East Gwillimbury, ON, August 31, 2026 — Brian Johns, candidate for Mayor of East Gwillimbury, today announced a commitment to preserve the Town's local heritage and invest in its cultural life, pairing a plan for a stand-alone East Gwillimbury Museum with new support for public art and community theatre.
Johns pointed to an urgent deadline. As of January 1, 2027, properties not formally designated on the Municipal Heritage Registry will be removed from it, and combined with generational change and housing turnover, he warned the community is at a tipping point.
"Once our artifacts, stories, and records are lost, they cannot be recovered," said Johns. "We are at a point where, without action, we risk losing the things that tell us who we are as a community. Heritage preservation cannot wait, and it shouldn't be left to chance or to others. It's a core municipal responsibility."
Johns committed to leading planning for a stand-alone East Gwillimbury Museum, supported by a responsible long-term funding strategy and delivered over time as the community grows. He committed to striking an East Gwillimbury Museum and Historical Committee to own the Town's heritage responsibilities, and to establishing a documented, accountable partnership with Sharon Museum and Gardens for interim artifact storage and cataloguing while the museum is planned.
Alongside preserving the past, Johns committed to investing in the Town's cultural future through public art and community theatre. He committed to creating a public art strategy with a dedicated funding approach, using spaces like vacant storefronts, parks, and civic precincts for rotating art displays, and commissioning works that reflect East Gwillimbury's history and identity. He also committed to working with the York Region District School Board on a performing arts space as part of a future East Gwillimbury high school, and to identifying municipal opportunities to host performances and community events.
"Preserving our history and celebrating our culture are two sides of the same coin," said Johns. "They're both about identity, about pride, and about who we are as a community. A growing town should grow not just in size, but in creativity and character."
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