Bruce County remains committed to the expansion of the Museum & Cultural Centre in Southampton, ON. Bruce County purchased the Southampton property, 254 High Street, in 2018 to expand the Archival Services of the Museum while investigating co-location options to advance this cultural hub. Through several background reports completed between 2015/2018, Bruce County acknowledged that a lack of space in the existing facility was impacting our ability to preserve the tangible assets that represent the history of Bruce County.
As a response to legal proceedings initiated by Blaney McMurtry LLP on March 21st, 2019, the County has issued its own application to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to continue to move forward with the expansion. Blaney McMurtry LLP represents Laura Robinson and The Southampton Cultural Heritage Conservancy and are alleging that the County of Bruce breached the restricted purpose of a charitable trust created by the Estate Gift from Bruce A. Krug when we purchased the property at 254 High Street, adjacent to the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre. They are requesting an injunction restraining the County from commencing any demolition activities at the property.
Bruce County has responded to this allegation with its own application to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dated April 4, 2019 that will advance at a hearing on June 20, 2019. The purpose of the application is to obtain opinion, advice and direction from the Court arising from the County’s expenditure and intended ongoing use of funds received from the Estate of Bruce Arthur Krug as a beneficiary named in the Last Will and Testament.
Warden Mitch Twolan confirms, “the County remains committed to the expansion of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, which was the intended purpose when the 254 High Street property was purchased in 2018. Since that time, the County has been investigating co-location options to help advance the Archives expansion and to see this area develop as a cultural and innovation hub in Bruce County.”
