ELK POINT – Elk Point Town Council has agreed to support the Elk Point Allied Arts Centre’s upcoming theatre season with a ,300 sponsorship, but the decision followed a lengthy discussion about spending public money, supporting community organizations, and recognizing municipal employees.

During its October 26 regular meeting, council approved a silver-level double-feature sponsorship covering two productions at the Don Conrad Theatre.

The sponsorship includes a reserved table of eight for each production, along with advertising in the event programs.

While councillors generally supported Allied Arts’ work, some questioned whether sponsoring the organization could create expectations for similar financial support from other community groups.

Supporting local arts while watching public spending

The discussion began with a suggestion to use the sponsorship as an opportunity to thank Town employees for their work throughout a challenging year.

Mayor Wanda Cochrane, who also serves on the Allied Arts Board, suggested inviting municipal office and public works employees to attend a production.

“Given the year that we’ve had, I would like to reach out to our office staff and our public works staff to see if any of them would want to attend,” Cochrane said.

She pointed to the additional responsibilities employees had taken on while dealing with flooding and other municipal challenges.

Councillor Sean Schaffrick suggested considering a gold-level sponsorship, with one table reserved for staff and the other potentially donated to another charitable organization for fundraising.

However, the conversation soon turned to whether council should be spending taxpayer dollars on the sponsorship at all.

One councillor raised concerns about setting a precedent that could lead other organizations to expect similar contributions.

“We do support, but it’s tax money and [we] have to be able to account for it,” a councillor said during the discussion.

Another point raised was the Town’s existing relationship with the Allied Arts Centre, with councillors acknowledging the municipality’s ownership interest in the facility.

That connection prompted discussion about how residents might perceive the sponsorship.

Council also reviewed the financial implications. Administration confirmed the contribution would come from the Town’s grants-to-organizations budget, which had $6,950 remaining from its original $8,400 allocation for 2026.

A thank-you for Town employees

Despite the concerns, councillors continued exploring ways the sponsorship could benefit municipal staff.

Suggestions included allowing employees to attend with their spouses or providing individual tickets to accommodate as many employees as possible.

One councillor noted that providing 16 individual tickets would recognize more employees than offering eight tickets with accompanying guests.

Council ultimately agreed to work out the details of ticket distribution later, allowing the sponsorship decision to move forward.

After considering the $1,600 gold double-feature package, council settled on the $1,300 silver double-feature sponsorship.

Councillor Tim Smereka moved the motion, which carried.

Two productions coming to the Don Conrad Theatre

The Elk Point Allied Arts Centre is preparing two productions for its 2026–2027 season.

Nana’s Naughty Knickers, a comedy about a young law student who discovers her grandmother’s unexpected home-based business, will run November 28 and December 4 and 5, 2026.

The spring production, Little Shop of Horrors, will take the stage March 5, 6, 12 and 13, 2027, in partnership with the Elk Point Community Choir.

According to the sponsorship proposal, contributions will help cover set construction and marketing costs, while ticket proceeds support the maintenance and improvement of the volunteer-operated community venue.

For council, the final decision balanced supporting an important community organization with remaining mindful of how municipal dollars are spent.

Although council approved the sponsorship, it has not finalized how the tickets included in the package will be distributed.