SAA’s Response to Regina’s Decision to Support the Globe Theatre

July 29, 2026

Tonight, the City of Regina voted unanimously to invest $1.4 million in the Globe Theatre, enough to ensure the Globe can continue operating through its 2026-2027 season.

Some people might wonder why a provincial arts organization is commenting on a municipal funding decision. The answer is simple. What happened at Regina City Hall today wasn’t just about one theatre. It was one of the clearest public conversations we’ve heard in Saskatchewan in years about why the arts matter.

At SAA, our role isn’t to advocate for one organization over another. Our role is to advocate for the conditions that allow the arts to thrive across Saskatchewan. Every now and then, a moment comes along that shifts the broader conversation. Today felt like one of those moments.

Throughout the day, council spoke about the arts as an economic driver, as part of a vibrant downtown, as a contributor to community well-being, and as something that helps define who we are. They reached those conclusions in their own words, and they reached them unanimously. That’s why this matters beyond one theatre and one city.

I spent most of the day at City Hall listening to delegation after delegation speak about what the Globe returns to this city, this province, and this country. The support came not only from artists, arts workers, and patrons, but from the business community, civic leaders, community organizations, and councillors themselves. I left feeling proud of Regina. Proud of the people who showed up to make the case, and proud of how they made it.

The arts make three remarkable contributions at the same time. They strengthen our economy, they tell our stories, and they improve quality of life and well-being.¹ Today I watched a city council arrive at that conclusion on its own.

Here’s what I heard over the course of the day.

I heard councillors describe this as an investment, not a handout.

I heard people around that table acknowledge that the return on investment is real.

I heard councillors who are careful with public spending conclude that the numbers made sense.

I heard people recognize that restoring a century-old building comes with surprises, and that those surprises don’t automatically point to poor management.

I heard a downtown needs places worth going to, and that safety and vibrancy are the same conversation.

I heard that the arts belong to everyone.

I heard people say that a city without arts is not much of a city.

And I heard more than one councillor say, in different ways, that the provincial government has a role to play too.

All of that happened unanimously.

The work of the Globe Theatre is far from over. But tonight’s decision puts the organization in a much stronger position than it was this morning. It gives the Globe the confidence and credibility that will help strengthen the federal funding case it is now making.

The work of arts advocacy in Regina is also far from over. If anything, we’re just getting started. Council made an important commitment tonight. Now comes the work of turning that commitment into action. The municipal budget will be the next important moment, and SAA intends to be part of that conversation.

Recently, SAA shared an article about New York City approving a record $323 million for arts and culture, with the caption, “A powerful reminder of what’s possible when governments recognize the value of arts and culture.” When I read that article and when the SAA shared it, the idea that arts and culture could be valued and understood so deeply felt incredibly far from our current reality in Saskatchewan. Tonight it felt closer. Not because of the amount, but because of the reasoning. Ten elected people in Regina worked their way to the same conclusion, out loud, in public, and then voted.

To every councillor who voted yes, thank you. To Councillor Mancinelli for moving the motion and for the honesty of changing his position in public, and to Councillor Turnbull for seconding it, thank you.

Councillor Burton made the most actionable request of the evening, and I want to repeat it here. Buy a ticket. Get a season pass. Bring someone with you. Parking downtown is free after five. Support the arts in your community! SAA will help carry that message.

Thank you to the delegates who spoke, and to the people of Regina who wrote to their councillors: Councillor Radons said almost every email she received was in support, and singled out one email from a person who has subscribed to the Globe for thirty-six years. That is what moved this. Not a strategy document, just someone explaining what a theatre had meant to their life.

And finally, to the staff, artists, board members, volunteers, and donors of the Globe Theatre: thank you. For months you’ve carried the responsibility of making this case while continuing to make the work itself. The hard part isn’t over, but tonight you’re beginning the next chapter from a much stronger position than you were this morning.

Today’s vote did something important: it showed that when elected leaders have the opportunity to hear the evidence, listen to their community, and think beyond the next budget line, they recognize the arts for what they are: an essential part of the infrastructure of a healthy, thriving community.

Em Ironstar
Executive Director, Saskatchewan Arts Alliance

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