By Angela Brown

Magic Lantern gets approval for new theatre

Mar 15, 2018 | 2:00 PM

The Magic Lantern has the go-ahead from the city to start plans to develop a new four-screen movie theatre in North Battleford.

Combined with the existing, renovated, single-screen theatre downtown, that will make North Battleford a five-movie-screen destination. The City of North Battleford agreed at a recent meeting to sign the new contract with Magic Lantern Theatres Ltd., allowing the new theatre to be built.

“It’s approved; I’ve signed it. Now, it’s just a matter of proceeding with Magic Lantern,” Mayor Ryan Bater said.

The new agreement, developed several months ago, will replace the existing agreement between the city and the theatre to also incorporate the city’s parking plans for the site.

“It’s very exciting to see this development proceed,” Bater said. “It’s very exciting to hear construction will begin this spring. It’s a much needed asset in our city’s downtown.”

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In the contract the city agrees to sell the property at 1091-101 St. to Magic Lantern to develop the new cinema. The city will sell the land to Magic Lantern for $1, in accordance with the original agreement, and the city will create a 175-stall parking lot in the north-west corner of the property, beside the new theatre.

Bater said the new theatre will serve as an anchor for North Battleford’s central core.

“It’s something that will bring people to the downtown,” the mayor said. “It’s something that will do a lot to encourage walking traffic and visitation into the downtown, which will attract a market and hopefully encourage more business development.”

Bater said the new theatre has been in the works for the past year and a half, and residents are thrilled over the prospect of a new multi-screen cinema.

Tom Hutchinson, president of Magic Lantern Theatres, said the new cinema will be a great attraction in North Battleford.

“It will offer a lot of variety, and it will offer the cinema the ability to do a lot more interesting things than it can do right now with just one – special showtimes and catering to various groups, and to use for parties or rentals,” he said.

Hutchinson said Magic Lantern intends start constructing the new cinema in late April.

“We’d like to be open in perhaps March or early April of 2019,” he said.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow