The other shoe dropped long-standing plans for Elliot Lake's Arts Hub Monday night.
CAO Daniel Gagnon announced at the city council's hybrid meeting that the city's 11-month-old application for a federal net carbon zero grant to fund the arts hub build had been rejected.
He said the bad news came in a letter received at city hall late Monday afternoon.
It strands the plan for a $21M federally funded arts hub that had been planned for the site of the former Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre on Highway 108.
The announcement followed a comment by Gagnon last Wednesday at a city-sponsored public question and answer session when he said he wasn't optimistic the grant would be approved.
Coun. Ed Pearce said he was "extremely disappointed" by the announcement, especially in light of a federal Liberal MP's recent boast that a net carbon zero recreation hub had just been approved by Ottawa in his own riding.
As a way to move forward, Coun. Chris Patrie requested the council invite Serpent River First Nations as full partners, not just advisors as they are now, in a joint search for federal funds to build an Arts hub.
He said it should involve Elliot Lake and Serpent River, and other North Shore First Nation communities and called the federal turn down a "heartbreaking" decision.
Coun. Tom Turner said he was troubled by the optics of Patrie's suggestion, likening it to a "right turn" in search of another funding partner.
Pearce said now is time for discussion on arts and culture aspirations by both communities, not requests for new partnerships.
Another federal funding request is under consideration for a second federal grant worth 40 cents on the dollar.
This one is from Canada Cultural Spaces. It would help build a less elaborate arts hub costing $15M. A third funding request to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation is also under consideration.