Long-awaited unveiling of the revitalized Garry Theatre in Selkirk
Posted August 26, 2026 6:10 pm.
Almost a year and a half ago, the City of Selkirk first began revitalizing the beloved landmark, the Garry Theatre. It’s been a long road since then, but fast forward to now, and as you can see, the theatre has been completely transformed and is finally ready for showtime.
“It’s a little bit emotional for me because to be able to for one hang around for that, and to see part of the birth of it, and to now see the rebirth of it is truly…it’s an honour,” said Larry Johannson, the mayor of Selkirk.
Matt Wiebe, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, added, “We partnered with the federal government, we partnered with the City; this is truly an example of one Manitoba where we all come together for the benefit of all Manitobans.”
The theatre has been around since 1948, but in 2021, it closed its doors due to the pandemic. Not wanting to see the landmark fade into memory, the City of Selkirk stepped up to purchase it and began reconstruction in spring 2025 after years of community engagement and securing $500,000 in grant funding from the province.
“A great thing to have back to our community; it’s going to be even more than just a movie theatre like they mentioned, it’s going to have a cultural, arts, local entertainment aspect as well,” said Erin Nosal, a Selkirk resident.
Julia Neiser, the owner of N-Joy Café, added, “It will drive more traffic towards Selkirk, great for tourism, and we can’t wait.”
Neiser says she has plans to take advantage of the boost in foot traffic in the area.
“We can probably do some coupons, and special nights, offering discounts on coffee and desserts for people who visit the concert hall and movie theatre, so it will be great collaboration for sure,” she explained.
The city hopes to have the first showings begin in late September. For Mayor Johanson, he can’t wait for the chance to bring his eight grandchildren to the same cinema that he once enjoyed as a kid.
“I’m so humbled to be mayor of the city right now when we’re doing this theatre, and we’re going to show the rebirth of it, and out there at the podium, Eddie, it almost brought a tear to my eye; it almost does right now talking about it. It’s very emotional, and it’s right from the heart,” said Johannson.
