Attention: Saskatoon’s aging Remai Modern boilers face a $1.5 million replacement, a project city officials say is essential to protect the gallery’s climate-controlled environment for artwork.
A city council committee heard on Tuesday that the building’s steam heating system, described as aging in facilities chief Pam Hamoline’s report, is due for a full replacement. Despite its relatively young age—the gallery opened in 2017—the boilers have endured intensive use, leading to deterioration that independent engineers confirm.
Key details include:
- The replacement cost is estimated at $1.5 million, to be drawn from a reserve fund designated for upgrades like this.
- The fund has already received substantial contributions from Remai Modern, accounting for roughly a quarter of its total balance.
- The boilers’ condition is serious: one pressure vessel is leaking, the other shows early signs of failure, and the units are outdated with limited manufacturer support and no feasible long-term repair path.
- The Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan advised in late 2023 that the boiler plant would require 24/7 supervision unless upgraded, a costly ongoing need that would be eliminated by replacement.
Officials note that continuous operation has shortened the boilers’ lifespan far beyond typical commercial systems, which usually exceed two decades of service. Hamoline stressed that Remai Modern is a unique facility in North America, and that other city buildings typically operate heating systems seasonally, allowing maintenance during downtime.
Beyond the boiler project, Remai Modern’s funding picture remains a topic of public interest. The gallery benefits from unusually high taxpayer support for a city the size of Saskatoon, receiving $6.6 million this year and about $6.7 million next year.
Historical context: In 2023, nearly a decade after construction began, city officials announced the final project cost at $111.3 million, including the adjacent parking structure. The initial 2009 estimate had pegged the project at $55 million.
About the author: Phil Tank is an award-winning Saskatoon-based journalist who covers local governance and culture for CBC News. He can be contacted at phil.tank@cbc.ca.
