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At the height of Shania Twain's career, it seemed like the talented and beloved singer had the Midas touch. After all, fans couldn't get enough of Twain's music which led to every single and album the country singer released making millions.
On top of Twain's career success, Shania's personal life seemed great as well as she sang a song that paid tribute to her love for her husband at the time. Of course, it also was clear that Twain adored her son who has since gone on to produce music of his own.
Unfortunately for Twain and her dedicated fans, what goes up must come down. Eventually, Twain's first marriage ended after it came to light that her husband was unfaithful. While Twain's first marriage ending allowed her to find new love, going through a divorce is very painful.
Around the time Twain's personal life went through some tough times, her career started to wane. Since Twain started to fade away from the spotlight, there have been some who've questioned if Twain is partially responsible for costing some taxpayers $11 million.
How A Shania Twain Tourist Attraction Cost Millions
Long before Shania Twain became a legitimate legend, she was born in Windsor, Ontario with the name Eileen Regina Edwards. While growing up in Canada, Twain eventually discovered her talent for singing and launched a country music career even though she initially wasn't interested in that genre of music.
During Twain's truly incredible career, country music fans all over the world grew to love her voice and music.
While Twain was embraced all over the world, Canadians developed a special fondness for the singer. The reason for that is Canadians have always been extremely passionate about supporting stars from their country.
Thanks to the fact that a lot of Canadians adore Twain, the decision was made to erect a building that would pay tribute to the singer. To fulfill that plan, the city of Timmins, Ontario built a Twain-themed tourist attraction.
Opened in 2001, The Shania Twain Centre held a grand opening that the popular singer attended. After that first event, The Shania Twain Centre held annual fan conventions and was open to guests until it permanently closed in 2013.
According to multiple reports, it cost the city of Timmins $10 million to build The Shania Twain Centre. On top of that, it was estimated that The Shania Twain Centre "racked up more than $1 million in operating deficits" during the years it was open.
Considering that The Shania Twain Centre was dedicated to the titular country singer, some observers blamed her for the money the project lost Timmins taxpayers.
Was Shania Twain Partially Responsible For The Money Timmins Lost?
While trying to figure out how much Shania Twain deserves to be blamed for the money The Shania Twain Centre lost, that isn't a cut-and-dry question. Instead, there are many factors to consider.
Right off the bat, the first thing to realize is that The Shania Twain Centre ultimately didn't cost the city of Timmins $11 million. The reason for that is once the decision was made to close The Shania Twain Centre, Timmins sold the land.
According to a 2013 CBC article, the land The Shania Twain Centre was built on was sold to a company named Goldcorp for $5 million. Goldcorp ultimately tore The Shania Twain Centre down to use the land as a part of their plans for "a massive open-pit gold mine".
With that in mind, the most Twain could be partially blamed for costing Timmins is $6 million.
The next thing to consider is whether Twain was the one who was responsible for The Shania Twain Centre becoming a thing in the first place. Unsurprisingly, Twain wasn't the one who came up with the plans for the Centre herself, and she didn't personally convince Timmins to make the project a reality.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Twain clearly did what she could to help The Shania Twain Centre succeed early on.
First off, Twain tried to help the Centre by attending the grand opening in person. Next, Twain loaned the Centre many artifacts that the attraction was built around including awards, memorabilia, and personal items before it opened.
In the years that followed The Shania Twain Centre's opening Twain gave it even more things to attract her fans. For example, during the 2004 fan convention, Twain sent her tour bus to the Centre and had the stage from her "Up" tour there for fans to see.
Up until this point, the idea of holding Twain responsible for The Shania Twain Centre's failure may seem laughable. However, there is one more factor to consider.
During Twain's career, she enjoyed an incredible amount of success both critically and commercially. In fact, Twain's "Come On Over" tour still is one of the highest-grossing in country music history since it brought in more than $74 million.
Considering how much inflation there has been since the "Come On Over" tour, it is mind-blowing that very few country music artists have been able to surpass its sales figures. No wonder Twain was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
When The Shania Twain Centre was built, the singer it paid tribute to was still on top of the music world. After all, the year after the Centre was opened, Twain released "Up!", her highly successful 2002 album.
However, in the years that followed, Twain stepped away from the spotlight in a big way. After "Up!" was released, Twain didn't put out a follow-up album for almost fifteen years. On top of that, after the "Up! Tour" ended in 2004, Twain didn't hit the road again until 2015.
If Twain was still in the public eye a lot throughout the 2000s and 2010s, The Shania Twain Centre almost certainly would have enjoyed more success. That said, since the Centre operated at a $1 million deficit, it seems unlikely that Twain being in the public eye more would have made it successful enough to stay open.
It also has to be said that if The Shania Twain Centre couldn't succeed without Twain constantly in the public eye, it was a bad idea, to begin with. On top of that, Twain doesn't owe touring more or releasing more albums to anyone or any business, including the Centre.
In the grand scheme of things, it seems like Twain played a small role in the fate of The Shania Twain Centre. However, it doesn't seem right to blame her for the Centre's ultimate failure.
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