Winter is typically a season of careful planning at Theatre Baddeck—quiet, steady, and even a little peaceful. This year, however, has brought an unexpected level of uncertainty. You may have seen recent news about Nova Scotia’s 2026/27 budget and the reductions to Arts and Culture funding. These changes have a significant and direct impact on our organization, affecting both our annual operating grant and future renovations at the Greenwood Arts Centre.

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Despite these challenges, there is still good news—and a path forward, if we can secure critical support. We have some big funding announcements to make today. Read on to learn more!

The Renovations at Greenwood
Last year, on time and on budget, we completed the first phase of renovations at our new home - the Greenwood Arts Centre. We also worked closely with Dillon Consulting and Shawn Bisson Design to create plans for the remaining work at this new cultural centre. These beautiful and scale renderings show what the centre will look like when we complete our renovations. 

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Big News from Victoria County Council
Completing this retrofit will require two more phases of work with a tentative completion date of spring 2028. Fulsome participation from our municipal, provincial and federal government will be critical to meeting this date.

We are so pleased to share that Victoria County Council was the first to commit to Phase Two with $225,000 earlier this year!

We are so grateful to them for their support and continued confidence - truly, nothing would be possible this year without them. If you live in Victoria County, please thank your councillor for their support of this renovation! We will have more announcements to make about government assistance in the coming weeks.

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Unfortunately, support from the provincial government for the Greenwood renovations is stalled. Since their enthusiastic participation in Phase One, the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage are cutting $14.3 million from their budget. As a result, we have had to find a path forward for Phase Two without this key partner.

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At first, this setback suggested we might need to pause work at Greenwood for more than a year. However, we recently received some fantastic news from a major local donor that has opened the door to a new way forward.

Major Donation News: John and Kathy Harrington have donated $65,000 to Theatre Baddeck!
Their generosity has made it possible for us to piece together a work plan for 2026/27 and keep the renovations going at Greenwood. Audiences will know John Harrington from his participation in Charles Dickens Writes A Christmas Carol in December 2025. He and his wife Kathy live in Nyanza and are great champions of Theatre Baddeck and our mission. We could not be more grateful for them and their support.

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We have received several other major donations in the past year. We will be highlighting those special supporters in the coming weeks so they get their own spotlight!

Phase Two Renovation Plans
From May 2026-March 2027, Theatre Baddeck will:

• Complete critical structural work

• Install a steel lighting grid

• Purchase a small percentage (10-20%) of the planned lighting and sound equipment suite

• Purchase the requisite equipment to start screening movies

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Our budget for this work is $400,000, which leaves $1.6 million of work remaining.

Phase Three Renovation Plans (2027-28)

• A 127-seat seating bank and the requisite structural work to support it

• A fourth washroom

• The remaining lighting, sound, projection equipment

• The drapery and other acoustic treatments to make this a properly functioning theatre with expanded backstage

• Improvements to the lower level

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How can you help?
Today, we are respectfully asking you to consider donating to Theatre Baddeck Society to assist in two key areas:

1. We need to raise $53,730 this year to cover critical operating expenses

• This amount represents  our budgeted private donations for 2026 and the 30% shortfall from provincial government support.

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2. We need to continue raising funds for the Doors Open Campaign to keep the Greenwood renovations moving

• As the design work comes into greater focus, our costing becomes clearer. We need to raise $160,000 between now and 2028 as Theatre Baddeck’s contribution to the funding partnership. Our current Phase Two work plan is based on the confirmed funding we have right now. But you could make a huge difference by making a donation today. Every dollar gets us closer to purchasing more equipment, adding more to the work list, and getting us closer to completing this hugely impactful centre.

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The impact of your donation
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce released a study this past October showing that for every $1 of federal government investment in Arts & Culture, $29 goes into the local economy. That same metric can be applied to support from donors like you. Your investment in us will result in economic activity and growth in Baddeck and Victoria County through a high quality cultural experience.