Response from the PC Party of Prince Edward Island

May 22, 2007

Question 1
Please indicate what your government would do to ensure that Prince Edward Islanders have the active provincial museum as mandated by the Legislature, that will study, collect, preserve, interpret, and protect the human and natural history of Prince Edward Island, and that sufficient funds and facilities to carry out its mandate will be provided.

Response: Protecting our past and celebrating our heritage has always been a priority for Islanders and the Pat Binns Government.
Our Government will construct a new Artifactory in Murray River to ensure that over 80,000 Island artifacts are stored in a safe and secure facility. The Artifactory will work closely with the 7 Provincial Museums and 26 Community Museums to ensure the history of Prince Edward Island continues to be presented in communities throughout PEI. The new facility will contain: Environmentally controlled space for artifact storage.

• Conservation workshops.
• Exhibition construction facilities
• Workspace for the Collection Registrar
• Exhibition space for temporary exhibits.

The history of Prince Edward Island is best shared by all Islanders. We will continue to ensure that the funding is there to properly display Island history. Increasing the budget for the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation from $800,700 in 2006-07 to $1,025,800 in 2007-08 and increasing the operating grant to the PEI Community Museums Association from $55,000 in 2006-07 to $90,000 in 2007-08, is a concrete example of that commitment. Over the years, we have also contributed to various projects including the investment of $550,000 towards the construction of the Agricultural Museum at Orwell Corner Historic Village in 2003.

Question 2
Please indicate what your government would do to ensure that Prince Edward Islanders have an opportunity to see both permanent and changing exhibitions of the current artifacts within the existing Provincial Collection.

Response: Collections management must always balance the sometimes competing goal of public education and the preservation of the artifact for future generations. We believe it is important for Islanders to have the opportunity to enjoy Island history and culture through the museum experience. Many of our museums such as Beaconsfield, Greenpark and Orwell Corner, serve as permanent exhibits that allow Islanders and visitors to immerse themselves in the past and glimpse what life was like for our early settlers. The continuous rotation of artifacts and exhibits adds variety to our museums, promotes interest and offers new perspectives, but also limits exposure to uncontrolled environments that compromise the physical integrity of the artifact. The new Artifactory will be a great asset to the PEI Museum and will provide much better conditions in which to store and conserve its collection while also delivering increased public exhibition space.


Question 3
As museum development requires solid planning, please indicate what your government would do to ensure that Prince Edward Islanders have a provincial museum development plan that fulfills the mandate granted by the Legislature.

Response: A Pat Binns Government looks forward to consulting with stakeholders and hearing the suggestions of all those in the public who share our goal of preserving and interpreting our Island’s rich heritage through the museum experience. We applaud the hard work done by the Friends of the PEI Museum and other like minded groups working to ensure that future generations of Islanders can also enjoy this cultural tradition.

Question 4
Many Islanders since 1880 have called for a centrally-located, adequately-resourced provincial museum building to tell the Island story (including natural history), exhibit the Island collection, and also to serve the various branches community museums and education system by creating exhibits to tour the province. Do you support this vision of a solid hub that can provide strength to the various spokes of a decentralized museum
system ?

Response: We believe that the PEI Museum and Heritage model of one museum with seven sites has been an effective way to preserve and exhibit the Island’s cultural and natural history. The team of professionals at the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, along its partners at the Community Museum Association, have done an excellent job preserving, conserving, and interpreting the Island’s heritage treasures within a system designed to take the greatest advantage of our rich history and small size. We look forward to the exciting time ahead. The construction of the new Artifactory will provide the surroundings and resources needed to manage the Museum’s collection. However, we are always interested in listening to proposals for changes to this model, including examining the concept of a single provincial museum site. The first step in this process would be the completion of public consultations and a business plan to determine viability.