Thunder Bay Venue the Apollo Facing Eviction
now is the time to stand up and fight for them
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO ~~ October 8, 20212 (LSNews) The Apollo, a long-running venue in Thunder Bay, ON, is facing imminent closure and is seeking to raise money to save the space.
The campaign notes that the owners, mother Constantina Stathopoulos and daughter Sheila Stathopoulos, were victims of fraud in the 2000s. The two have also faced medical struggles: Sheila had stage 3 ovarian cancer and experiences daily chemotherapy fatigue, while Constantina has Alzheimer's.
The family previously owned two family homes and had shares in a handful of businesses, but the Apollo is their final property. They do not have any savings, as all their money reportedly went towards utility bills while the venue was closed during COVID-19 lockdowns. An hour-long video, embedded below, details the Stathopoulos family's financial struggles in Sheila's words. A separate 40-minute video with Constantina tells the story of the venue and its financial issues.
Check out the
GoFundMe page here.
The Apollo previously was listed for sale back in 2013. The venue is known for putting on shows as well as hosting touring bands in its adjoining rooms. Notably, Vancouver band Apollo Ghosts took their name from an experience staying at the venue.
Dear Members of Parliament, It is with great disappointment that I write to you, as the city council of Thunder Bay supports the demise of one of the most important venues on the Canadian touring circuit, a venue that has provided a place for artists touring across Canada to play while contributing a great deal to the cultural landscape of Thunder Bay, a place that many hold dear to their hearts and a city landmark for many decades. They choose money over people, they choose profit over culture, they choose taking from the hard working business owners to line the pockets of the politicians’ favourites. It seems that money is more important to them than reputation as the cut-throat politics of the city has now been plastered across the country in one of the top music magazines in Canada:
While banks and multi-million/billion dollar businesses are bailed out by the government, the government leaders prey on the small business owners to line the pockets of the rich. When the Apollo finally has potential lenders lined up and only needs a few extra days to finalize everything and save the venue, the city has the audacity to not give them a little more time and show some compassion at a time when citizens are struggling and we need to all band together and show each other support. The city chooses to toss an elderly woman and her daughter, who have endured many hardships over the last few years and are still dealing with major health issues, out of their home that they have owned for 60 years, who are not a burden to the government, throwing them out on the street without any compassion or respect for the family, who has contributed so much to your city and provided a welcoming place for people to gather and celebrate.
I hope the city leaders are proud of themselves for destroying culture and perpetuating profit over people. As members of parliament in Thunder Bay, you have a voice in the community; you can do something to help make things right, to restore the integrity of the city leadership and to stand for truth and justice.
Maybe the show of support for the Apollo from the many who have signed the petition and have written to you will appeal to your hearts and you’ll choose to support hard working business owners and give them a break like big businesses and the banks get from the government, using the money of taxpayers. It’s the majority, the people who have the power to vote you and the city councillors in or out, so think about that when the leaders' interests only lie in helping the wealthy. You and they work for the people, so maybe it's time to consider standing up for the people.
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-bill-mauro-of-thunder-bay-save-the-apollo
Please read the whole story about what is happening to this family
And see how the city of Thunder Bay has turned against time
If you have ever enjoyed the Hospitality of the Apollo now is the time to stand up and fight for them
Respectful on our part, offended by the city leaders, Signe Miranda Artist, Author, Canadian Citizen and Entrepreneur Richard M. Kiernicki Author, Mentor, Canadian Citizen and the Founder of TIME-EQUITY, challenging the existing systems
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