By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Members of Essex Council received a report outlining the Heritage Groups it supports in some way, either through funding provided through by-laws or through the Community Partnership Grant, at the November 3 meeting.
The report was prepared in response to Mayor Bondy’s Council-supported motion back in May that directed Administration to provide a report, prior to the 2026 Budget deliberations, on the levels of service provided by all heritage groups that lease space within Town-owned facilities.
She asked for the report not to reduce what the Town provides each, but to have that open, honest conversation about bringing the ones that get less to get more, and even possibly bringing up the level of those who do get more.
Speaking only for herself, Bondy said she values heritage. If there is a phased-in increase in expenses, she believes that is something Council needs to explore. There needed to be a starting point in having the conversation.
She thanked all the groups, and their volunteers, for all they do.
“This is just a starting point. I think there is definitely a lot more conversation to be had,” Bondy said.
The report, Director of Corporate Services, Kate Rowe, prepared includes an overview of each group and their mandates, data on their finances, as well as support provided by the Town, either through by-law or Essex’s Community Partnership Grant program. It also details leases charged to certain organizations, and other budgeted expenditures paid for by the Town on behalf of the groups for the facilities out of which they operate.
Her report highlights that each of the heritage organizations operate with independent boards or directors and offer annual memberships.
Her report also summarizes each group’s financial position, based on 2024 actuals and 2025 budgeted revenues and expenses. All facilities that are owned by the Town are maintained by the Town at no cost to the organizations.
The report continues that Heritage Essex, which maintains the Essex Railway Station, is the largest operation in terms of both revenue and expenses, receiving the highest grant of $25,000 from the Town per year and operating rent-free under a dedicated By-Law. HEIRS has the highest membership and has been a past recipient of funding through the Community Partnership Fund. Heritage Colchester and the Essex & Community Historical Research Society (ECHRS) operate at a modest scale, each paying symbolic lease fees and receiving no direct grants.
Speaking on behalf of the Harrow Early Immigrant Research Society (HEIRS), Secretary/Treasurer Laurie Brett thanked the Town for the heritage group review, and noted she is grateful Essex has recognized the cultural significance of HEIRS and other historical groups within the municipality.
HEIRS has been a part of the community for 54-years as a volunteer organization, whose members “work hard to leave a positive footprint in the place we call home,” Brett said.
In the report, HEIRS is described as a group preserving local and family history and protecting historical buildings and artifacts. While that is correct, it doesn’t tell the whole story, Brett said.
“We collect and safeguard important historical documents and family records. We maintain a library of printed and digital resources, offer research assistance to the public, and foster volunteer opportunities that engage the community and the shared work of discovering and preserving our past,” Brett noted.
While it has 111 members, it is also open to the public. Most of its research requests come from outside the group. It hosts monthly meetings, where a guest-speaker is invited to share on a topic. It makes history approachable and enjoyable, she said, noting HEIRS is appreciative the Town allows the use of the community room at the Harrow Arena to host the monthly presentations to accommodate the large crowd it draws.
Members contribute five research-based journals every year. They also arrange and conduct tours of pioneer cemeteries, and participate in public events.
“Through these activities, HEIRS transforms preservation into participation, ensuring local history remains a vibrant part of the community,” Brett said. “In so many ways, the work of HEIRS supports the Town’s goals for heritage, culture, community, education, and tourism. Our hope is the Town recognizes the value we bring and the role we play in preserving our collective story.”
HEIRS is under access constraints – as it does not have 24/7 access 365 days a year to its Resource Centre – and space constraints – it operates out of just 513-square-feet of space; in around one-sixth of the space available to ECHRS. It cannot fit anything else into its space. That makes it impossible to accept donations of valuable artifacts. It needs double that space.
Brett said researchers need a quiet area to work without interruption, dedicated space for displays and artifacts, secure and temperature controlled archival space, and admin space to manage records and conduct business. Currently, some of the Executive members are storing materials and shelving in their homes.
HEIRS was encouraged that there is a 1,400-square-meter addition planned for the Community Centre through the Harrow Fairgrounds Master Plan concept design. Though it is planned primarily for gymnasium use and office space. She asked HEIRS be considered for the future facility space planning activities.
Monica Carruthers, President of Heritage Colchester – which leases the former Colchester Schoolhouse from the Town of Essex, was established five-years ago and has 28 dedicated members. It became affiliated with the Ontario Historical Society to attain its non-profit status. Its members worked diligently to become a registered charity and encourage the designation of the Colchester Schoolhouse.
It contributes to tourism of the area by offering live theatre events in cooperation with the University of Windsor and the popular outdoor monthly markets during the warmer months. Since the beginning of the markets, which began in 2021, Heritage Colchester has welcomed thousands of visitors, which supports local wineries, business, and recreation.
It relies on neighbouring Christ Church for the washroom facilities, as they do not yet have an occupancy permit.
“The Town of Essex gets great value from Heritage Colchester’s ongoing participation in educational and heritage pursuits, all while working to help restore the beautiful schoolhouse, which has been described as a significant heritage building, not only in Essex but in Ontario,” Carruthers said.
She pointed out there are four heritage groups outlined in the report, two in Essex Centre, two from Harrow and Colchester. The two in Harrow/Colchester have around 100 more members than the two in Essex Centre. However, the Essex Centre groups received around nine-times the funding as the Harrow/Colchester groups. She wondered if there was a formula for that. She would not want to see anything taken from the other groups.
CAO Kate Giurissevich noted there is no formula for that. Some are funded by grandfathered by-laws, others by new ones, and others by Community Partnership Grant requests.
Morely Bowman of Heritage Essex spoke of how his group has been around since the 1990s. Since the original agreement has been signed to maintain the facility, the funding it receives has been increased slightly.
As he was on Council when the arrangement was made in having Heritage Essex maintain the train station for the Town, Bowman said it was cheaper to do it this way than the Town hiring an employee. He said it has been a great working arrangement.
“It’ s been a real work in progress,” he said, noting the Station is open for 32-hours a week on an ongoing basis. The focus is to keep it open for functions and those coming through the municipality. It hosts the annual model train show as a fundraiser, attracting visitors from all over. Heritage Essex also works with other groups, such as attending the Heritage Colchester markets.
Heritage Essex is also having issues with storing items that become available to it. He spoke of the importance of preserving the relics of the past.
In response to Carruthers’s comments on Essex Centre’s heritage group funding, Laurie Kowtiuk President of ECHRS, noted her group gets no town funding at all. It received funds through the Community Partnership Fund a few years back for archival books. Its members do what they can to keep the organization going.
ECHRS keeps land deeds for much of Essex County and Kent County, as well. Members do family and property research. When ECHRS first started in 2007, it needed a larger space as it already had a lot of land deeds, and there was no choice but to get something big to begin with.
Councillor Rodney Hammond spoke of the historical significance of Colchester as an early settlement area, and noted the work heritage groups do to preserve that rich history. He would like to see Heritage Colchester and HEIRS combine efforts. He believes the two could probably do better at getting government funding if they worked together. That would be up to the two groups to think about.
Councillor Jason Matyi thanked Bondy for bringing this forward. He doesn’t want to see the groups pitted against each other, but would like to find a fair way for the Town to fund them all.
Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais did not like to hear the divide between Essex and Harrow/Colchester. It is disheartening. She noted they were looking at funding for one-year in the report, which didn’t detail what it was for.
She said all groups do good work, and she loves what they do. Everyone needs something. It is about working together and getting everybody a little bit of what they are looking for.
She liked Hammond’s idea of working together.
Councillor Kim Verbeek was also grateful for the work the heritage groups do. What pops out to her from the report, there are nearly 200 volunteers between the groups working on behalf of the community to preserve history.
