Testimonials

Don’t just take our word for it. Listen to what other people have to say about their commitment to the Trust and Ontario’s heritage.

Impact Statement 2023

Read our latest Impact Statement to learn more about how we are all making a difference to Ontario’s heritage.

Testimonials

“Doris would be thrilled to know that artists have the opportunity to live and work in a home she built and have gone on to create new art, writings and music, contributing to Canadian culture. It’s exactly as she would have wanted and she would be tremendously grateful that these residencies are being implemented with such sensitivity and vision by the Ontario Heritage Trust."

Beth McCarthy, niece of Doris McCarthy

Fool's Paradise exterior, Toronto, 2014 (Photo: Tony Hafkensheid) — Fool's Paradise exterior, Toronto, 2014
Photo: Tony Hafkensheid

Planning for the future

Doris McCarthy donated her Scarborough Bluffs property to the Ontario Heritage Trust with the goal that it become a place of inspiration for other artists. The Trust opened the Doris McCarthy Artist-in-Residence Centre in 2014.

Estate planning is more than signing a will. It’s about planning for the future, leaving something for loved ones and leaving your mark in life. It’s about legacies for your family, community and the world. It’s about making a difference.

By making a planned gift to the Trust, you can ensure that our heritage is conserved for the enjoyment, education and well-being of present and future generations. Planned gifts can be made in a range of ways, including donating life insurance and securities, making bequests, setting up charitable remainder trusts, creating an endowment fund, and many more options. Contact us, and together we can find the perfect way for you to leave a lasting legacy.

Endow a seat for a place in history

Naming a theatre seat is a unique way to celebrate a loved one and make a lasting contribution to the conservation of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre Create. Whether commemorating a birthday, anniversary, retirement or to honour the memory of a loved one, a tribute seat ensures that your theatre-lover will always be a part of this special venue.

Linda Atkinson has been a volunteer tour guide at the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres for over six years. In 2014, to show her appreciation for the site, Linda endowed 16 theatre seats in honour of loved ones. The Trust is grateful to Linda for her ongoing dedication and support of these beautiful theatres.

Tribute seats can be purchased in either the Elgin or Winter Garden theatres. Each seat is marked with a plaque inscription on the armrest. There is a range of pricing available, too, for which a tax receipt is provided.

Testimonials

“The Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards shine a light on the exceptional work young people do to shape the future and make their communities a better place. As a founding supporter of this initiative, we’re honoured to recognize Ontarians who create sustainable change each year.”

David Simmonds, Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Canada Life

2024 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards (Photo: Dahlia Katz) — 2024 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards
Photo: Dahlia Katz

Partnering for mutual success

The Ontario Heritage Trust works with a range of corporations and foundations to deliver programs that make a difference to people across the province. We have a presence in 85 per cent of Ontario’s municipalities and engage nearly one million Ontarians each year through our programs and activities — representing a great opportunity for corporate partners.

Canada Life supports the Trust’s Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Young Heritage Leaders

Testimonials

“This precious land holds ... wonderful memories and it means so much to have the Trust protect it in perpetuity in John’s memory. He was a wonderful man who loved nature and I feel great knowing that he will always be remembered.”

Mary Chong Greenwood

Gifts of property and conservation easements — Preserving heritage lands as a living legacy

The Trust offers property owners a number of options to ensure that their treasured heritage lands are preserved in perpetuity. By donating a property to the Trust, or by entering into a conservation easement agreement with the Trust, your land can become a living legacy, making a lasting contribution to the province for future generations.

Mary donated a 36-hectare (89-acre) natural property on the southern edge of the Thousand Islands-Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve to the Trust along with a cash endowment to support the management of the property. The John Edward “Ted” Greenwood Wildlife Sanctuary, named in memory of her late husband, provides habitat for various species of flora and fauna.

Ensuring that heritage lands are permanently protected is an invaluable way to save precious natural resources and endangered species. Through ownership and conservation easements, the Trust currently protects nearly 7,400 hectares (approximately 18,300 acres) of natural land from development and safeguards habitat for many of Ontario’s species at risk.

Testimonials

“Both Bryan and I have donated over the years to the Ontario Heritage Trust, but decided that the 100th anniversary celebrations [for the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre] warranted a larger donation. We were delighted to contribute to maintaining the legacy of the theatre centre and look forward to many more years of theatrical and cinematic pleasures within its doors.”

Bryan Davies and Andra Takacs

Scarab scenery flat at the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres

Finding projects that need support

Bryan Davies and Andra Takacs have supported numerous conservation projects at the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres over the years, including the campaign for its 100th anniversary in 2013.

They have also donated money to assist with the conservation of some of the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres' unique vaudeville scenery flats. One of the Theatres' greatest treasures, discovered during the restoration, is the world's largest collection of vaudeville scenery — hand-painted flats and drops dating from 1913. Several restored pieces, including the magnificent Butterfly and Scarab Scenery Flats, are displayed at the EWG.