Members of Sidney council praised the resiliency of the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just a really good group doing really good work and I commend them for their efforts as well,B次元官网网址� said Coun. Terri OB次元官网网址橩eeffe, councilB次元官网网址檚 liaison to the facility.
She made those comments after council received a letter from the facility, which has faced a number of issues over the past few months in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with a significant loss of revenue. From March to May, the facility had to re-adjust its budget.
While it had planned to earn $241,900 in revenues during that period, its actual revenues totalled $20,200, a difference of almost 92 per cent, according to the letter from Pauline Finn, executive director, Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, and Janine Morris, board chair and treasurer of the New Marine Centre Society.
B次元官网网址淭he full closure of the centre occurred at the outset of one of our strongest revenue generating periods,B次元官网网址� the letter said. B次元官网网址淎s a result, expeditiously trimming expenses was fundamental to survival.B次元官网网址�
The facility trimmed expenses by $106,300 from planned expenses of $284,100. These reductions included reducing staff to six from 17. The facility also secured various forms of financial support from the federal and provincial government, as the share of contributed revenues rose to $160,200 from $69,200 following federal and provincial contributions, while trimming expenses including layoffs. Overall, the facilityB次元官网网址檚 net income was some $24,300 in the red during this period.
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The facility underwent a phased re-opening, starting with a soft opening June 1-8, a community opening on June 12, and an expanded opening on June 25.
According to Finn and Morris, visitor volume is improving gradually with monthly attendance compared to 2019 low but improving positively month-over-month.
While the centre continues to plan B次元官网网址渃onservatively,B次元官网网址� it is B次元官网网址渃autiously optimisticB次元官网网址� about the future in pointing to the resiliency and adaptability of staff, who also had to deal with unrelated, external equipment issue in August when the geothermal system supplying continuous salt water unexpectedly shut down.
B次元官网网址淲hile challenging, this experience was a success,B次元官网网址� the letter reads. B次元官网网址淭he [centreB次元官网网址檚] team responded well and executed an emergency salt water supply protocol never before performed.B次元官网网址�
The centre also made provincial news in June when it recognized B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry by making its new giant Pacific octopus her namesake.
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Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith as well as Couns. Chad Rintoul, as well Scott Garnett joined OB次元官网网址橩eeffe.
B次元官网网址淥bviously, it is not the year that they had hoped to be having, but certainly our appreciation goes out to the Centre for the Salish Sea for the manner in which they have [adapted],B次元官网网址� said Rintoul.
Garnett said the facility used its enforced closure well, while McNeil-Smith took a broader view in saying that he is B次元官网网址渂uoyed and inspiredB次元官网网址� by the B次元官网网址減ositive actionsB次元官网网址� taken by the centre, as well as the ArtSea and the Sidney Museum and Archives, who also updated council.
B次元官网网址淎ll of these organizations that do receive significant grants on annual basis from us have not come become to council since the pandemic started to seek additional support in funding and IB次元官网网址檓 most impressed by that,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think my colleagues are as well.B次元官网网址�
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