The curtain has risen on a new era of competitive corporate sponsorship in Calgary with the re-naming of the Calgary Centre for Performing Arts.

The newly dubbed EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts was unveiled Thursday by company and arts officials as part of a $4-million, 10-year partnership deal which will see the Edmonton-based utilities company branded deeply in the heart of Calgary — and on the turf of Calgary-owned utility provider ENMAX.

“EPCOR is showing exceptional corporate leadership with this partnership agreement, working to ensure we remain a stable and growing organization in a rapidly changing time,” said Colin Jackson, the centre’s president and CEO.

EPCOR president and CEO Don Lowry, who made the announcement from the Jack Singer Concert theatre, said the company was honoured to be associated with such a world-class centre.

David Lazarowych, Business Edge
Don Lowry, president and CEO of EPCOR, announces naming sponsorship in Calgary.

“As a strong Alberta-based company, we are pleased to be able to demonstrate our commitment to our Calgary customers, employees and the performing arts community,” he said.

In the company’s annual meeting Lowry noted EPCOR’s transition from a city-based brand into establishing a stronger provincewide foothold — a competitive advantage in an era of deregulation.

Not all Calgary aldermen are happy with the announcement, though. The city is currently in the process of drafting a policy to deal with the renaming of public buildings.

“But in the absence of that policy, we had asked the Performing Arts Centre to hold off until we reviewed it,” says Ald. Bob Hawkesworth. “My view is that acting precipitously puts us in a position of not having a policy yet to guide our decision on council.”

“Our ability to fund groups like the performing arts centre is reliant on our ability to get substantial dividend out of Enmax every year. If we’re unable to realize that dividend, many of the valuable community initiatives we support in this city can’t be sustained.”

“But on the other hand, we can’t act in an anti-competitive way, either.”

With locations in Alberta, B.C., Ontario and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, EPCOR owns and operates power plants, electrical transmission and distribution networks. It also operates water-treatment facilities and infrastructure and provides power, water and gas to customers.