As published by The Journal Pioneer on February 24, 2011
The City of Charlottetown is the best place to locate the Prince Edward Island Provincial Museum, says the capital's deputy mayor, Stu MacFadyen.
“We have to see the big picture – this is a museum for all of Prince Edward Island,” MacFadyen said.
The provincial government has said the museum should be located in a central part of the Island.
“When Samuel Holland surveyed the Island in 1765 he recommended the Capital City should be in the centre of the Island. You can’t get any more central than Charlottetown, right in the middle of the island,” MacFadyen said in a media release.
The museum should be located in the province’s capital city, he added, where thriving cultural institutions such as Confederation Centre of the Arts, are located.
“The museum should be in the cultural cluster, where there can be spinoffs and groups can work together, begin to hum together and get their creative juices flowing. A provincial museum can’t be in isolation.”
The 500 Lot area of Charlottetown – known for its historical function and built character and of tremendous complexity – is the heart and soul of the city, where iconic architectural landmarks define its image and the impression on thousands of visitors is ultimately shaped.
“More than any other district in the city, if not the province, the 500 Lot area is a broadly treasured and shared amenity,” MacFadyen said. “It’s a capital city’s responsibility to be the home of a museum detailing its province’s history.”
Summerside made its proposal to host the museum to the Province last year and Mayor Basil Stewart said the city's position has not changed.
"They're welcome here with a new museum and that we feel we're fairly central," he said. "We had all kinds of reasons to why we think it should be here, the same as any other community on the Island. It's our responsibility to make a presentation for something that's going to happen on P.E.I."
Harry Holman, director of culture, heritage and libraries with the Department of Tourism and Culture, said there is still much interest in the project that was proposed two years ago.
"The whole project is very much still alive but it hasn't moved to a decision-making stage at this point," Holman said earlier this month.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Provincial museum talk just that so far
Editorial Published on February 16, 2011 by The Guardian
Let's hope Islanders hear more than vague promises during the fall election campaign
Let's hope Islanders hear more than vague promises during the fall election campaign
Any discussion among heritage-minded Islanders on the topic of a provincial museum always ends the same way - on a down note.
The idea of building an Island museum has been around for years. And it's an idea that everyone appears to support.
But in spite of all the support, not only have we not finished the project, we haven't even gotten to the start line.
One of the main stumbling blocks, one common throughout the province's history, is finding the money to build a museum. Some estimates say it will cost in the range of $40 million or more.
Tapping an adequate source of money is important because if there is another thing everyone agrees on, it's the fact the museum must be built properly the first time around. We'll get one shot at it, unlike a tricky chowder recipe that can be tried over and over again until it tastes just right. In culinary terms, the museum needs to taste and look right as soon as it comes off the stove.
The topic of a provincial museum came up recently in Summerside. Mayor Basil Stewart, always on the hunt for positive additions to his city, would like to see the museum located there.
Harry Holman, director of culture, heritage and libraries with the provincial Department of Tourism and Culture, says while the museum project is very much alive, it hasn't moved to a decision-making stage.
He added it's not just Summerside that is pining for the museum, a number of other communities are as well.
Speaking on May 25, 2007, Liberal Leader Robert Ghiz said if elected he would begin "a comprehensive planning process dedicated to creating a new Prince Edward Island museum worthy of our beautiful province."
He promised a Liberal government would consult with Islanders to explore options for a museum. To be fair to the Liberals, they have consulted, in the sense the government commissioned a museumreport that outlined a number of options. All the options would carry a heavy price tag.
And that's where things now stand. Everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. It might be an infusion of federal money to help the province celebrate the150th anniversary of the historic 1864 Fathers of Confederation meeting or, better still, it might be a firm commitment and timeline from a provincial government.
Islanders can expect to hear lots of talk about an Island museum during this fall's provincial election campaign. When the topic comes up, Islanders should push for more than rhetoric. The Liberal promise four years ago was vague and so have been its actions on the issue.
In today's world it is as easy to communicate with someone on the other side of the world as it is someone in this province. In fact, in some instances it is easier.
It's also easy for our younger generations to become disconnected with Prince Edward Island's past, caught up as they are in everyone else's history and news. A vibrant museum dedicated to celebrating our proud and colourful past would go a long way towards fighting that disconnect.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Design of provincial museum still being discussed
Published on February 8, 2011
The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE – The idea of a provincial museum is still being discussed but when it will be built, where it will be built and what it will look like, has yet to be determined.
Harry Holman, director of culture, heritage and libraries with the Department of Tourism and Culture, said there is still much interest in the project that was proposed two years ago.
“The whole project is very much still alive but it hasn’t moved to a decision-making stage at this point,” Holman said. “There have been a number of communities who have expressed an interest.”
Summerside was one of those communities that made its proposal to the Province last year and Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart said the city’s position has not changed.
“We presented our situation to the minister and I think he understands that we are very interested in having it here in Summerside,” Stewart said. “Our oar’s in the water and we’ll just have to wait and see.”
That wait could be another six years before a provincial museum comes about.
“We haven’t put a formal proposal to the federal government so we don’t know whether they’re interested or not,” said Holman. “They are going to be involved in some sort of legacy for the 150th anniversary of the Confederation Conference and this is one of the options that hold some possibilities (for an injection of federal government funding).”
He added, “Summerside has made its pitch and the city put forward a good case.”
The cost of the project has been at the centre of the discussions.
The initial proposal came back with an extremely high price tag, in excess of $50 million. Government representatives believed it was “somewhat larger than the community had anticipated such a facility would cost,” Holman said.
Other options are now being examined.
“What we were asked to do is look at a couple of different options and possibilities to see where there were alternatives and where we would still end up with the three essential pillars. One is the exhibition space, which is what most people think of when they think of the museum, but that’s really only the tip of the iceberg. The whole collection storage piece is an extremely important part of that and the ability to do programming in association with the museum.”
The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE – The idea of a provincial museum is still being discussed but when it will be built, where it will be built and what it will look like, has yet to be determined.
Harry Holman, director of culture, heritage and libraries with the Department of Tourism and Culture, said there is still much interest in the project that was proposed two years ago.
“The whole project is very much still alive but it hasn’t moved to a decision-making stage at this point,” Holman said. “There have been a number of communities who have expressed an interest.”
Summerside was one of those communities that made its proposal to the Province last year and Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart said the city’s position has not changed.
“We presented our situation to the minister and I think he understands that we are very interested in having it here in Summerside,” Stewart said. “Our oar’s in the water and we’ll just have to wait and see.”
That wait could be another six years before a provincial museum comes about.
“We haven’t put a formal proposal to the federal government so we don’t know whether they’re interested or not,” said Holman. “They are going to be involved in some sort of legacy for the 150th anniversary of the Confederation Conference and this is one of the options that hold some possibilities (for an injection of federal government funding).”
He added, “Summerside has made its pitch and the city put forward a good case.”
The cost of the project has been at the centre of the discussions.
The initial proposal came back with an extremely high price tag, in excess of $50 million. Government representatives believed it was “somewhat larger than the community had anticipated such a facility would cost,” Holman said.
Other options are now being examined.
“What we were asked to do is look at a couple of different options and possibilities to see where there were alternatives and where we would still end up with the three essential pillars. One is the exhibition space, which is what most people think of when they think of the museum, but that’s really only the tip of the iceberg. The whole collection storage piece is an extremely important part of that and the ability to do programming in association with the museum.”
Monday, February 7, 2011
Charting a Course: The Study of Heritage on P.E.I.
The study conducted for the Province of PEI recently called Charting a Course: The Study of Heritage on P.E.I. is posted on-line. One can only hope that the important recommendations that it makes will not languish in cyberspace for too much longer.
Clearly this is the time for action on things like the Natural History mandate of our provincial museum system. The consultants put the issue into perspective when they wrote:
Clearly this is the time for action on things like the Natural History mandate of our provincial museum system. The consultants put the issue into perspective when they wrote:
Related to the lack of a lead facility, and again recognized by most of the museum consultants, has been the neglect of the ‘natural heritage’ part of the provincial museum’s mandate. In response to Dr. Lemieux’s recommendation for the creation of a natural history museum, in 1987 Barbara MacDonald and the Natural History Museum Advisory Committee made fourteen recommendations on the subject to the PEIMHF. None was realized, and today the state of our natural heritage remains a major concern.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Natural History Component of our Provincial Museum System
Recently a scientific report was published in The Island Magazine which indicated that
The same report indicated that 608 new species in one family of insects were recently located in PEI that had never been previously recorded. This was simply a matter of lack of research in the past but indicates broadly the lack of knowledge that currently exists. It is becoming increasingly important to establish biological benchmarks to measure when there are changes caused by climate change and/or the arrival of invasive species. These benchmarks could also be used in the development of effective conservation and management strategies in the future. Therefore, it is of great importance that these benchmarks are established through research, which is a key function of a provincial museum.
Increasingly the value of scientific research is being appreciated as fundamental for any jurisdiction yet we remain the only province in Canada where there is no scientific capacity within the provincial museum related to our natural history. Leaving such significant documentation solely to volunteers is simply not appropriate.
Simply put - we need action from our government to establish and staff the natural history component of our provincial museum system.
“the insect fauna of Prince Edward Island is the most poorly documented of any province in Canada.”At a time when biodiversity is becoming an important global issue, in many cases we are simply unaware of what organisms currently exist on the Island.
The same report indicated that 608 new species in one family of insects were recently located in PEI that had never been previously recorded. This was simply a matter of lack of research in the past but indicates broadly the lack of knowledge that currently exists. It is becoming increasingly important to establish biological benchmarks to measure when there are changes caused by climate change and/or the arrival of invasive species. These benchmarks could also be used in the development of effective conservation and management strategies in the future. Therefore, it is of great importance that these benchmarks are established through research, which is a key function of a provincial museum.
Increasingly the value of scientific research is being appreciated as fundamental for any jurisdiction yet we remain the only province in Canada where there is no scientific capacity within the provincial museum related to our natural history. Leaving such significant documentation solely to volunteers is simply not appropriate.
Simply put - we need action from our government to establish and staff the natural history component of our provincial museum system.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)