Saskatoon Remai Modern boilers need replacing for $1.5 million

Less than 10 years after opening its doors, the boilers inside Saskatoon’s Remai Modern need replacing. Keenan Sorokan reports.

Less than 10 years after opening its doors, the boilers inside Remai Modern need replacing.

A report before a city council committee on Tuesday said replacing the steam boilers administration described as “aging” will cost about $1.5 million.

“Independent engineering inspections confirm that both boilers are deteriorating,” director of facilities management Pam Hamoline said.

“One pressure vessel is leaking and the other shows early signs of failure. The model is obsolete, the manufacturer support has ended and meaningful long-term repair is not feasible.”

Hamoline told the committee that because of the unique and large size of the art gallery, Remai Modern’s boilers need to operate continuously to maintain the strict environmental conditions necessary for the artwork and exhibits instead of a typical boiler in Saskatchewan that turns off every spring.

This has decreased the 20-year lifespan to 10 years. Since no replacement parts are available, administration says long-term repair is not feasible.

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Remai Modern also carries a Category A institution designation from the federal requirement, which means the city must maintain the building to certain standards surrounding climate control.

“It’s always easy to be sitting on the couch and saying, ‘you should have thought of the thought of this,’” Ward 4 Coun. Troy Davies said. “And this is 10 years later from when we went through this.”

Davies was on council prior to the gallery’s opening in 2017 and said the operation of the boilers is something he’s heard about from residents.

The Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan - which ensures safety standards are complied, told the city back in 2023 the boilers would need supervision 24 hours a day if they weren’t replaced, which costs roughly $150,000 per year.

“It’s past time for these boilers. They need to be replaced. So, we’re going to replace them with something that’s more suited to the environment that they have to run in, and that doesn’t require that 24-hour supervision,” Ward 6 Coun. Jasmin Parker said.

The city will use a reserve meant for maintenance and repair costs to pay for the boiler replacements. Remai Modern has paid into the reserve since 2016. However, the total bill accounts for nearly a quarter of what the gallery has contributed to the fund.

In 2023, a report to council showed the total cost of constructing Remai Modern and the parkade beneath it was more $111 million, more than double its originally estimates $55 million.

In 2022, “deficiencies” were found in the museum’s roof, which required repairs.

Council unanimously approved grants of $6.6 million for 2026 and $6.7 million for 2027 as part of budget deliberations last November.