A hometown hero hides the heritage

Editorial - The Guardian - Sept 25, 2006
The provincial artifactory is relevant to all Islanders, Premier Binns should think before putting it so far from most of them.

There's an argument to be made for moving government main offices and services to rural parts of the province. It's called spreading the wealth and opportunity around, and certainly rural Islanders are entitled to have their share.

But moving the provincial artifactory out of Charlottetown to Murray River? That's a wrong-headed idea, and hopefully government won't follow through with it.

Last week, Islanders learned that the province is considering moving the provincial artifactory to Murray River to anchor a major Main Street development. Not surprisingly, those involved in the project like the idea because it could become a key attraction in the region for both tourists and locals. Premier Pat Binns, who happens to be the MLA for the region, shares that sentiment. Here's what he said when The Guardian learned of the speculation that the artifactory might be moving to Murray River: "We feel there's a need for a facelift here and something that would help bring people to the area."

We can't fault the premier for wanting to bring economic development to the rural regions of the province, but moving the artifactory to that location just isn't the appropriate vehicle for that. It belongs in Charlottetown or at least in a community where it would be more centrally located and accessible to more visitors. Summerside might also be a suitable location because of the density of its population.

There's no question a new facility is needed. The artifactory, now located in the West Royalty Industrial Park, has been the subject of concern for years among those who feel the conditions of the facility are poor for storing precious heritage items. There were plans to move it to the expanded Orwell Corner Historic Village in 2004, but funding cuts prevented government from following through with that. Critics of that move breathed a sigh of relief when it fell through because they felt this collection of Island heritage should be more centrally located and accessible.

For this same reason, government should reconsider any plans to move this heritage treasure to Murray River. The artifactory is not a tool for economic development. It's a collection of an estimated 80,000 historical items that have been donated by Islanders over the years. At the very least, government should heed the advice of heritage activist Catherine Hennessey and hold off on a decision until it can conduct a review of province's heritage resources and decide on a future direction for them. According to Hennessey, next year would be an appropriate time for such a review because it'll be the 35th anniversary of the P.E.I. Heritage Foundation. Government should give serious thought to this suggestion before moving the artifactory.