Northern Dancer celebrated at Canadian Film Centre groundbreaking ceremony

The structure, named after the legendary Canadian thoroughbred racehorse, Northern Dancer, highlights the generosity of like-minded philanthropists who wish to enshrine the reputation of arguably the greatest Canadian athlete of the 20th century, as well as pay homage to the heritage of E.P. Taylor’s Windfields Estate.

“Northern Dancer, the “little guy” with the huge heart, did a lot for Canada. The building having his name is a way of preserving his legacy.” said Donald Ross, a disciple. “I am delighted to be able to participate with others in helping to bring this exceptional pavilion to fruition."

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour for the Government of Canada; The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, and MPP for Don Valley West; Councillor David Shiner for the City of Toronto; and Lucille Roch, Vice-Chair of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, were on hand to deliver their best wishes.

“The Windfields Estate is a piece of history that we are proud to preserve and honoured to have in the City of Toronto. It represents a legacy created by the visionary CFC founder Norman Jewison and now with the addition of the Northern Dancer Pavilion we are able to grow and enhance the future of film education and in turn add to North York’s landmark. On behalf of the City of Toronto we commend the CFC and look forward to sharing many more successes with such a terrific Film Centre,” said Councillor David Shiner.

The Northern Dancer Pavilion will enhance CFC’s ability to deliver multi-discipline programs and services, support industries that drive production spending and stimulate economic activity both within and across related sectors; building capacity and demand for Canadian film, television, onscreen acting and music, and digital media content.

“The Northern Dancer Pavilion will be a vital hub of creative activity, harmonizing CFC’s programming and providing synergy between disciplines.” said Christina Jennings, Co-Chair, CFC Board of Directors.

“These generous contributions bring The Windfields Campus Improvement Project to the final stretch. Today’s groundbreaking is proof positive that the Northern Dancer Pavilion is moving from dream to reality.” said Slawko Klymkiw, CEO of the CFC.

Inspired by the Windfields original architecture and landscape, Ken Fukushima has designed a welcoming pavilion that will be nestled comfortably at the foot of the formal gardens, complementing the existing heritage buildings.

The Northern Dancer Pavilion will be constructed of steel with the north and south exteriors clad in cedar and Credit Valley limestone, while the transparent east and west glass walls will offer a view through the structure to the orchard beyond. The significant west-side sliding glass wall when opened integrates the courtyard and trellis creating a generous gathering space.

The heritage aesthetic and design captured by architect, Ken Fukushima, is translated by Drummond Hassan and the IBI Group Inc. into architectural plans. The completion of the Northern Dancer Pavilion will mark the full restoration of the CFC heritage campus and the preservation of the estate as a cultural landmark and Ontario Heritage Site.

The Windfields Campus Improvement Project is budgeted at $12 million. The total amount raised to date for the Northern Dancer Pavilion is $2.6 million, representing 85% of the total construction cost ($3 million) of the building. The remaining investment furthered CFC’s State of Good Repair and renovations.

The governments of Canada and Ontario each contributed up to $3.25 million toward the eligible project costs through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. The City of Toronto invested $1 million and CFC provided the remaining $1.5 million toward the total eligible project cost, bringing the total investment to $9 million.