Manitoba’s legislative chamber is about to become safer and more accessible, but the price per seat isn’t cheap.

A $220,000 renovation slated to wrap up in March will include 24 new chairs with a price tag of about $1,200 each.

The cost is largely driven up by a need to maintain the heritage status of the building that opened back in 1920, said Susanne Parent, acting assistant deputy minister for the province’s accommodation services division.

“Up until now, those chairs were over 40 years old and were bolted to the floor, you could not adjust them in any way,” said Parent. “So, now, 18 of them have been replaced and it’s the back row that was made accessible. Those chairs have to meet heritage requirements.”

Another six chairs to be replaced next to the speaker’s chair mean 24 spots will allow movement to accommodate wheelchairs, while matching the blue leather, form and design of the others. Matching those heritage elements required a custom design, said Parent.

“It’s respecting the building and trying to come up with an elegant solution to a technical problem ... We’re definitely trying to make the building reflect 2017 and have it be barrier-free as much as possible,” she said.

Parent noted the remaining seats for Manitoba’s 57 MLAs will remain untouched, in part due to the replacement cost.

The upgrade will also replace decades-old drapes and wall carpeting, both of which aren’t fire retardant. And it follows the removal of accessibility barriers for washrooms, offices and meeting rooms, which cost a combined $561,000.

“Because of the building being just three years short of its 100th birthday, all of the bathrooms are lined in marble ... It’s pretty expensive and a challenge from a technical point of view,” said Parent.

A heritage expert says that attention to detail is critical to preserve one of Manitoba’s most iconic and recognizable heritage buildings.

“I think it’s a good investment because it’s something every generation should be entitled to,” said Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg. “(This) also shows the commitment of the government to respect the historic value of the building.”

A taxpayers’ watchdog agreed the goals of the renovation are worthwhile but stressed tax dollars must be spent carefully on any project.

“Twelve hundred dollars is a lot of money for a chair and I hope they’ve taken the time to make sure that they’re getting the best deal possible,” said Todd MacKay, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

MacKay noted CTF regularly double-checks government expenses through freedom of information requests and plans to in this case.

“We do want to make sure MLAs are equipped to do their job, we want to make sure that a historic building is taken care of. But we don’t need them to be too comfortable,” said MacKay.

jpursaga@postmedia.com

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