As published by CBC News July 14, 2023
'Who wouldn't love to be cutting the ribbon on a Prince Edward Island Museum?'
by Cody MacKay · CBC News · Posted: Jul 14, 2023 8:24 AM ADT | Last Updated: July 14
Exterior view of Beaconsfield Historic House.
Investments through the government's capital budget this fall — should they materialize — could help Beaconsfield and other sites around P.E.I. that need the upgrades. (Jane Robertson/CBC)
Whether it's on the street, in the garden at Beaconsfield or somewhere around town, time and again Matthew McRae gets asked the same question: When is P.E.I. getting a provincial museum?
McRae, the executive director of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation, said he used to think it was a joke, a little elbowing from Islanders who think the idea is far-fetched.
But there's something to that question.
"There's a magnetic appeal to the idea of a provincial museum," McRae said. "It is one solution to the question of how do we tell our story."
The idea of P.E.I. having a provincial museum in Charlottetown has been floating around for decades. Previous governments have danced with it, but none has acted on it.
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The concept resurfaced recently in the P.E.I. Legislature. A few weeks ago, Tourism and Culture Minister Cory Deagle responded to questions from Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker on the subject.
"Yes, a museum would be amazing to have," Deagle said. "However, we think that there's a number of museums and whatnot, sites across the Island where we have exhibits, which really haven't received any capital upgrades, whether it was the former government or our government before them."
But the government's plans for smaller museums may actually show the path toward a provincial museum — even if the existing facilities need funding of their own.
'I'm excited to find out what the best way to tell our story is,' says Matthew McRae.
'There's a magnetic appeal to the idea of a provincial museum,' says Matthew McRae. (CBC)
"Who wouldn't love to be cutting the ribbon on a Prince Edward Island Museum? It'd be great," he said.
"But I'm also aware that … we already have seven museum and heritage sites embedded in communities across Prince Edward Island. Beaconsfield is just one of them, and they all need a lot of TLC in order to be maintained."
Beaconsfield has seen better days
The Beaconsfield Historic House in downtown Charlottetown has been through the wringer.
Nick Longaphy says repairs to Beaconsfield will cost into the tens of thousands of dollars, and that it'll be done in phases.
Nick Longaphy says repairs to Beaconsfield could cost tens of thousands of dollars. (CBC)
Winds from Fiona tore against the shingles and siding, shaking the building violently according to staff. During the storm, a tree smashed onto the roof.
On the inside, plaster on the ceilings cracked and opened up so much that an entire room is covered floor-to-ceiling in protective plastic sheets, with dehumidifiers working overtime.
The building has been closed to the public for months as it undergoes repairs.
Every day the building goes without much-needed fixes, the damage worsens and the repair bills rise, said site manager Nick Longaphy.
Because of damage to the outside and inside of the building, Beaconsfield Historic House is shut down for repairs.
Beaconsfield Historic House has been shut down for months while it undergoes repairs. (Cody MacKay/CBC)
"If you want these buildings to stay in good repair, it's costly. It's time-consuming. You have to make good choices," he said.
"To keep the building running, to keep the museum running, to keep our community centre running, there's a cost to that — and right now that's substantial."
Longaphy estimates repair costs to go into the tens of thousands of dollars. He said they will likely have to be done in phases.
Investments through the government's capital budget this fall — should they materialize — could help Beaconsfield and other sites around P.E.I. that need the upgrades.
'We could really put some money into those areas'
Deagle has hinted in the legislature about a capital plan for the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation.
Minister of Tourism and Culture Cory Deagle in the P.E.I. Legislature taking questions from opposition members.
'We could really put some money into [smaller museums],' Tourism and Culture Minister Cory Deagle has said previously. (Legislative Assembly of P.E.I.)
"We could really put some money into those areas. But also perhaps a site somewhere where we can … perhaps have a few exhibits a year, where we can move artifacts through and whatnot to showcase those."
We think that there's a number of museums ... which really haven't received any capital upgrades.
— Cory Deagle
CBC News reached out to the minister for comment, but his office said they're entering capital budget planning, so there isn't more to say.
At the moment, Deagle's acknowledgement that smaller museums could use more investments from the province may be promising to the sites that need it.
And the upgrades the minister alluded to would be in-line with recommendations outlined in a 2022 report commissioned by the government, which also presented a path toward a provincial museum.
A 'gateway' museum
The more than 90-page report details strategies for P.E.I. museums while also giving details about what a provincial museum on the Island would look like.
The report, done by Vancouver cultural consultant firm Barker Langham, presents three alternatives:
Option A: $40 million to enhance, revamp and connect existing museum sites through "carefully curated narrative tours."
Option B: A $57-million museum and storage space designed to present "an overview of the history and heritage of P.E.I. in a central location, before introducing visitors to the various sites around the Island."
Option C: A larger, $112-million museum "which suggests the development of a provincial hub museum, which would present a broad history of P.E.I."
The report recommends Option B, saying the $57-million museum would act as a year-round "gateway" that would keep many exhibits in-house, but also direct people who want more information about P.E.I's history to smaller museums.
"A new collections facility should be developed providing safe storage and access to the collection and funds made available for each site to enhance their offer and attract new and wider audiences" the report said.
We're excited to try and raise all boats with this rising tide
— Matthew McRae
McRae said it's not immediately clear whether P.E.I. will get a provincial museum. But he wants to see what the next chapter is in this decades-long journey.
"I'm excited to find out what the best way to tell our story is," he said.
"Whether it's a provincial museum, whether it's several sites that really get communities across the Island excited about our history and sharing their part of the story, I'm open to anything.… We're excited to try and raise all boats with this rising tide."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cody MacKay
Multi-platform Journalist
Cody MacKay is a writer, editor and social media producer for CBC News on Prince Edward Island. From Summerside, he's a UPEI history and Carleton masters of journalism grad who joined CBC P.E.I. in 2017. You can reach him at cody.mackay@cbc.ca or on social media as @CodyBMac
