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The Ontario government rolled out a new Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., program Thursday, calling it a “modernized plan” to help Northern Ontario businesses with reopening the economy.
The application process for the program was on hold for some time as changes were made, said Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford.
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Rickford was joined on the virtual announcement by other MPPs in Northern Ontario, including Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli and Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller.
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A month-long online fundraising drive to create a year-round home for AlgomaTrad has raised more than $200,000.
Artistic directors Julie Schryer and Pat O’Gorman wanted to raise $300,000 for their project on St. Joseph Island, but say the $205,209 raised from 656 donors as of Thursday morning is a solid start with plans to raise the remaining dollars by early 2022.
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“We’re kind of astonished and astounded and blown away and gobsmacked,” O’Gorman told The Sault Star. “You can name any kind of superlative you want to, but we were blown away by the support. Blown away.”
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AlgomaTrad is ready to grow, after 16 years of building community and helping to share and celebrate traditional music, dance, art, and heritage craft. Julie Schryer and Pat OâGorman involved themselves in the traditional music and dance community long before they officially founded the organization in 2004. Schryer spent her youth playing piano alongside four of her brothers, all award-winning fiddlers, and has performed with many notable artists and taught at several schools and camps. OâGorman has played bagpipes for 53 years and wooden concert flute for 40, studying traditional music in Ireland, Brittany, and Cape Breton. He also has an impressive performance and teaching record. Both Schryer and OâGorman perform with the Brian Pickell Band, and The OâSchraves, a band made up of Schryer, OâGorman, their daughter Aine, and Schryerâs sons Zach and Benoit.