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STRATFORD VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 9
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OCTOBER 10, 2025
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Warriors to retire Indigenous logo after pushback AMANDA MODARAGAMAGE Times Reporter
After community members voiced concern over the return of an Indigenous-themed logo on one of their 50th anniversary jerseys, the Stratford Warriors will retire the design, according to an email obtained by the Times. The local hockey team unveiled a throwback lineup earlier this season, featuring jerseys from their past – including one bearing an “Indian Warhead” logo. The decision drew swift criticism from several residents, who called the imagery culturally insensitive. In an email to the Times, one community member wrote, “Many groups feel these logos are disrespectful and promote cultural appropriation. Many sports teams are removing this offensive logo. Why is the Stratford … hockey team returning this logo to their uniforms?” Local advocate Loreena McKennitt also reached out with her concerns after speaking to several local Indigenous community members. “I am interested to learn what the thinking was behind this decision, who made it and could it be reconsidered?” wrote McKennitt. “What I am aware of is that a few individuals who identify as Indigenous in this area were not aware of this decision and were taken aback by something which many thought had been settled as per the Ontario Human Rights Commission.” Mayor Martin Ritsma said that once he became CONTINUED TO PAGE 5
Members of the Wills and Prior team gather for a photo after taking part in the 2025 Stratford 5K Run/Walk. See the story on page 11.
(AMANDA MODARAGAMAGE PHOTO)
Jonathan Church looking forward to getting to know Stratford Festival and its audiences as artistic director GALEN SIMMONS
Regional Editor
Having just been announced as the Stratford Festival’s next artistic director, Jonathan Church is looking forward to immersing himself fully in the festival and getting to know its artists and audiences before he officially takes over the role from Antoni Cimolino in November 2026. Speaking with the Stratford Times just a day after his appointment was announced by the festival, Church – one of the most respected figures in theatre anywhere in the world – said he is excited to revisit his Canadian roots and
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carry forward the Stratford Festival’s mission of creating worldclass theatre for both Canadian and international audiences. “It’s simply one of the greatest theatre festivals and theatre complexes in the world,” Church said of the Stratford Festival. “When the job came up, how could I resist putting my hat in the ring? I’ve run a few companies and, although I currently run an independent theatre company, the thing that I realized I missed … is two things; it’s the sense of family you get working within a building, and that family is both the staff and artists working in the CONTINUED TO PAGE 2
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