Riders rent reduction a 'contractual matter', no legal threat: Reynolds
6h ago
The $1.33M rent reduction comes from what the club owed during seasons impacted by the pandemic.
The place where Corner Gas was filmed officially has a new name.
On Wednesday, signage was unveiled turning the Saskatchewan Production Studios Soundstage into the John Hopkins Regina Soundstage.
The change was first announced in March when the Saskatchewan government delivered its budget.
Hopkins served as the CEO of the Regina Chamber of Commerce for 20 years and was a founding member of the Regina Trades and Skills Centre, where he spent years as their chair.
He was also a leader in terms of truth and reconciliation efforts and had a strong passion for the film and music industry. He was a member of The Garage Band, which ended up raising $1.4 million for the Allan Blair Cancer Centre.
Hopkins died Feb. 2 after a battle with cancer. He was 61.
Hopkins’ son Jesse said Wednesday it’s an honour for John’s family to see the building named after him.
“He would’ve been so proud and just amazed at the gesture by his community and the entire province,” Jesse said. “This production program and the film tax credit was one of the final projects he was able to work on and he did really work on this and talked to me and my sister about it until the very end so it’s just a tremendous honour to be here.”
While Jesse says it was tough when his father passed away, he’s happy the community can learn more about the impact John left in the Queen City.
“For us and my family, it’s very comforting to know that the people of this community appreciated, respected and loved him as much as he loved our community,” Jesse explained. “It’ll give us a lasting memory and help his legacy carry on.”
Jesse said that growing up as a child, his father was always trying to get something done.
“My house was always buzzing with activity. There were always constant jam sessions, musicians, people playing guitar and singers,” he said. “We also grew up in a creative family in the sense of visual arts. Our house was always very alive and involving things like singing and visual arts.”
John was remembered as a big fan of The Beatles. He also enjoyed playing Pink Floyd music on the guitar.
“We all know John was a fierce and loyal friend,” said Laura Ross, Saskatchewan’s minister of parks, culture and sports. “With John in your corner, nothing seemed impossible. He built strong and enduring relationships with people from all walks of life, backgrounds and all interests and areas.
“We’d be hard-pressed to find an aspect of life in Regina that John wasn’t involved in. John knew that building the economic growth and the community are the flipside of a coin where you can’t have one or the other.”
The government hopes the soundstage will be busier in the coming months now that it has put another $8 million into the Creative Saskatchewan Production Grant Program, bringing the total to $10 million.
On Friday, Creative Saskatchewan announced a new series will be filmed at the soundstage. ‘King of Killers: the series’ is the first major project to receive funding under the revamped grant program.