The Southampton Cultural Heritage Conservancy or SCHC has scored a win in Ontario Superior Court against Bruce County.
In a news release issued May 26th, SCHC spokesperson Laura Robinson says Justice G. D. Lemon ruled the money wasted by SCHC should be paid back to the group because the county was late is releasing all of its documents to the group, to the point they were ready to present a new motion.
Robinson says the group wants to re-examine the witnesses now that they have the new documents.
She says the judge agreed with that as well and a new hearing will be held within the next 30-days.
The two witnesses are Bruce County Museum Director Cathy McGirr and County Clerk Donna Van Wyck.
The release states, “SCHC sought its costs thrown away after the county initially refused to disclose relevant documents causing SCHC to initiate a further motion to compel production, which the county opposed. Belatedly, the day the county had to file its evidence, it conceded the motion and produced two documents 72-hours after the SCHC needed them to properly cross-examine the county’s witnesses.”
This all revolves around the former Anglican Rectory at the corner of High and Victoria Streets.
Bruce County owns the land and wants to tear down the unserviced building for future development including expansion of the museum’s archive department.
The Heritage Conservancy maintains the Krug Brothers $500,000 trust to the county was violated when the county purchased the land and intended to tear down the former rectory.
Robinson says, “I feel like it’s time for the county to do the right thing and respect Mr. Krug’s will and to stop wasting so much public money fighting something that they know they’re wrong about.”
