Letters to the Editor...Cinema owner was community-minded

Dear editor, As saddened as I am by the apparent loss of our movie theatres, I am also distressed at the level of discourse this has occasioned. Perhaps instead of calling our neighbour's names and offering to help them leave town, we should gratefully acknowledge what Mr. Edwards has given our community. When other smaller Ontario communities-- including for many years, Milton-- were losing their movie screens, he kept ours alive with as many as five first-run movies each week. Admission prices were far below those of the multiplexes in nearby cities. Indeed, an adult admission on Tuesdays was less than the price of the smallest buttered popcorn at Square One in Mississauga. Mr. Edwards has been community-minded, as others have noted, and I wish to add my thanks. His cinemas were available for special screenings for church groups and schools. In 2005 a theatre was made available to a former Georgetown District High School student to show a film he made. During at least three Christmas seasons, Mr. Edwards brought in cinematic holiday delights. It was a pleasure to see It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen and in 2002 when he had a new print of White Christmas he generously provided a table of Christmas baking as a treat for customers. But mostly, he gave us new pictures in our own community-- economically and accessible. I have enjoyed seeing movies since I moved here and hope I will do so again. I have no desire to see a multiplex in town, but if I had, I would be practical enough to realize that it won't appear in the foreseeable future. I hope our cinemas reopen and that the community will support them and then maybe it will be possible to make improvements in the theatres that some have wished for.