Saint John, New Brunswick – Canaport LNG’s General Manager Jorge Ciacciarelli announced Saturday evening that the company will donate $100,000 toward the continuing restoration and preservation of the Imperial Theatre.
“The Imperial Theatre, like the Lily Lake Pavilion, is one of many Saint John historic landmarks ripe with history and brings a wealth of cultural richness to this community. It is with great pleasure that we contribute to this culturally vital facility,” Ciacciarelli said at a special event to announce the company’s contribution.
Ciacciarelli and Irving Oil’s Gary Bischof, presented the cheque on stage at the Imperial Theatre, prior to the Spanish Flamenco performance by the Maria Osende Flamenco Company.
Ron Outerbridge, Campaign Vice-Chair of Imperial Theatre’s Keep IT Live Capital Campaign and the Theatre’s General Manager, Peter D. Smith accepted the cheque on behalf of the Imperial.
“Imperial Theatre is thrilled to receive this gift and privileged to have the support of Canaport LNG,” said Mr. Outerbridge. “Since its inception, this company has taken a leadership role as a corporate citizen to support initiatives that positively impact the vibrancy of our community”.
Mr. Smith said the funds will be used towards significant repairs and replacements due to wear and tear, technological change, and the general preservation of the facility. One of the most significant needs is the replacement of the stage house cladding, which due to product deficiency caused leaking and internal damage.
“Our first welcome event for Repsol and Canaport LNG employees relocating here to Saint John was held at the Imperial Theatre,” said Ciacciarelli. “Since then, we’ve all attended many events here and have learned that the Imperial Theatre really is a jewel in our city’s cultural crown and therefore its preservation is vital to Saint John and the surrounding area. We are pleased to be able to contribute to this today.”
About Imperial Theatre
Imperial Theatre is a not-for-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. Since its grand re-opening in 1994, more than one million people have attended over 2000 performances at the Theatre, making it one of Atlantic Canada’s busiest venues for live performances. Some of New Brunswick’s most prominent performing groups including Symphony New Brunswick, Opera New Brunswick, Saint John Theatre Company and InterAction Children’s Theatre Company call Imperial Theatre home. To learn more about Imperial Theatre visit www.imperialtheatre.nb.ca
About Canaport LNG
Canaport LNG Partnership Limited is a partnership between Irving Oil Limited and Repsol. Canaport LNG is to begin operation as a world-class liquefied natural gas receiving and regasification terminal in 2009. Situated at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, Canaport LNG will have a send-out capacity of 1.2-billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas a day, destined for markets in Canada and the northeastern United States. The project has created over 1500 jobs during construction. To learn more, please visit www.canaportlng.com.
Media Contacts:
Carolyn Van der Veen
Canaport LNG
506-658-6212
Wendy Moore
Imperial Theatre
506-674-4129