Quote:
Originally Posted by Drybrain
Exactly. This isn't going to get any cheaper. And given that the government didn't release the "independent report" this is based on, there's no way for opposition or the public to check it or reach their own conclusions. The PCs just decided they won't want to do this. Genuinely disappointing.
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It's true that while these sound like arguments, they are generic points that can justify any decision. If the economy is heated up, costs are rising. If the economy is in the dumps, budgets are squeezed.
Incidentally there wasn't much pressure on provincial budgets during covid, including NS. The federal government absorbed most of that cost. RBC is projecting the NS debt to GDP will be lower in 2022 than it was in 2019:
http://www.rbc.com/economics/economi...rov_fiscal.pdf. I think NS demographics and economics are generally staying the same or improving over time not worsening. If NS is in bad shape then provincially funded art galleries in 80% of Canada should be cancelled I guess.
As far as the project itself I don't have strong feelings about it but I wonder about a couple of points. One is if this Salter lot will become the "art gallery site" for an indeterminate period of time and sit empty, and the other is what would happen with the old gallery buildings/space if it moved out. NS has an awful track record of maintaining old historical buildings once the tenants move out. The municipality still seems to have no plan for the old library. How long has it been empty?
Looking at the chosen winner it's also interesting but I can't say I am super excited about the architecture. It does not seem to related to its architectural neighbours and setting very well and is clearly meant to evoke a rural/natural/indigenous theme that was very popular when it was chosen but may not age well. I wonder if they'd have gotten a better building if they'd done a local competition without global architect partners.