A longtime Collingwood resident and former town councillor reflects on our rich history and why now is the time for a performing arts centre
by John Kirby ❧ photo by Jessica Crandlemire
The Town of Collingwood recently announced the hiring of a consultant for the Arts & Culture Feasibility Study, and this decision was welcome news to me!
When my ancestors came to this area in the mid 1800s, arts and culture was never on their mind. They came to Canada and to Southern Georgian Bay to start a new life after the hardships they were experiencing in Scotland and Ireland. Over the ensuing 160 years this area has changed so much.
We must remember our indigenous ancestors, the Petuns, who first settled here and farmed the arable lands. As time went on, the next inhabitants recognized the importance of the natural harbour and built a community based on marine commerce. Then a visionary immigrant from Czechoslovakia arrived in the 1940s and his epiphany was a ski hill!
We are all so fortunate for all those who have helped make it a privilege to live in this very special place. Truly, we are blessed!
In the 1960s when I was in my teenage years in Collingwood, boys would play hockey, girls would figure skate and some of my friends would venture out to the ski hills. When I entered high school in the fall of 1966, I elected to enrol in an instrumental music course in grade nine. This was my own epiphany, as I reflect.
In the ensuing five years, as a member of the Collingwood Collegiate Institute Concert and Marching Band, I and many of my fellow classmates were able to represent our school, our community and our country at Expo ’67, Hemisfair ’68 in San Antonio, Texas and at Expo ’70 in Japan. With my father working in the shipyard and my mother as the home manager of three boys, I would never have had this opportunity, nor would many of my fellow band members, without community fundraising to support our band. I was so grateful and learned very quickly that there are things in life that can open doors and opportunities … and music and the arts were foremost!
After university and my return to my hometown, I ventured into municipal politics on a platform of recreation and culture. In my seven years on Collingwood Council, we were able to establish a Parks, Recreation & Culture Department and hire the first director, Peter Dunbar. Harbourview Park was established, parkland at Sunset Point was returned to the citizens of Collingwood after years of being a trailer park, and Exhibition Park eventually became Central Park. I was chair of the initial committee to establish the current YMCA and this eventually led to the building of the current site.
After leaving municipal politics, I continued to advocate for the arts as an elementary school teacher and then principal. I was part of the Collingwood Civic Committee in 1992 when we completed the first feasibility study on arts and culture; the results then supported a performing arts and cultural centre.
Unfortunately, in those days we did not have the demographics to financially support such a centre. But now today, in 2021, I truly believe our area has the need, desire and financial ability to build and support a dedicated art, culture and entertainment centre in Collingwood, serving all of Southern Georgian Bay.
In August of 2019 I joined a group of dedicated citizens in the area which eventually became known as CACE (Collingwood Art, Culture and Entertainment). Our goal is to enhance the arts component of this most natural, wonderful area of our province and our country.
For the past 18 months we have been working to establish relationships with many arts and cultural groups and individuals in our area. In doing so, we have come to the conclusion that we now have strong community interest and commitment to advocate for and work towards the construction of a professional arts and cultural facility – which would include a large, 500 to 600-seat performing arts venue – to serve the Southern Georgian Bay region and beyond.
CACE was instrumental in encouraging the Town of Collingwood to conduct a feasibility study that will determine the future of arts and culture in Collingwood and Southern Georgian Bay. I encourage all to get involved in this process by going to collingwoodarts.com and registering your support. It is critical that residents show their support to move the project forward. As well, I encourage you to get involved in the feasibility study by completing the arts questionnaire at engage.collingwood.ca/arts-centre-feasibility-study.
COVID-19 is complicating things in the short term, but when we emerge from this pandemic – and we most definitely will – I believe Collingwood and Southern Georgian Bay can continue to enhance our cultural heritage and showcase the amazing talent from our region and beyond.
I have been part of the transformation of Collingwood from a one-industry town when I was growing up, to what it has become today: the premiere four-season destination in Ontario. The changes over the last 40 years have transformed this area into one of the most popular places in which to live, work and play in all of Canada, for young and old.
We are blessed with the beauty of nature all around us, with an abundance of recreational facilities, and hopefully soon, we’ll be able to add a facility dedicated to arts and culture to our region’s many features. ❧
