It’s now official, the Prince Albert Arts Centre has a new name.
After selling the former Margo Fournier Centre to the Prince Albert Grand Council in 2022, the City has officially decided to rename the Arts Centre in honour of the longtime music teacher and Order of Canada recipient.
Fournier’s grandson, Danny, said the family are honoured to see the City acknowledge Margo is this way with the new Margo Fournier Arts Centre.
“Margo was a proponent of the arts, and her passion influenced and engaged many others over the years,” Danny said in a press release. “Her legacy continues through her children, grandchildren, the people she worked with and those she taught.
“Margo always believed in and fought for the importance of music and the arts in this community. She shared her time, talent, and passion to enhance the lives of others. We are proud that her contributions continue to be appreciated and celebrated.”
The Margo Fournier Arts Centre is a national historic landmark and a City of Prince Albert Municipal Heritage Property. The building was built in 1893, and served as the Prince Albert Town Hall and Opera House. It currently hosts a variety of arts, crafts, music, and cultural activities.
Prince Albert city council first discussed renaming the facility at an executive committee meeting in August. A formal dedication ceremony for the renaming will be held in the spring.
“We are so pleased to rename the Prince Albert Arts Centre to the Margo Fournier Arts Centre to continue to honour the contributions of Margo Fournier and the Fournier family to our community, especially to music and the arts, which we all benefit from,” Mayor Greg Dionne said in a statement.
Margo Fournier was best known for founding the Prince Albert Boys Choir, which went on to earn National and International acclaim. She also taught music to student nurses, boys, and girls at the old Margo Fournier Centre, and at St. Mary High School. She also conducted the Penitentiary inmates choir.
During the Second World War she was a member of the “All Clear Canadian Forces Show” that performed overseas. She received three medals for her service.
Margo was instrumental in founding the Prince Albert Music Festival. She was named Prince Albert’s Citizen of the Year in in the 1960s, and was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1983.
