The MLA for Kings North said he is “surprised” and “disappointed” by the comments swirling online around the library closures in the Annapolis Valley.
The Annapolis Valley Regional Libraries (AVRL) announced Monday that due to the lack of additional funding from the province in the 2026/27 fiscal year, they would be shutting down five branches next month.
In a statement on social media, John Lohr said “deliberately false information” is being shared about the closures being the result of provincial cuts and that the province has maintained the 71 per cent they have agreed to.
“Not only has our government provided that funding, we also provided additional funding in 2023, 2024 and 2025,” said Lohr. “Last year AVRL received an extra $93,000 on top of the $1,919,600 in this agreement.”
“The province did NOT cut funding.”
Buildings set to shut down by July 20 include Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Middleton and Port Williams.
Lohr says the decision to close these branches was made by the library board and the province has been “more than living up to the agreement and discussions were ongoing.”
In a statement on Monday, AVRL said the decision to close the locations was a “deeply difficult” one and although eight of their partner locations offered to chip in, which they were “deeply grateful” for, it was not enough.
“The long-term goal is to protect the library’s ability to continue serving the region by focusing resources on a sustainable library system that can support literacy, learning, digital access and community connection into the future,” said Lohr.
The branches that are not closing:
- Windsor
- Wolfville
- Berwick
- Kingston
- Bridgetown
- Annapolis Royal
For the next two weeks, all of their branches are closed as they work to restructure their operations.
-With files from Jacob Moore
