA EVOLVES, SO MUST THE CENTRE
As this nation continues to learn, grow, and improve, the Centre has a duty to do the same. We believe in learning from the voices of all Canadians. We lead by listening.
Part of this journey began with our most recent strategic planning process, in which, together with a chorus of voices from a broad representation of stakeholders including Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, we refined the Centre’s priorities under three pillars: Artistic Excellence; Engaged Diverse Communities, and Organizational Sustainability. This road map expands on the Centre’s rich cultural heritage and guides us as we plan for tomorrow.
More than ever, we are committed to realizing these important goals. We can do this by increasing the ways we connect to one another.
NATIONAL CULTURAL HUB AND CONVENOR—FUELED BY INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
We must continue to tell stories in new ways, provide spaces for diverse cultural experiences and perspectives, and remove barriers to participation for all communities. This is the inspiration behind our largest capital infrastructure initiative since inception: the creation of a cultural leadership institute.
This project will engage greater audiences through performing and visual arts, reflect our vibrant and rich cultural communities, ensure accessibility, and represent our shared voices–all while reducing carbon in a facility redesigned to showcase Canada’s commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability.
This is the moment to define our role as a convenor for exploring an evolving Canada; responding to increasing divisiveness with initiatives focused on intercultural understanding, sharing and learning from one another through excellence in arts and heritage programming. A focal point—for all.
Thank you for adding your voice to this important undertaking.
Donate to our Shared Voices Campaign
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Province of Prince Edward Island.
Learn more about Supporting the Centre
“A place for dreams, a place for work, a place for community. A place for all Canadians to celebrate the importance of a national cultural centre in Atlantic Canada. That is the promise of the Confederation Centre of the Arts.”
Cynthia Dale – Star of stage and screen, Cynthia Dale is one of Canada’s best-known actors. From 1987-94 she starred as Olivia Novak on the television drama Street Legal. She also starred in dozens of stage and film productions including the 1981 slasher film My Bloody Valentine, as well as stints on Broadway and at the Stratford Festival.
George Rogers is a Senior Investment Advisor with BMO Nesbitt Burns with over 30 years of industry experience. George received his MBA from Dalhousie University in 1977 and joined BMO Nesbitt Burns’ predecessor firm, Nesbitt Thomson as an Investment Advisor, before becoming a Portfolio Manager in 2013.
George is also an active volunteer. He is currently a member of the Board of Governors of Kings-Edgehill School, a boarding and day school in Windsor, Nova Scotia, where he is responsible for helping to set the strategic direction for the school. He is also passionate about charity work, having raised and donated several million dollars to numerous children’s charities and the Friends of UPEI.
Outside of his professional life, George is passionate about sport. While attending Dalhousie University, George was a member of the Dalhousie Tigers men’s hockey and golf teams. In 2002, he was honoured with an invitation to join The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland. George has played in six Canadian championships and one British championship.
Bill LeClair is a Calgary Real Estate Lawyer originally from Prince Edward Island. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business of Administration from UPEI, before attaining his Bachelor of Law degree from Dalhousie University. LeClair founded LeClair Thibeault, a law firm specializing in real estate law, with Ron Thibeault in 2001. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from UPEI in 2018.
Bill is Founder and Chair of the Friends of UPEI. The Friends hold an annual dinner to raise funds for students from Alberta who wish to attend UPEI. In its 25-plus years the group has raised over $1,000,000 for scholarships. Bill is also an active member and Past-Chair of the Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park and an organizing Committee Member of the Children’s Wish Foundation.
Dan Mathieson has dedicated his career to public service, having served five terms as Mayor and been a member of municipal council since 1995. Throughout his extensive tenure, he has actively participated in a variety of boards and committees across multiple sectors, including the arts, healthcare, municipal affairs, law enforcement, athletics, non-profits, and educational institutions.
Currently, Dan is the Chair of the Ontario Provincial Land Development Facilitators Agency, the Past Chair of the Ontario Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and has previously served as the Chair of Kings University College at Western University. He is a Governor with the Fathers of Confederation Buildings Trust in Charlottetown and served for 20 years on the Board of the Stratford Festival.
Dan, is an active entrepreneur with holdings in real estate and a variety of economic sectors.
In recognition of his contributions, he received the Alumni Award of Excellence from the Master of Public Administration, Local Government program at Western University in November 2015. Furthermore, he was honored as the 2016 Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Western University, where he lectures on governance and innovation in public institutions and he serves as an Executive in Residence at the Ivey School of Business at Western University.
In 2012, the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) awarded Dan the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation within the community. He was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, acknowledging his dedication to public service.
With over 44 years of experience in the IT industry, Kent MacDonald has held various executive roles managing Partner and Strategic Alliances. Kent is a graduate of Holland College and is a proud native and summer resident of PEI. With over 20 years of experience on North American and Global Advisory Boards for major IT leaders, including Cisco, NetApp, and Veeam, he was recently honored as an inaugural inductee into the Cisco Canada Hall of Fame, recognizing his influential contributions. Kent also serves as Co-Chair Alberta for the Confederation Centre’s Shared Voices Campaign and is a board member of Junior Achievement Southern Alberta (JASA). His previous role as Alberta Regional Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada highlights his enduring commitment to both business excellence and community service.
“I became involved in the Shared Voices Campaign because I believe in the importance of reflecting on what it means to be Canadian. With a PEI birth certificate and an Alberta driver’s license, I understand the unique blend of cultures and experiences that make our country special. Just as PEI potatoes and Alberta beef are better together, so too is our collective heritage strengthened when we come together to celebrate and explore our shared identity through the Confederation Centre.”
H. Wayne Hambly is President and CEO of Hambly Enterprises in Charlottetown and has led the company since its inception in 1963. Wayne has sat on the Boards of several industry groups, including the Atlantic Recreation Vehicle Dealer Association,the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada, and Mega Group Inc., as well as a member of the Manufactured Housing Association of Atlantic Canada.
Wayne is a strong advocate of arts and culture, as well as community health and development. He is a Governor and Past-Chair of the Board of Confederation Centre of the Arts and past District Governor of Rotary International District 7820. In addition, he has been involved in various capacities with several community groups including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Board of Directors, Provincial Chair of United Way PEI, Vice-Chair of the Holland College Foundation, and Co-Chair of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Provincial Campaign.
Wayne was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2015 and the Junior Achievement PEI Business Hall of Fall in 2011. He was awarded the Order of PEI Medal of Merit in 2014 and was co-recipient, with his wife Wilma, of the Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2009.
Lloyd Robertson – For more than 30 years Robertson was the anchor host at CTV news, and one of the country’s most respected media figures. Robertson served as the chief anchor and senior editor of CTV’s national evening newscast, CTV News with Lloyd Robertson, from 1984 to 2011, when he retired from the CTV National News team. He co-hosted W5 from 2011 to 2016.
Alan Doyle – The award-winning recording artist and burgeoning stage actor is well known across the country as a founder of Great Big Sea. The Petty Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador native now performs as a solo artist, and was one of the creative minds behind the Charlottetown Festival’s 2022 world premiere Tell Tale Harbour – not to mention starring in the lead role – and also for its return to the Festival in 2025.
“The heartbeat of Atlantic culture beats soundly at the Confederation Centre; it’s vital to keep it going! Your support isn’t just important, it’s critical.”
Peter Mansbridge – The respected journalist and longtime host of the National is one of Canada’s most recognizable faces. Mansbridge brings credibility and experience to the campaign, and he remains a trusted voice across the country. Mansbridge has received many awards and accolades for his journalistic work, including an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison University, where he served as chancellor until the end of 2017.