Norfolk County Built Heritage

Various Addresses Norfolk County, Ontario
Southwestern Ontario

DETAILS OF THREAT:
In 2020 Norfolk County cut the Heritage and Culture budget by an astounding $280,000 as per the motions within the budget session of the department. This equated to the following impacts:

• Closure to the public of the Teeterville Pioneer Museum (Budget impacts not realized until 2021)
• Closure to the public of the Teeterville Women’s Institute Hall (Budget impacts not realized until 2021)
• Closure to the public and Transfer of the Norfolk County Arts Centre (Budget impacts not realized until 2021)
• Alterations and partial closure of the Eva Brook Donly Museum (Budget impacts not realized until 2021)

Through the motions of the 2020 budget the structures of the Teeterville Pioneer Museum and the Teeterville Women’s Institute were declared surplus with the structures to be sold at a later undetermined date. Additionally, the Norfolk Arts Centre was given back to the Lynnwood Art Board. As of 2021, it appears as though the future of the Norfolk County Arts Centre, located within Lynnwood Campbell-Reid House a National Historic Site of Canada and designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, remains in the balance with Norfolk County Council potentially not approving the funding request of the Lynnwood Board of Management to operate the site. This is compounded by the CAO of the Corporation stating at the December 15, 2020 meeting of Council stating no funds have been allocated to support the site even though the structure is owned by Norfolk County.

The Heritage and Culture of our community, our place, is once again threatened, with further cuts being slated within the 2021 budget being approximately $200,000, representing a cut to the Heritage and Culture budget of over 30% since the beginning of this council term. All the while this budget only represents a little over 1% of the entire budget for the Corporation of Norfolk County, the lowest amount of any Department in the Corporation. This is now taking the form of reducing the operating hours, services, events, programming, and abilities of the sites to function. Significant reductions to the staff of the department have been proposed presenting a significant risk of closure to the sites if they cannot be maintained and staff to the appropriate levels. Additionally, threats linger in the sale of these properties of historical and cultural significance to not only the people of Norfolk County, but Ontario, and even Canada.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP:

To ensure the protection, conservation, and continued support of these tremendously significant and valuable cultural heritage resources to not only Norfolk County, but to Ontario as well, by contacting the Norfolk County Council to show your support. This can be done through contacting clerks@norfolkcounty.ca and DL-MayorandCouncillors@norfolkcounty.ca. Ensure at the beginning of the email state “I request that this communication be made a matter of public record.”