The town clerk should prepare. She’s about to get slammed.

Shaw Festival’s 600 employees plus its 350 volunteers are being instructed to flood local politicians with templated emails and letters in support of tearing down the Royal George Theatre and replacing it with an $85-million Fat George complex. Five buildings will be demolished. Construction will grind on for three years. Half an Old Town residential block will be industrialized. Iconic Queen Street forever altered.

Shaw’s leadership is biting back at critics who believe erecting a five-storey-tall, 51,000-square-foot building with loading docks, rehearsal hall, event spaces and a café is, well, seriously over the top. “Rebuilding the theatre is something we’ve spent many years planning and developing,” the Festival says, “so we’re thrilled that it’s finally happening. Niagara-on-the-Lake deserves a world-class Royal George Theatre, and we’re determined to deliver just that.”

But the Royal George is not being “rebuilt” as the Festival keeps branding it. The century-old structure is being erased. Its replacement will be far larger, taller, wider, glassier and, some fear, wildly out of touch with what’s made NOTL special.

Immediate neighbours are apoplectic. Business owners and operators in the hood are calling it “obscene” and “tone deaf.” The nascent NOTL Residents’ Association labels this, “an enormous new construction in the very heart of the Queen Picton Heritage District and needs to find better architectural symmetry with the surroundings.”

The group supports the Shaw (like most of us), but worries this monster, funded in part with $35 million in Ontario tax cash, could become another wedding venue, while looking like a Mississauga outlet mall. “Art is the celebration of imagination, creative talent and innovation and there is a need to modify the building’s currently stark architectural aesthetics with an eye to art itself exclusive of basic engineering standards.”

Shaw says it has worked and planned harmoniously with neighbours. They say phooey.

On Canada Day, these neighbours petitioned the province to stop this theatrical complex. “Approval of the current plans as presented will have an irreversible impact on the historic landscape of the town,” they say to the minister of tourism.

“We have additional concerns regarding the tourism flow during the three plus years of construction, the long-term impact to local identity, integration with existing small businesses and overall community cohesion, which are also worthy of additional review and discussion.”

The immediate property owners and businesses ask for protection under the Heritage Act, for oversight of the project funded by the unusual Ontario grant and to prevent any demolition or approvals until existing heritage laws and goals are adhered to.

“We have the moral duty to protect Niagara-on-the-Lake Heritage District from irreversible and precedent setting change.”

But the Shaw pushes forward. Last week boss Tim Jennings and artistic director Tim Carroll took space in this paper to say, “Since the site plan for the rebuild of the Royal George Theatre became public last week, we’ve been overwhelmed by messages of support, encouragement, and excitement from across the community.”

Then Melissa Novecosky, associate executive director, urged Shaw volunteers to get involved, telling them: “We’ve been overwhelmed by messages of support, encouragement, and excitement from across the community … Thank you to all of you who took the time to write to Premier Ford and Lord Mayor Zalepa last year to show your support for The Shaw. Your efforts made an impact …”

Now festival employees are being directed to download a form letter, sign and forward it to the town’s clerk prior to the July 8 approval meeting.

The letter begins: “As a resident of Niagara, I am writing to express my support for the rebuild of the Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre.” And then this instruction: “[add a sentence or two about why are you excited about the rebuild of the Royal George and how you believe it will benefit you, your family & community. Think about things like a need for accessibility, environmentally sustainable building, and space to meet and gather together to enjoy theatre.]”

Meanwhile, back on Victoria Street and along Queen there is palpable fear that a hulking glass, concrete and fake-stone structure will spell the beginning of the end of heritage conservation.

“Old and unique is what brings people here,” David Jones, owner of 124 on Queen Hotel, tells me. “I don’t care what’s wrong with the damn theatre — there’s nothing $35 million can’t fix to save that building. Give me a break.”

Alas, poor George, they don’t want to save you. Shaw wants a showstopper.

Garth Turner is a NOTL resident, journalist, author, wealth manager and former federal MP and minister. garth@garth.ca