Pontiac Warden Jane Toller held a small press conference on Monday morning (April 4) to announce that she has purchased the Cinéma Lyn, located in downtown Fort-Coulonge at 526 rue Baume. She said that the old theatre hasn’t been used since around 2013, and recalled visiting for a show when she first moved to the Pontiac. The venue was owned by the Doyle family for years, and is named after the former owner’s daughter, Toller explained. She added that she’s been working on this project for about a year and a half.

Toller said that she hopes to show films in both English and French as well as live theatre productions once the facility is fully renovated. She said that she didn’t want to make any promises in regards to an opening date, but said that she was aiming for some time in May. She said she plans on using 100 seats, and will upgrade to a digital sound system and projector, adding that the exterior would need some sprucing up as well.

Toller plans to operate the theatre from May until the end of October. She said that it was both to save on heating costs during the winter and because of the population increase brought about by cottagers during these months.

Fort Coulonge Mayor Christine Francœur said that she was pleased the local venue would be re-opening, and jokingly advised Toller that she should use the same popcorn recipe as the Doyles.

Toller owns two other businesses in town, the clothing store Dépôt de Fort-Coulonge and the Spruceholm Inn, which features a restaurant, conference centre and bed & breakfast. She emphasized that this latest purchase was a personal investment, and no grant funding had been used.

The full audio of the press conference and subsequent media scrum can be found below: