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PM40050478 THURSDAY APRIL 9, 2020 AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO OUR READERS Dear Reader, We are publishing a resource page to help you stay connected to us during this time. We will post any important updates about your community newspaper to this website. For the past few weeks we have been bringing you all our fact-based reporting and information on the coronavirus pandemic to help you stay informed to better protect yourself, your family and your neighbours. If you do not have access to a computer, tablet or smartphone, you can call 1-833-440-7474 to listen to recorded updates. For reader updates, please keep a copy of this notice for easy reference: We remain committed to you, our loyal readers - and we want to make sure you continue to have access to your community news for accurate and timely news about what is happening in your community and around the world. Go To: waterloochronicle.ca/up- dates Like a lot of other arts and thea- tre organizations around the globe, K-W's MT Space had to cancel theK-W's MT Space had to cancel theK remainder of its season due to CO- VID-19. That meant cancelling a tour to Turkey and Morocco this summer that would have hired just over a dozen artists. "It meant cancelling our school programs, which meant that we couldn't hire our local artistic asso- ciates, and it also meant cancelling some of the community arts pro- jects that we had," said artistic di- rector Pam Patel. "There were a lot of people that would have been on contracts and been employed by us, even in the next few months." The same goes for other local groups, including Neruda Arts that had to postpone its Arpillera Quilting Workshop that was sup-Quilting Workshop that was sup-Q posed to run in March and April at the EcoCafe in St. Jacobs. The annual Kultrun Music Fes- tival in Victoria Park this July is al- so at risk. Neruda's artistic director and founder Isabel Cisterna had ap-founder Isabel Cisterna had ap-f proached Patel to start a campaign to support local artists to help bridge gaps, Patel explained, not- ing that many artists don't qualify for traditional government assis-for traditional government assis-f tance and programs like employ- ment insurance. "All of a sudden, they're out of work and not every organization is capable of paying their fees." A GoFundMe campaign called K-W Artists -- Plan B aims to helpK-W Artists -- Plan B aims to helpK artists in the Waterloo Region get 'FILLING THE EMPTY SPACE' BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.cabjackson@kitchenerpost.cab While unable to entertain crowds, many artists have no way of collecting any income. Justin Greaves/Metroland #FINANCIALWELLBEING: CAMPAIGN TO HELP BRIDGE GAPS, NO STRINGS ATTACHED See PLAN, page 2 Thank you to everyone supporting our Heath Care system 519-886-2360 ext 6241 • Suite 201 - 80 King St S, Waterloo, ON N2J 1P5 • www.mceachniematthewsgroup.ca Trademarks, including IG Private Wealth Management are owned by IGM Financial Inc. and licensed to its subsidiary corporations Investors Group Financial Services Inc. ###FINANCIALWELLBEING