Timmins' Shania Twain centre downsizes

Tourists and fans looking to get their fix of Shania Twain memorabilia may be disappointed with what they find in her former home town of Timmins.

The Shania Twain Centre recently downsized its collection of Shania's outfits and awards after all but four of the singer's outfits and other memorabilia were removed.

Tracy Hautanen, the former manager of the centre, said 16 outfits will travel to other parts of the world, including Las Vegas, where Shania Twain is set to open a show in December.

"We feel that we can use the collection in other ways to help promote the charity and the show in Vegas and what not, so this was a good opportunity for her to start diversifying the use of the collection," said Hautanen, who now works with the Shania Kids Can Foundation.

Hautanen was the manager of the Shania Twain Centre for more than a decade.

While the collection is now smaller than it was, Hautanen said Shania will always continue to have a presence in Timmins.

"We will always continue to have an exhibit here, just on a small scale, so the city can use the facility for other means if they need to," she said. "We'll always rotate the exhibit, as well, so there will always be different things for people to see."

The Shania Twain Centre will no longer charge admission and the remainder of the Shania exhibit will be housed in the building's lobby.

The City of Timmins conducted a study last year to examine alternative options for the centre in the future.

City councillor Todd Lever said the centre has never impressed him much.

"Its location — and the fact that it was originally designed as a tourist attraction — makes it a little more difficult to change it into an alternative use."