Artifactory future rests with new Liberal government

STEVE SHARRATT The Guardian June 7, 2007
Northumberland Development Corporation chair says he'll present case once cabinet named

MURRAY RIVER — The financing was in place, the land was ready for construction and the tender was days away from being awarded, but an artifactory to store the antiquities of the Island’s past could be history here.

Former Premier Pat Binns was preparing to turn the sod at the building site when a provincial election late last month ended the Conservative dream of a fourth term.

And now the project — which raised considerable controversy in the capital city — is in the hands of a new Liberal administration.

“Right now we’re just biding our time and waiting for the new government to make a decision,’’ said Jamie Richards, chair of the Northumberland Development Corporation which has already invested $250,000. “But as soon as a cabinet is appointed we’ll be taking our case to them.”

The provincial artifactory was announced earlier this year by the Conservative government as a place to house and display some of the more than 80,000 items of historical significance now being stored in the West Royalty Industrial Park.

The $4.9-million project also included a retail and boutique attachment as a way to stimulate more summertime business in this quiet fishing village.

But while the relocation bid was applauded by the P.E.I. Heritage Foundation, it drew the ire of other heritage buffs who insisted Murray River was too far off the beaten track and the province should be building a provincial museum instead in the capital city.

“We have all our ducks lined up on this one and we can only hope that the new administration will look favourably on our plan,’’ said Richards.

During the election, Liberal leader Robert Ghiz said he would put a moratorium on the artifactory and seek wider consultation before confirming construction plans.

A spokesman in Ghiz’s office said no decisions would be made until Ghiz is sworn in sometime next week and a new cabinet meets.

Richards expects the lobbyists who protested the artifactory relocating here will be out in force, but insisted the area development corporation is not giving up — especially having invested $250,000 in the project with land purchase, demolition and preparatory architectural work.

Comments:


1.
Richelle from Charlottetown, PE writes: This is a very misleading article and I feel the writer is definately not presenting an objective piece of journalism. From what I read the relocation was not applauded by the Heritage Foundation. The builing of a facility was. The heritage foundation was forced into the decision because theywere told it was this or nothing. Perhaps money shouldn't have been spent until a consultation process was enacted. Lets hope these behind closed doors projects of the conservatives are over.
Posted 07/06/2007 at 1:22 pm |

2.
Steve from PEI writes: Richelle, you think the closed door projects are bad. Ghiz won't have to do anything behind closed doors because everything, like the artifactory, will be put in Charlottetown because everybody in there thinks that they should get it all. Bunch of greedy townie's i tell ya!
Posted 08/06/2007 at 11:20 am |


3.
Alex from Montague, PEI writes: I don't have a problem with artifact storage taking place in a location like Murray River but I think it would make the most sense to have it co-located with a provincial museum.

New Brunswick's provincial museum is in Saint John, which is historically more important than Fredericton. I'm not sure if an argument can be made that Summerside is more historic than Charlottetown.

Perhaps if we look to the Mi'kmaq occupancy of this island but from a practical point of view, Charlottetown does make the most sense for a provincial museum.

I like to see structures get re-used and expanded, so the soon-to-be-vacant Dominion Building would be ideally suited for this, with room off back toward Pownal Street to house a re-located Public Archives and Records Office, along with an artifactory and a multi-floor museum on the Queen Street side.

As for what you mention with centralization of government services....

I agree that de-centralization, while a bit more costly initially, it actually works to the advantage of governments federally and provincially since it keeps rural communities like Souris, Morell, Murray River, Kensington, Alberton, O'Leary, and Tignish alive as small regional centres, giving a good reason to maintain the sometimes-expensive government services such as schools and health care.... BUT, the real estate is cheap and I'm willing to bet that gov't would end up in the positive on overall multi-year operating costs of offices in these locations.

Perhaps if we saw smaller, self-contained branches or operating agencies of different gov't departments parcelled out to these communities, we'd strengthen the provincial economy while improving costs and services?

I do think that Robert should offer something such as a relocated gov't office to Murray River since they have been banking on this development.

But I think the museum should go to Charlottetown and it's not a town vs. rural thing at all, it just makes sense in this case.
Posted 08/06/2007 at 12:42 pm