Mayor says province, Ottawa clear there will be no built legacy for anniversary.
It still doesn’t look like Charlottetown is getting a dime from Ottawa to build a lasting legacy as part of the 2014 celebrations.
The city will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference where the Fathers of Confederation met to set the groundwork that led to the birth of Canada as a nation.
There’s been loads of speculation about what the 2014 celebrations will entail, with most of the media attention focusing on big-ticket items like a provincial museum and/or a new multi-purpose arena.
Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee says even though the federal government has just announced it will create a new Build Canada Fund infrastructure program — the last one was $33 billion for cities and towns — he isn’t getting any indication there will be truckloads of money coming down to pay for anything lasting for 2014.
“My understanding, at this point in time, is that the federal and provincial governments have clearly indicated that there will be no built legacy constructed to commemorate the 2014 celebrations,’’ Lee said.
“As discussions move forward, the federal government may loosen the purse strings but the position today of the governments are that there will be no built legacy.’’
The Confederation Centre of the Arts, for example, was a built legacy project, constructed in 1964 to celebrate the 100th anniversary.
Lee was hoping 2014 might bring something similar.
“I certainly was hoping in 2014 that we could quite possibly look at a provincial museum in the capital city (but) no other level of government has an interest in that and certainly it isn’t a project the city would even consider (paying for) on our own.’’
A local committee has been set up to lead the 2014 celebrations but specifics on what the celebrations will feature hasn’t been divulged yet although there are public consultations ongoing.
“I am proceeding with 2014 celebrations assuming there is no built legacy.’’
Lee recently travelled to Quebec City to meet with Mayor Regis Labeaume to begin dialogue between both cities, discussing ways and opportunities in which they can work together to recognize and commemorate then 1864 conferences.
In September 1864, Charlottetown hosted the first of three conferences which led to the creation of Canada. The second conference took place in Quebec City in October 1864 while the final meeting was held in London, England.
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