East Gwillimbury, ON, August 17, 2026 — Brian Johns, candidate for Mayor of East Gwillimbury, today announced a commitment to strengthen and formalize the Town's relationship with Sharon Museum and Gardens (SMG), and to plan responsibly for the preservation of East Gwillimbury's local history.
"Sharon Museum and Gardens isn't on the Town's balance sheet, but it is absolutely an asset to our community," said Johns. "It preserves our history, delivers cultural programming, and offers green space that makes East Gwillimbury a better place to live. That kind of partner deserves a relationship that's clear, sustainable, and built on respect, not one renegotiated year to year."
Johns committed to establishing formal agreements between the Town and SMG, including a clear framework for programming and use of the grounds, and a goods-and-services agreement documenting the municipal support SMG receives, ensuring full transparency for taxpayers. He committed to working toward a predictable annual funding agreement that gives SMG financial certainty while maintaining accountability, and to providing municipal leadership in support of SMG's capital fundraising campaign.
Johns was also clear that SMG should not be treated as the Town's municipal museum and pointed to a pressing deadline: beginning January 1, 2027, heritage designations that lapse across Ontario put local artifacts at risk. He committed to an interim arrangement with SMG to support artifact storage and cataloguing so that local heritage is protected.
"We have a responsibility to protect our history before it's lost," said Johns. "That means honouring the partner we have in Sharon Museum and Gardens."
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