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GUEST OPINION
PAMELA KORITANSKY
as published in The Guardian, March 24, 2009
I have returned to P.E.I. to raise a family after several years of being away. Since returning I have often heard it said that P.E.I. is the ideal place to raise a family. This has given me reason to wonder if this is really true.
My husband and I and our children recently took a trip to Portland, Maine and while there visited a "children's museum." The museum was an interactive discovery centre that engaged children in exploring and discovering lots of interesting things about the way the world works: how wind affects the movement of balls, how gravity affects different objects and what the inside of the space shuttle looks like. It afforded our children the opportunity to step inside a life-size fire engine and press buttons and see lights flash, to walk through a child-size storefront, take out money at an imitation ATM machine, pretend to be a veterinarian at the child-size clinic complete with stuffed animals in need of medical attention, and a tree for climbing, to mention only a few. It was a welcome place to visit as a family where we could explore and run around indoors on a cold February day. It was open every day, all day and offered a variety of really great programs for children of all ages.
My children are preschool-aged and I have found it difficult to find things to do with them and as a family here on P.E.I. We love being outdoors and enjoy all the excellent parks in Charlottetown, but often find ourselves "stuck" indoors due to weather that is too harsh for preschool children. We do enjoy visits to the CARI pool and the library, but apart from time and day specific playgroups there is no facility (to my knowledge) that families can visit together for children to run, play and discover.
It seems to me that as a family-friendly tourist destination, Charlottetown would be proud to add to its repertoire a state-of-the-art children's discovery centre that would beckon families to visit here year round. It would be an asset to many of the already popular Island festivals for families and children, and would not be dependent on the weather.
I just recently read the Island prosperity plan and couldn't be more convinced that an essential part of "creating a brighter future" and "investing in the people" is to build a place for children to explore, learn and discover. An interactive discovery centre or museum like the one I visited in Portland would promote creativity and a love of learning among Island children. The exhibits and displays could inspire Island children with ideas about renewable resources like wind energy and aquaculture innovations. I would love to see federal infrastructure money and provincial spending delegated to a project like this. With all the plans for a bioresearch park in place, perhaps the government should consider integrating an investment in the futures of Island children by committing to establish a children's discovery centre in Charlottetown as a part of this innovative plan.
The City of Charlottetown and the province would do well to put its heart, soul and resources into supporting a children's discovery centre because it would be an investment in the prosperity of Island families and that is an investment worth making.
A children's discovery centre would give families a destination to be together and "take 30 for the family." It would be an attraction for any family contemplating moving to P.E.I. as well as retaining Islanders who live here now and are starting their families. Not to mention the fact that this discovery centre could be a real meeting place for Islanders and newcomers alike to share in the joy and delight of their children learning and discovering together.
Where much can be said of P.E.I. being a great place to raise a family (relatively low cost of living, friendly, safe, etc...) we should not let that stop us from finding a way to make our Island even more family-friendly for residents and visitors alike.
Pamela Koritansky is a native Islander. After years of travel and study abroad, she came back to P.E.I. and earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science at UPEI in May 2003. She is currently a stay-at-home mother of two children, aged 2 1/2 years and six months.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Children's museum worth supporting
As published in The Guardian - March 26, 2009
Editor:
I wish to wholeheartedly agree with the views expressed in the guest opinion 'Give Island children, and visitors, a place to discover' (The Guardian, March 24, 2009)
I have long held the view that a children's science museum here on the Island would be magnificent legacy to the Island's children. It could be a place of intellectual exploration, an introduction to important basic scientific ideas, and an enjoyable learning and entertainment experience for all Island children.
I lived in Sudbury when Science North was developed, and visit grandchildren in Vancouver where there is always a visit to the Children's Science Museum on our schedule. These museums are staffed mostly by volunteer retired citizens who have backgrounds in science and engineering, and who are wonderful learning conduits for the children who attend.
A children's science museum - with both basic scientific displays and changeable exhibits - would be useful to every school class on the Island as well as a unique tourist feature during the summer months. This is an idea which looks to the future and would help all Island students. Advancing this as a public project would be a refreshing change from some of the tired and fruitless programs that are funded from time to time here on the Island.
Michael Ross (P. Eng, Retired),
Stratford
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The old, threadbare Dominion Building
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR as published in The Guardian, Feb 24, 2009
Editor:
The ease with which some folks are ready to spend other people's money can be breathtaking. Take, for example, the old Dominion Building.
Here's a dated structure that federal government tenants began abandoning years ago. There are rumours the old building is loaded with asbestos insulation. There is also talk the aged structure is unstable, which accounts for the braces on the exterior. An energy audit would almost certainly produce a failing grade. Despite these warning signs, there are some folks who want taxpayers to plow as much as $30 million into the salvage of this worn-out hand-me-down.
Here's the question. Is the Dominion Building worth saving? The architectural design is uninspiring. It can't qualify as a heritage property. And the structure has problems, which will be staggeringly expensive to fix.
By contrast, the estimated cost of demolition is about $2 million. Then what? Islanders can seize the opportunity to create something important and exciting and new on the site of something old and threadbare and lamentable.
Aubrey Bell,
New London
Editor:
The ease with which some folks are ready to spend other people's money can be breathtaking. Take, for example, the old Dominion Building.
Here's a dated structure that federal government tenants began abandoning years ago. There are rumours the old building is loaded with asbestos insulation. There is also talk the aged structure is unstable, which accounts for the braces on the exterior. An energy audit would almost certainly produce a failing grade. Despite these warning signs, there are some folks who want taxpayers to plow as much as $30 million into the salvage of this worn-out hand-me-down.
Here's the question. Is the Dominion Building worth saving? The architectural design is uninspiring. It can't qualify as a heritage property. And the structure has problems, which will be staggeringly expensive to fix.
By contrast, the estimated cost of demolition is about $2 million. Then what? Islanders can seize the opportunity to create something important and exciting and new on the site of something old and threadbare and lamentable.
Aubrey Bell,
New London
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A cultural complex in the Dominion Building
Opinion - as published in The Guardian on Feb 2, 2009
Now that the federal stimulus budget has been passed, let's not forget our government's promise of a new provincial museum. Since a potential location and edifice already exist in the form of the Dominion Building, the Island has a project that is far beyond 'shovel ready'.
The 176,000 square feet of this six-storey structure would provide an ideal location for a provincial museum of culture and nature, with space for a children's museum, as well as for the provincial archives and library. A purpose-built institution may be an ideal, but it would cost more and take longer to realize than recycling an older building.
Many successful museums and cultural complexes have been created in structures where money was spent not on their site or their construction but on their renovation. The Dominion Building's need of new windows, humidity controlled areas and a serious facelift are not unusual ones.
Successful renovations of older structures are too numerous to list but an exemplary one was the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa. The institution grew out of an old bakery made of steel and concrete to become one of Canada's most popular museums during the 1970s and 1980s. Others include a 19th-century prison recently integrated into Quebec's provincial art museum, and an old train station transformed into the Quai D'Orsay, one of the most talked about art galleries in Paris.
The large Dominion Building can accommodate a comprehensive museum, the provincial archives and library and their collections. Centralizing these institutions would facilitate synergies between archivists, curators and librarians and create much-needed efficiencies in space, equipment and personnel. The building could also support complementary educational and entertainment facilities for community and special events.
A cultural centre in a renovated space could work well for teachers, as object-based learning is an excellent complement to that found in schools. Partnerships between the Confederation Centre, the Arts Guild and the MacKenzie Theatre would facilitate the creation of a cultural cluster and in so doing increase educational, leisure and commercial activities for everyone.
The economic and socio-cultural impact of museums and libraries on the revitalization of cities is well documented. Examples include new museums and libraries in Copenhagen, London, Paris, Vancouver, Hull, Montreal and Quebec City. As more residents and tourists are drawn to these institutions, the surrounding neighbourhoods are transformed.
For Charlottetown, the creative use of the Dominion Building would do much more than help counter the flight of businesses from the downtown core.
The creation of a cultural complex and cluster in our capital will create an ambient area where people will converge, where creativity and knowledge will abound, and where business will thrive. As people learn more about the full scope of Island history, they would be directed to regional centres that possess additional artifacts and information concerning different facets of our past and present. A central cultural complex would act as a lead institution, providing leadership, as well as better access to advice, support and training for professionals and volunteers.
As Catherine Hennessey wrote in a recent article of The Island Magazine, people have been dreaming of and planning for a provincial museum since the 1880s. Isn't it time for our governments to seize the occasion to provide Islanders with a dynamic facility that connects them with each other, as well as to their pasts and future?
Now that the federal stimulus budget has been passed, let's not forget our government's promise of a new provincial museum. Since a potential location and edifice already exist in the form of the Dominion Building, the Island has a project that is far beyond 'shovel ready'.
The 176,000 square feet of this six-storey structure would provide an ideal location for a provincial museum of culture and nature, with space for a children's museum, as well as for the provincial archives and library. A purpose-built institution may be an ideal, but it would cost more and take longer to realize than recycling an older building.
Many successful museums and cultural complexes have been created in structures where money was spent not on their site or their construction but on their renovation. The Dominion Building's need of new windows, humidity controlled areas and a serious facelift are not unusual ones.
Successful renovations of older structures are too numerous to list but an exemplary one was the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa. The institution grew out of an old bakery made of steel and concrete to become one of Canada's most popular museums during the 1970s and 1980s. Others include a 19th-century prison recently integrated into Quebec's provincial art museum, and an old train station transformed into the Quai D'Orsay, one of the most talked about art galleries in Paris.
The large Dominion Building can accommodate a comprehensive museum, the provincial archives and library and their collections. Centralizing these institutions would facilitate synergies between archivists, curators and librarians and create much-needed efficiencies in space, equipment and personnel. The building could also support complementary educational and entertainment facilities for community and special events.
A cultural centre in a renovated space could work well for teachers, as object-based learning is an excellent complement to that found in schools. Partnerships between the Confederation Centre, the Arts Guild and the MacKenzie Theatre would facilitate the creation of a cultural cluster and in so doing increase educational, leisure and commercial activities for everyone.
The economic and socio-cultural impact of museums and libraries on the revitalization of cities is well documented. Examples include new museums and libraries in Copenhagen, London, Paris, Vancouver, Hull, Montreal and Quebec City. As more residents and tourists are drawn to these institutions, the surrounding neighbourhoods are transformed.
For Charlottetown, the creative use of the Dominion Building would do much more than help counter the flight of businesses from the downtown core.
The creation of a cultural complex and cluster in our capital will create an ambient area where people will converge, where creativity and knowledge will abound, and where business will thrive. As people learn more about the full scope of Island history, they would be directed to regional centres that possess additional artifacts and information concerning different facets of our past and present. A central cultural complex would act as a lead institution, providing leadership, as well as better access to advice, support and training for professionals and volunteers.
As Catherine Hennessey wrote in a recent article of The Island Magazine, people have been dreaming of and planning for a provincial museum since the 1880s. Isn't it time for our governments to seize the occasion to provide Islanders with a dynamic facility that connects them with each other, as well as to their pasts and future?
Terry Ruddel is a former curator of the National Museums of Canada and a former director of Museum Studies at the University of Toronto. He is presently working on the history of blacksmiths in Victoria.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Two projects worth supporting
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR as published in The Guardian, Jan 21, 2009
Editor:
It is not often that leaders like Premier Ghiz and Mayor Lee have a chance of a lifetime to make decisions that will be remembered for generations to come.
Two related concepts and projects are available to them that would leave a legacy far beyond the norm. The proposed concepts and projects are founded on desegregation over segregation, diversity over uniformity, and inclusion over isolation.
Project number one: build the provincial museum as a centrepiece on the experimental farm property which would be the first step in the development of an inclusive people's park with gardens, playing fields and outdoor venues for all ages, all economic levels, and all backgrounds and beliefs.
Project number two: reconstruct the Dominion Building into a variety of living spaces from large apartments to small studios. A people's co-operative where the traditional and non-traditional families reside side by side. A place with living spaces for young families and elderly citizens, and kids and pets. A home where wealth is measured by kindness rather than by dollars.
Infrastructure money should be applied to more than just roads. Let some of the funds be used to support projects based on societal needs.
Sterling Stratton,
Charlottetown
Editor:
It is not often that leaders like Premier Ghiz and Mayor Lee have a chance of a lifetime to make decisions that will be remembered for generations to come.
Two related concepts and projects are available to them that would leave a legacy far beyond the norm. The proposed concepts and projects are founded on desegregation over segregation, diversity over uniformity, and inclusion over isolation.
Project number one: build the provincial museum as a centrepiece on the experimental farm property which would be the first step in the development of an inclusive people's park with gardens, playing fields and outdoor venues for all ages, all economic levels, and all backgrounds and beliefs.
Project number two: reconstruct the Dominion Building into a variety of living spaces from large apartments to small studios. A people's co-operative where the traditional and non-traditional families reside side by side. A place with living spaces for young families and elderly citizens, and kids and pets. A home where wealth is measured by kindness rather than by dollars.
Infrastructure money should be applied to more than just roads. Let some of the funds be used to support projects based on societal needs.
Sterling Stratton,
Charlottetown
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Orwell Corner offers such a site
As Published by The Guardian Jan 10, 2008
Editor:
In response to Harry Baglole's letter in The Guardian on Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, 'Deja vu - all over again'.
He indicates that "a provincial museum should be located in a lovely natural setting, near woods or seashore and with ample parking in the vicinity for fleets of school buses."
One would wonder why he does not mention that such a site had been prepared at Orwell Corner, which I understand was the original planned location for this structure.
The land was cleared, a large parking lot was made and a new road was constructed. This site is in a lovely natural setting, has a picturesque view and has access to the Trans-Canada Highway.
Louise MacLeod,
Uigg
Editor:
In response to Harry Baglole's letter in The Guardian on Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, 'Deja vu - all over again'.
He indicates that "a provincial museum should be located in a lovely natural setting, near woods or seashore and with ample parking in the vicinity for fleets of school buses."
One would wonder why he does not mention that such a site had been prepared at Orwell Corner, which I understand was the original planned location for this structure.
The land was cleared, a large parking lot was made and a new road was constructed. This site is in a lovely natural setting, has a picturesque view and has access to the Trans-Canada Highway.
Louise MacLeod,
Uigg
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Déjà vu - all over again
As published in The Guardian - Jan 5, 2008
Editor:
The recent lobbying efforts by various Charlottetown folk to 'shoehorn' the provincial museum entity into a recycled Dominion Building contains, for me, a strong element of 'déjà vu'. In fact, it reminds me of the not-so-distant effort of the previous provincial government to provide a rationale for moving the artifactory to Murray River. In both cases, the facility (new or recycled) and locality came first; and the museum element was seized upon as a means to other ends, developmental and political.
But (attempting to put the horse before the cart), perhaps we should dare to think - to dream - more ambitiously. How about a brilliant purpose-built new building, designed by a modern-day William Critchlow Harris, and located in a lovely natural setting, near woods or seashore, and with ample parking in the vicinity for fleets of schoolbuses. There are, indeed, several such locations available in the Greater Charlottetown area.
Given the present economic down-turn and the stated intention of governments, pretty well everywhere, to 'spend' our way back to prosperity, there may never be a better opportunity to obtain major federal funding for such an undertaking. Suddenly, there's a lot of 'buzz' about large amounts of money becoming available for new buildings and 'infrastructure' generally.
Besides - I'm sure that creative minds can come up with other dynamic and appropriate culture-related purposes for the born-again Dominion Building.
Harry Baglole,
Bonshaw
Editor:
The recent lobbying efforts by various Charlottetown folk to 'shoehorn' the provincial museum entity into a recycled Dominion Building contains, for me, a strong element of 'déjà vu'. In fact, it reminds me of the not-so-distant effort of the previous provincial government to provide a rationale for moving the artifactory to Murray River. In both cases, the facility (new or recycled) and locality came first; and the museum element was seized upon as a means to other ends, developmental and political.
But (attempting to put the horse before the cart), perhaps we should dare to think - to dream - more ambitiously. How about a brilliant purpose-built new building, designed by a modern-day William Critchlow Harris, and located in a lovely natural setting, near woods or seashore, and with ample parking in the vicinity for fleets of schoolbuses. There are, indeed, several such locations available in the Greater Charlottetown area.
Given the present economic down-turn and the stated intention of governments, pretty well everywhere, to 'spend' our way back to prosperity, there may never be a better opportunity to obtain major federal funding for such an undertaking. Suddenly, there's a lot of 'buzz' about large amounts of money becoming available for new buildings and 'infrastructure' generally.
Besides - I'm sure that creative minds can come up with other dynamic and appropriate culture-related purposes for the born-again Dominion Building.
Harry Baglole,
Bonshaw
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