Is P.E.I. closer to having a provincial museum?

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.

Central P.E.I. museum part of new government RFP

P.E.I. to build central museum

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 Barker Langham report, which is over 90 pages long, details strategies for P.E.I.'s existing museums while also outlining what a provincial museum on the Island could look like. (Barker Langham)

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

PEI Provincial Museums System Strategic Plan Survey - Feb 2022

An online survey is now available through the website of the Prince Edward Island Museum & Heritage Foundation Facebook page:  

PEI Provincial Museums System Strategic Plan Survey

We would like to welcome and thank you for your participation in this survey! 

We really value your opinion and your experience and we’re so pleased that you’re joining us on this exciting journey.

WHAT IS THIS SURVEY ABOUT? 

The province of Prince Edward Island (PEI),  through the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, is currently developing a Provincial Museums System Strategic Plan. This means that we are thinking carefully about the future of our Museums on Prince Edward Island. 

We are launching this short survey to collect insights from our local community to help define the strategic direction of the provincial museums, inform future investments, and ultimately create a vibrant and holistic cultural heritage infrastructure for Prince Edward Island that we can all be proud of. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?

There are 10 questions in the survey,  and  it should take about 10 minutes of your time to complete. Participation in the survey is voluntary. Personal information in this survey is collected according to section 31 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which means that the information you submit  will only be for the purposes of developing a strategic plan for the Provincial Museum System and evaluating the demand for museum programs and services.

Should you have any questions about this survey, please contact mhpei@gov.pe.ca.

                                                                             

We Need a Museum to tell our Natural History

As published in The Guardian, Charlottetown, PEI on Monday Jan. 20, 2020

We Need a Museum to tell our Natural History 

Daphne Davey’s excellent letter of Jan 14th outlined the need for a provincial museum that includes natural history. While the Museum Act of 1983 included natural history, we are still lacking facilities and staff for the PEI Museum & Heritage Foundation to carry out various roles under that act.

The branch museums across the province provide interpretation of specialized topics like shipbuilding on a seasonal basis, but the need remains for a central facility to tell the full story. The natural history story is one of many needing to be told and hopefully it will be told within a central museum that addresses fully for the first time natural history and cultural history.

A new provincial museum facility could tell the full 10,000 year story of human life here as well as the natural history. Integrated interpretation of natural and human history as an interrelated story in a facility with adequate storage and work space would be ideal. Perhaps this year when we acknowledge 300 years of European settlement on PEI and increasingly recognize that reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and our relationship with nature are paramount, we will see the Province commit to this much delayed project.

Significant cultural and natural artifacts have been donated and purchased, while others await repatriation; it is now time to ensure these are housed in adequate space and shown to the public in a central facility. Without staff and facilities, all Islanders are deprived of an opportunity to share in learning more about this special place we call home. We continue to welcome millions of visitors with many asking directions to our provincial museum. We need a place that can tell the story of Prince Edward Island in a museum worthy of this remarkable place.

Ian Scott
Charlottetown

P.E.I. Needs a Natural History Museum

LETTER: P.E.I. needs a natural history museum
 Premium content
As published in The Guardian
Published: Jan 19 at 10:32 a.m.

EDITOR:

How exciting about the find of a 300-million-year-old fossil (Guardian, Jan. 11) in Cumberland! But how sad that Matthew McRae, curator of history for the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation, is reported as saying his priority is to find a way to share it with the public, to put it on display.

The obvious home for this fossil is in the P.E.I. Museum of Natural History – alas, still a gleam in the eyes of many Islanders who have advocated for years for such a museum. What a big gap in our Island institutional assets! Such a museum would serve the causes of public interest, education, tourism, and above all conservation of our rich, natural environment.

This is not the first, nor the last, fossil to surface, and there are many more fascinating nature artifacts tucked away around the province. There are also other finds from P.E.I. housed in museums in other provinces, and even in the U.S. They ought to be housed at home where Islanders and visitors alike can enjoy them.

I add my voice strongly to those advocating to the provincial government for the establishment of a P.E.I. Museum of Natural History.

Sooner rather than later, please.

Daphne Davey,

Crapaud

OPINION: Provincial Museum - Years of Procrastinating

As published in The Guardian, April 11, 2019

Rosemary Curley and Ian Scott

Science educator Laura MacNeil points out the dimetrodon fossil’s patterns to Finance Minister Heath MacDonald and Parks Canada superintendent Karen Jans. - Contributed to The Guardian

Guest Opinion

Perhaps it is time to ask hopeful candidates on our doorstep a perennial question. Do you intend to provide Islanders with a museum telling the cultural and natural history of their own province?

In May 2007 we were promised that,

“A Liberal Government will put Islanders first by, . . .putting greater emphasis on educating our children about the human and natural history of our province. . . consulting with P.E.I. communities, museums, and our arts and cultural communities to explore options for a Provincial Museum”.

Liberal Party of PEI policy identified the provincial museum as a key issue in 2011 when “working to establish a provincial museum” was their stated policy.

The PEI Museum & Heritage Foundation has statutory authority as the provincial museum covering both natural and cultural history yet they have been deprived of the ability to tell us of this unique land, its creatures, and its culture. A curator of natural history, a natural history collection, a permanent display or exhibit telling of the natural history of PEI have never existed.

We need a provincial museum worthy of this province telling both the human and natural history.

Museums play a key role in conserving and developing a sense of identity as we each learn our place as part of unique ecosystems forged of land and sea. Closeness to nature needs to be introduced early and museums are key places for learning what nature can teach. In a generic world, the culture and history of your home province remains a strong asset in development of identity and sense of place.

Local identity is part of the reason tourists seek authentic experiences amid people living in relationship with land and sea. Attracted to unique cultures, tourists typically view museums as the introduction needed to begin exploration. Being a provincial capital without a provincial museum is hardly the way to welcome visitors. This summer when we honestly welcome the ‘dear mainlanders’ to our shores, isn’t it time we help ourselves and our visitors discover the real story of this remarkable island.

The Dimetrodon fossils located in the National Park date back 290 million years. Canada’s first ‘dinosaur’ was found in Spring Brook, PEI in 1854; yet it was Americans who ensured a world-class find was placed in a Philadelphia museum, in the birthplace of . . . America. Gradually science revealed that we were once the tropical heart of Pangaea, the supercontinent and our Dimetrodon predated dinosaurs.

The largest creature in the world is the blue whale and when a massive Prince Edward Island specimen died it was British Columbia residents who ensure it went on display in their museum. Proudly they display an Island specimen, yet we lack even a basic show case or picture-panel telling our own story.

Our irreplaceable human and natural history should not be for sale. It is our story to preserve, and our story to tell. So when you see a candidate knocking, have your questions ready.

Rosemary Curley is president of Nature PEI and Ian Scott is the organization's past-president.

Fiefdoms run by political, lifetime, patronage-appointed boards; beneath radar of public

Founders' Hall on the Charlottetown waterfront with the outdoor skating rink located in front. (Guardian File Photo)

BY KIRSTEN CONNOR

GUEST OPINION published by The Guardian March 21, 2018

Founders’ Hall is like a cat with nine lives as far as it affects taxpayers.

Various public entities appear to be playing musical chairs in their involvement in this previously public-owned heritage property.

These entities are quasi-government agencies, boards, authorities, corporation, whatever their names, created for political convenience. Many appear to be like little fiefdoms run by political, lifetime, patronage-appointed boards; staff, operating with taxpayers’ money, and beneath the radar of public scrutiny.

To recap the history of Founders’ Hall:

Canadian National Railroad built it. When redundant for its original use, it became the property of the provincial government.

Various uses were proposed such as a provincial museum or a farmers’ market. All were rejected and part of it became the home of the Tourist Information Centre.

A gruesome amount of money was then poured into the hare-brained idea of creating a museum with entrance fees, that imitated the real thing, available for free at Province House, just a few blocks away.

Ironically, they closed it, just as restoration brought visitation to Province House to a halt, and when that substitute could have given some pleasure to so many disappointed tourists.

In 2016 with the museum closed and in an expensive experiment, the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) was reborn and twinned with an alcohol sales venue in the tiny adjacent stone house.

This left Founders’ Hall mostly empty save for a few offices, and a sign on the door directing tourists to the stone house across the lot.

Last year saw the TIC moved back to Founders’ Hall and all traces of the museum gone - gone where? Nobody knows.

The owner of the building, Charlottetown Development Corporation, then sold the building and land to a private developer for a reported $3.35 M, (is the province holding the mortgage?) who immediately announced great plans for an artisan market for the vast area not leased by the government for the TIC. This, in competition with the well-established vendors in the cruise ship arrival terminal?

In January 2018, the City of Charlottetown announced the purchase of a land portion of the property for $1.25 M from the developer, amidst comments that had CADC sold it directly to the city, the taxpayers could have saved almost half the purchase price.

Roll forward to March 2018 and we learn that not the developer, but a public agency, the Port Authority is 'gauging different levels of interest' in space for an urban market, and has, before completing 'the gauging,’ already signed a two-year lease from March 2018, details of which of course are unknown.

do not know the amount of the lease. We do not know if it is for the bare hall with the cost of shelves and other furnishing to be borne by the Port Authority, in which case two years would hardly make a dent in recovering the cost.

There appears to be no business plan in place and rent is being paid while research (gauging) into sales space demands, and prospective numbers and kinds of vendors is being conducted.

What if there is no or only scant demand for space? Is the lease/rent adjustable, if this venture is only feasible during the summer months? A two-year lease is hardly long enough to develop a market presence in the community.

This is a rather unorthodox way of doing business, but perhaps it is not to be regarded as a business venture at all, but rather as a simple good will gesture between friends. How are we to know?

The announced lease arrangement between the Port Authority and the developer is obviously not based on a normal business decision.

It would be in the interest of all parties involved to have an investigation to clear the air, and to establish if this is a profitable venture or a form of bail-out or subsidy at the taxpayers’ expense.

The frosting on the cake for taxpayers, and to come full circle, would be if CADC bought back Founders’ Hall for $10 M and established a provincial museum there. The irony would be almost unbearable.

- Kirsten Connor was chair of the City of Charlottetown’s Heritage Review Board from 1979 to 1986

EDITORIAL: Betty Howatt leaves lasting legacy

As published in The Guardian Dec 13, 2017

This photo of Betty and Everett Howatt was taken in 2013. (Doug Sobey Photo) - The Guardian

 If ever a provincial museum should become a reality, the name of Betty Howatt should adorn the main entryway. Islanders owe her that and so much more.

A staunch and unfailing defender of rural P.E.I. died last Friday in Summerside

Tuesday, in Tryon People’s Cemetery, a grand lady of Prince Edward Island was laid to rest. Betty Zelda (nee King) Howatt, a staunch and unfailing defender of rural P.E.I., died last Friday in Summerside. Her obituary was short and unassuming, omitting details of the immense impact she had on this province throughout her 88 years.

Her numerous honours and achievements were not included in that simple death notice. It was typical of Howatt, who placed family, community and province ahead of self. While many Islanders are familiar with them, they certainly deserve mention again.

Howatt was a wonderful connection to the pastoral, unhurried province of yesteryear. It was almost as if she tried to recreate the romantic view of L.M. Montgomery’s fictional Avonlea at her beloved Willowshade Farm, where for 50 years she and her husband Everett operated a mixed fruit operation within sight and sound of the Northumberland Strait. Together, they ran the 75-acre farm that has been in Everett's family since 1783.

Howatt came to prominence in 1973, the Island's centennial year, when she helped form The Brothers and Sisters of Cornelius Howatt to counter a philosophy of "selling the province at any price." The Tryon farmhouse was the birthplace of Cornelius Howatt - Everett's great-great uncle and one of only two members of the Island legislature to vote against joining Canada in 1873.

Betty embraced change for the better, but that often meant she clashed with decision-makers when she thought the ‘Island way of life’ was under threat or things were going too far, too fast.

A well-known author and storyteller, she entertained Islanders with her popular and long-running weekly segment on CBC Radio’s MainStreet – Tales From Willowshade Farm where she provided weekly lessons on Island plants and wildlife. She also turned those snippets of country living into a book by the same title.

For many years, she was a loyal contributor to the Voice For Island Seniors. Her final submission, which appeared just last week in a Guardian insert, was timely and on topic, entitled ‘A Christmas Concert.’ Early in her career, she taught in rural schools of P.E.I. where the teacher’s reputation hinged on two things – keeping order in a one-room schoolhouse, and organizing a memorable Christmas concert. Her story of staging a Christmas concert more than 60 years ago was both vintage whimsy and humorous.

Her opinions were well known and she wasn’t hesitant about sharing them. At many key meetings where important decisions were being discussed, she was there to passionately defend her point of view.

She waged a 10-year campaign against the construction of the Confederation Bridge, fearing it would unleash a tide of development, which would forever negatively change the face of the province she loved. A founding chairman of the anti-link Friends of the Island, she took a leading role at public meetings during the plebiscite campaign. Even after the Yes side won, the Friends waged a legal battle against the bridge, winning a federal court ruling about an insufficient environmental review.

The outspoken activist on behalf of Island heritage was also an early champion of P.E.I.s environmental and agricultural heritage, promoting land stewardship, protecting our water and supporting the importance of farming to the Island’s economy and way of life.

An active public speaker and volunteer, Howatt also served with many local and national organizations. She was presented with the prestigious Award of Honour from the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation for contributions in raising awareness of Island heritage and for her work on the foundation’s board for 12 years. She was among the inaugural six recipients of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medals for her community work, an honour later recognized on the floor of the Canadian Senate.

Howatt supported a P.E.I. heritage museum to preserve the stories of the Island. She said, “There are too many people who are just in the here and now and they forget what has come before.”

Now she is at rest close to her beloved Willowshade Farm. A pillar of Island society is gone but not forgotten. If ever a provincial museum should become a reality, the name of Betty Howatt should adorn the main entryway. Islanders owe her that and so much more.

- "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." (Timothy)

CATHERINE HENNESSEY: New direction for museum

As published in The Guardian, Nov 2, 2016

Let us not move too fast; ponder together what is best, how to proceed

© File Photo

Founders Hall is now up for sale. It has been touted as a possible site for a new provincial museum.

Yes, it is true we are the only province without a provincial museum and we have been on the lookout for one since 1880.

We took steps in 1964 with the memorial to the Fathers of Confederation and again in 1973, creating a network of heritage sites under the wing of the new P.E.I. Heritage Foundation.

Then in 2001, Founders Hall took shape in a very carefully restored railway building, although one has to admit the exhibits were far more for tourists than for Islanders.

The point I am trying to make is that we have done something, but as we have done things, the sector has changed and we would have been unfair to ourselves if we built - as we would have - had we moved for the ‘real thing’ on those past occasions.

To build for the 2020s we must pause and ask what exactly should be built. No doubt some of you have visited the new Halifax Library or The Rooms in St. John’s. Very interesting places that make me think.

Before we move too fast, let us contemplate a direction – one that fits our needs and that we can afford, both as a capital exercise and an apportioned one.

And before we go too far, should heritage foundation and museums, natural history groups, the library and archivists all be sitting down together and talking about it – and then they should invite others in to join them.

For one thing, just take a look at how, at both the Halifax Library and St. John’s – and many other places for that matter - are dominated by a bay of computers that could answer the common needs of all.

Please, please let us not move too fast and let us ponder together what is best for us and how we should proceed.

One roof sounds good to me. Leadership is essential.

 - Catherine Hennessey, Charlottetown’s best-known heritage activist, has been working to preserve and protect the city's historical distinctiveness for many years

Founders Hall should be provincial museum: Bevan-Baker idea supported by the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation

As reported by CBC News Prince Edward Island
Oct 24, 2016

The Green Party leader thinks Founders Hall would be a great site for a provincial museum, something P.E.I. governments have been exploring but have not acted on for years. (Charlottetown Area Development Corporation/Canadian Press)

The Green Party leader is urging the provincial government to turn Founders Hall into a provincial museum.

"I think it would be a fantastic opportunity for the province of Prince Edward Island to finally have its own provincial museum. We're the only province in Canada without one," said leader Peter Bevan-Baker.

He also thinks the timing is excellent given that Founders Hall is up for sale, and Ottawa is taking applications for infrastructure dollars specifically for social and cultural projects like this.

P.E.I. Green Party Leader Peter Bevan Baker says the timing is good because Founders Hall is up for sale, and Ottawa is accepting applications for infrastructure dollars specifically tied to social and culture projects like this. (Green Party of P.E.I.)

"So the dollars are there to be had, and if we had a provincial government with the will to do something, then to my mind this is the perfect time," said Bevan-Baker.

"Not to mention the fact that next year is, of course, the 150th anniversary of our country, which, of course, was founded here in Charlottetown."

Bevan-Baker said this would be an excellent legacy for that anniversary.

"Do we want our infrastructure legacy in the 150th anniversary of our country's history to be a perimeter highway, or do want it to be a place that celebrates the unique and the rich varied history of Prince Edward Island?"

Museum and Heritage Foundation supports idea

The suggestion of using Founders Hall for the museum was made by the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation three years ago.

The current board chair still believes Founders Hall would be an excellent location

"We are at capacity at our storage facilities in Charlottetown," said Carolyn McKillop.

"The ideal solution would be to have our artifacts out where everybody could view them and enjoy them."

McKillop said more people are donating important historical items to the foundation for further generations to enjoy, but that's not happening with them stored in the Artifactory at the West Royalty Industrial site.

She said having a provincial museum would help Island history come alive, especially for younger Islanders.

Provincial response

"Government continues to discuss a provincial museum but they have not reached  a point where‎ sites are being considered," said the province in a written statement.

CBC News was not given an answer whether a funding request has gone to Ottawa for a provincial museum.

Greens to renew museum support

As published in The Guardian, Oct. 24, 2016

EDITOR: I was delighted to see your recent editorial promoting the idea of using Founder’s Hall as a potential location for a provincial museum. As the only province without a museum, we are missing out, as your editorial says, not only on major tourism opportunities, but more importantly, ongoing opportunities for all Islanders, and in particularly our children, to learn more about P.E.I.’s fascinating heritage.

Whether it is cultural, geological, artistic or ecological, we have a uniquely rich and varied history which deserves to be on permanent display, helping to strengthen Islanders' sense of identity, as well as knowledge about our past.

It was Premier Campbell who set up the P.E.I. Heritage Foundation, and it would be a nice symmetry and a fitting tribute, if our current Premier - who literally wrote the book on Alex Campbell - would take this opportunity to leave a legacy worthy of their shared appreciation of Island history.

I made a statement in our Legislature last year supporting the establishment of a museum on P.E.I., and bolstered in part by The Guardian’s enthusiasm, look forward to bringing this up again when the House opens next month.

Peter Bevan-Baker,

Leader, Island Green Party 

EDITORIAL: Founders Hall offers opening for museum

As published in The Guardian, Oct 20, 2016

© File Photo

Founders Hall in Charlottetown is now up for sale.

Memo to the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation (CADC): Delay a plan to donate remaining historical displays inside Founders Hall to Confederation Centre and Heritage P.E.I. There might be life yet for the building and items relating to Charlottetown’s 1864 Confederation Conference.

The building on the Charlottetown waterfront - mothballed since last fall although several retail tenants did operate there this summer - is now for sale.

Isn’t this an opportunity to finally move forward on a long ignored and much needed provincial museum for Prince Edward Island? The location is superb. The building is historic. And the need is great.

Just over a year ago, Rosemary Curley, the president of Nature P.E.I., came out swinging in a guest opinion in The Guardian to argue for a provincial museum. She wanted the province to tap into fresh infrastructure funds being promised by the then-new federal Liberal government.

Ms. Curley was hoping for a positive decision on a provincial legacy project to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017. And what better way to proceed than on a human and natural history museum? We are the only province without one.

Sadly, her plea has fallen on deaf ears.

There has been a general underwhelming interest in celebrating the sesquicentennial of Canada’s founding, especially in the cradle of Confederation and despite our own successful 150th celebrations in 2014.

The lure of federal infrastructure money saw the province recently commit to a massive $65 million Cornwall bypass project. Is the Cornwall bypass going to be the provincial legacy for 2017?

The surge in cruise ship and tourist traffic in recent years has failed to pay dividends at Founders Hall. Why? The waterfront has been booming, especially since 2014 when the Confederation Landing Park hosted numerous events. But tourists and Islanders seem to have skipped Founders Hall.Founders Hall opened in 2001 after the former rail car shop was converted into an attraction saluting our founding fathers. It did have successful early years but tourism numbers have fallen. The decline is blamed on outdated displays that didn't prove popular in the digital age. Modern interactive exhibits might have drawn more visitors but CADC seemed to have quickly given up on this facility.

CADC wants the private sector to try something else - to develop the property as a multi-purpose retail venue to bring people to the waterfront. The corporation acknowledges its initial investment did pay off and the building was a significant player in the rejuvenation of the eastern end of the city. So why did its support for Founders Hall come to an abrupt end?

P.E.I. was left without a permanent legacy for 2014, despite the enormous benefits to the city and province from the Confederation Centre national memorial built for our 1964 celebrations. Now it appears the same fate is imminent for 2017.

Before the rush continues to divest this potential treasure, someone must step forward and explore the museum options for Founders Hall before it becomes another condo development obscuring the waterfront.

There is need for vision.

Time for action on new arena in capital city

Eastlink recently announced a multi-year deal to take over naming rights to the Charlottetown Civic Centre. The entire building, including the trade centre component, will now be known as the Eastlink Centre.

Published: Feb 18, 2016 by The Guardian

The giant blue elephant that has bedeviled Charlottetown and its city council for the past 30 years may finally be approaching the end of its controversial life span. There is a general consensus that it’s not before time. The city has approved a modest $75,000 to enable a task force to hire consultants and determine the feasibility of building a new, multi-use facility to replace the Eastlink Centre.

The civic centre complex was built primarily for the 1991 Canada Winter Games, yet the accusation was levelled at the time and for years afterwards that the arena was more suited for livestock than hockey games or entertainment shows.

It was easier to get a prize Holstein into the building at ground level than have the animal delicately tip-toe down a dizzying descent from an upper promenade. Thus, the error in the bottom loading of fans and the feeling of being inside a concrete coffin.

A fractious group was assembled around the boardroom table to finalize plans for a new arena in the late 1980s. The city favoured a waterfront location, while the province and Ottawa wanted to appease the regional racing and P.E.I. agricultural community at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The final design and location were a compromise. The civic centre did open a year early and thousands of young athletes, coaches and mission staff marched into the building almost exactly 25 years ago — February 17, 1991.

The arena has been undergoing renovations and upgrades ever since in order to welcome the P.E.I. Senators, the Rocket/Islanders franchise and most recently, the Island Storm.

Deficiencies that kept Elton John from appearing in Charlottetown are well known. The English rocker had serious security concerns. The singer didn’t want to compete with fans in the bowels of the arena trying to get to their seats while he was trying to find refuge in a dressing room.

And the list goes on.

Charlottetown is falling off the scale of event sites. Truro has just opened a new arena complex, Moncton is building a new facility to replace the aging Coliseum and Halifax is moving forward on a new convention centre.

The city wants to proceed cautiously. The key question is money — who pays to build and operate such a facility?  Conservatively, it would cost at least $40 million, and more likely, closer to $60 million. Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee is right. Just because a task force is exploring a multi-use facility does not mean it will be built. The business plan make no sense.

As for the location, everything seems to point to building on the site of the provincial government garage between Park Street and Riverside Drive, along the bypass highway.

Options exist to incorporate other attractions into the facility to bring more dollars to the table such as a hotel, provincial museum, commercial outlets and dining options. The Charlottetown Curling Club would welcome a chance to leave its cramped, outdated facility.

Simmons and Cody Banks arenas could be decommissioned as hockey rinks and used for summer events or sold. There will be cost advantages in a new facility.

An independent consultant’s report released in June 2009 stated the Civic Centre was poorly designed, already out-dated and fixing the problem would cost as much as $34 million. Building a new facility would cost over $40 million. That report has collected dust over the past five years.

The sesquicentennial of the Charlottetown Conference in 2014 has come and gone without any permanent legacy. It was an opportunity squandered. Now the next best chance is to tie in with the 150th birthday celebrations of Canadian Confederation in 2017. If the city and province come on board and leverage the lion’s share of dollars from Ottawa for a legacy project, plus pry money from private donations — the facility might become a reality. The harness racing industry and Atlantic Lottery must play an important role in what happens as well.

The question facing Charlottetown is whether the capital city and its residents are content with a second-rate facility.

Patrons want amenities and attractions to convince them to attend games, trade shows or musical acts. There are lots of options for the entertainment dollar. Fans want comfort — not cramped, hard, plastic seats and obscured sightlines. They will stay home and watch the game on their computer or cable TV.

If the present facility remains in use, they’ll likely be watching games from Moncton and Halifax while scratching their heads and wondering why Charlottetown can’t attract or keep quality entertainment shows or sports teams.

If we want to accept mediocrity, so be it.

If we want a modern, vibrant multi-use facility to rejuvenate this city and province, it’s time to overcome challenges with some vision and risk-taking.

The giant blue elephant that has bedeviled Charlottetown and its city council for the past 30 years may finally be approaching the end of its controversial life span. There is a general consensus that it’s not before time. The city has approved a modest $75,000 to enable a task force to hire consultants and determine the feasibility of building a new, multi-use facility to replace the Eastlink Centre.

The civic centre complex was built primarily for the 1991 Canada Winter Games, yet the accusation was levelled at the time and for years afterwards that the arena was more suited for livestock than hockey games or entertainment shows.

It was easier to get a prize Holstein into the building at ground level than have the animal delicately tip-toe down a dizzying descent from an upper promenade. Thus, the error in the bottom loading of fans and the feeling of being inside a concrete coffin.

A fractious group was assembled around the boardroom table to finalize plans for a new arena in the late 1980s. The city favoured a waterfront location, while the province and Ottawa wanted to appease the regional racing and P.E.I. agricultural community at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The final design and location were a compromise. The civic centre did open a year early and thousands of young athletes, coaches and mission staff marched into the building almost exactly 25 years ago — February 17, 1991.

The arena has been undergoing renovations and upgrades ever since in order to welcome the P.E.I. Senators, the Rocket/Islanders franchise and most recently, the Island Storm.

Deficiencies that kept Elton John from appearing in Charlottetown are well known. The English rocker had serious security concerns. The singer didn’t want to compete with fans in the bowels of the arena trying to get to their seats while he was trying to find refuge in a dressing room.

And the list goes on.

Charlottetown is falling off the scale of event sites. Truro has just opened a new arena complex, Moncton is building a new facility to replace the aging Coliseum and Halifax is moving forward on a new convention centre.

The city wants to proceed cautiously. The key question is money — who pays to build and operate such a facility?  Conservatively, it would cost at least $40 million, and more likely, closer to $60 million. Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee is right. Just because a task force is exploring a multi-use facility does not mean it will be built. The business plan make no sense.

As for the location, everything seems to point to building on the site of the provincial government garage between Park Street and Riverside Drive, along the bypass highway.

Options exist to incorporate other attractions into the facility to bring more dollars to the table such as a hotel, provincial museum, commercial outlets and dining options. The Charlottetown Curling Club would welcome a chance to leave its cramped, outdated facility.

Simmons and Cody Banks arenas could be decommissioned as hockey rinks and used for summer events or sold. There will be cost advantages in a new facility.

An independent consultant’s report released in June 2009 stated the Civic Centre was poorly designed, already out-dated and fixing the problem would cost as much as $34 million. Building a new facility would cost over $40 million. That report has collected dust over the past five years.

The sesquicentennial of the Charlottetown Conference in 2014 has come and gone without any permanent legacy. It was an opportunity squandered. Now the next best chance is to tie in with the 150th birthday celebrations of Canadian Confederation in 2017. If the city and province come on board and leverage the lion’s share of dollars from Ottawa for a legacy project, plus pry money from private donations — the facility might become a reality. The harness racing industry and Atlantic Lottery must play an important role in what happens as well.

The question facing Charlottetown is whether the capital city and its residents are content with a second-rate facility.

Patrons want amenities and attractions to convince them to attend games, trade shows or musical acts. There are lots of options for the entertainment dollar. Fans want comfort — not cramped, hard, plastic seats and obscured sightlines. They will stay home and watch the game on their computer or cable TV.

If the present facility remains in use, they’ll likely be watching games from Moncton and Halifax while scratching their heads and wondering why Charlottetown can’t attract or keep quality entertainment shows or sports teams.

If we want to accept mediocrity, so be it.

If we want a modern, vibrant multi-use facility to rejuvenate this city and province, it’s time to overcome challenges with some vision and risk-taking.

Former PEI Hospital ideal for museum

Letters to the Editor (The Guardian) Published on January 14, 2016

I have written several times regarding this matter. I am pleased to read there are still other persons deeply interested in the building of a Prince Edward Island Museum.

The project has been over studied and promised for years. Now is the time to build it in time to commemorate the 150th birthday of Canada.

The ideal location would be the grounds where the former Prince Edward Island Hospital was built and is no longer in use. It could be a beautiful area with plenty of green space and good parking facilities. Also, it would be back to back with our beautiful Fanningbank. One would compliment the other in many ways.

Indeed a “Golden Opportunity” as another writer has stated.

I appeal to all Islanders to encourage the government of Prince Edward Island to take action on this long overdue project and finally highlight our very precious legacy.

Helen M. MacPhail,

Clyde River

P.E.I.'s provincial museum belongs at the Experimental Farm Grounds

Letters to the Editor (The Guardian) Published on January 14, 2016

The proposed provincial museum should be located on the Experimental Farm Grounds bounded by Mt. Edward, Allen and University to house the many artifacts that we can gather from Island history in the past.

Paul H. Jenkins,

Charlottetown

A Golden Opportunity - Let's Develop Museum of Human and Natural History

by Rosemary Curley
Guest Opinion as published in The Guardian on Dec 28, 2015



With the P.E.I. Legislature now closed, there was an important topic raised which seems to have gone relatively unnoticed by the media, and it needs recognition. Decades have passed since the Legislative Assembly created the organization charged with museum responsibility, yet major areas of the provincial museum mandate like natural history have gone unaddressed. It was the watchful eye of Green Party leader Peter Bevan-Baker who noticed this and brought forward a statement to the Assembly on November 26th.

He stated:

“With the commitment of the new federal government to spend billions of dollars on social infrastructure, now might be a wonderful time for Islanders to begin to dream again about a project long discussed and advocated: and that is, the construction of a new Provincial Museum of Human and Natural History, a state-of-the-art institution to showcase and highlight the rich legacy, and promise, of our Island province. I foresee — I dream about — a must-visit facility for every Island school student, citizen and visitor.

“The Premier talks often about that very precious inheritance of Islanders, the Gift of Jurisdiction. In my opinion, that “Gift” is rather hollow — indeed, at risk — unless pains are taken, with each new generation, to shore up and reinforce Islanders’ sense of history and identity. Also, we need to continue to learn from our past – in particular, how human beings have affected the often fragile environment of this place, and vice versa. Thus we can equip ourselves to face the future with a higher consciousness, and a greater wisdom.

“In 1970, a visionary Island Government of the day took the bold step of establishing the Prince Edward Island Heritage Foundation. In 1983, the Museum Act changed the name of the organization, added a natural history mandate, and underlined the institution’s status as the Island’s “provincial museum” Now, almost half a century later, let us be bold to finish the job and build a lovely and imaginative new facility which will be the pride of Islanders.”

Kudos to Dr. Bevan-Baker for recognizing this golden opportunity to develop a museum that tells the full story of this province, its distant geological past,  its rich paleontological treasures buried deep within, and all life forms that call it home. Nature P.E.I. shares this vision of a museum with programs that help all Islanders and visitors understand the significance of both natural and human heritage.

We implore the Government of P.E.I. to move ahead now that there is an interest at the federal level in funding joint projects that serve the needs of Canadians in the area of social infrastructure.

Rosemary Curley, is a biologist who serves as president of Nature P.E.I.: The Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island.

P.E.I. NDP want to turn Fanningbank into provincial museum

As published in the Journal-Pioneer, Jan 13, 2015

CHARLOTTETOWN – Prince Edward Island’s New Democratic Party want to turn the Lieutenant Governor’s residence in Charlottetown into a provincial museum.

Party leader Mike Redmond said in a press release Tuesday that if enough NDP members are sent to the legislature in the upcoming provincial election, they would convert Fanningbank into a provincial museum by 2017.

“Islanders of all walks of life and thousands of tourists will enjoy a new provincial museum in an ideal location in our capitol city, in between Beaconsfield and Victoria Park,” said Redmond.

“If we make an objective of establishing the provincial museum at

Fanningbank by 2017 we will provide plenty of time to scale back

vice-regal operations and transition the family to new accommodations as is the case in some other provinces.”

Redmond pointed out that the Fanningbank mansion is open to the public from July until August, and is only used by the Lieutenant Governor’s family and office for the rest of the year. 

Charting a Course: A Study of Heritage in Prince Edward Island

It was September, 2008 a study team headed by The IRIS Group, including Diane Griffin, Harry Baglole, Yvette Doucette drew on the skills of Andrea Arbic, Ann Howatt Ph.D, Monica MacDonald Ph.D, Terry Ruddell Ph.D, Robert Frame, and Georges Arsenault to produce a report called Charting A Course: The Study of Heritage on PEI, for the Prince Edward Island Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs & Labour.

This week I came across this important report and was reminded that precious little has been done since to move ahead on the recommendations of this important study. Once again we find ourselves with another important report sitting on a shelf — a very long shelf — with reports calling for action on developing a proper provincial museum, with the capacity to fulfil its mandate.

. . .the sense of urgency felt by Islanders about what is at stake — what is being endangered and lost. Collections, buildings and landscapes are among the many heritage areas at risk. The need and desire for immediate action is great.
- Executive Summary
Charting a Course: A Study of Heritage in Prince Edward Island

Ian Scott,
Charlottetown
Jan 12, 2015

Provincial Museum Promises Remain Unfulfilled

Letters to the Editor (The Guardian) Published on December 30, 2013

Letter of the Day by Ian Scott

Editor:
Recent statements by both the Board of Governors of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation and by readers of this paper (Heritage Blues Back on Agenda by Andy Robb on Dec. 2) show the growing frustration from many quarters with museum development policy. The province has indicated both while in opposition, on the campaign trail and since forming government of the importance on moving ahead with provincial museum development —yet little tangible evidence of a clear plan exists years later. While five-year capital priority plans are updated to outline planning in other areas, the needs of our provincial museum continue to be avoided.

A provincial museum mandate was granted “to study, collect, preserve, interpret, and protect the human and natural history of Prince Edward Island for the use, benefit and enjoyment of the people of the province” by the legislature in 1983. Since then, many aspects of this mandate have not been fulfilled. Perhaps most evident is the lack of staff and resources to fulfil the natural history mandate. Every year the legislative assembly receives an annual report from the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation on progress in fulfilling this important mandate. Each year the report is adopted by the assembly as a matter of course, despite the fact that many of the activities mandated by the Museum Act could not be fulfilled.

Even without the ability to study, collect, preserve, interpret, and protect the human and natural history of our province, the need for these roles continues to increase with each passing year. Increasingly biodiversity grows as an important topic, as we see many species facing a variety of pressures. The spread of foreign invasive species and new diseases present challenges when we lack the basic science about the flora and fauna of our own province to know what species already exist here. It is not uncommon for researchers to discover species that have likely existed for centuries yet have never been recorded simply because of the lack of research in many areas of local biology. Complex environmental decisions are based on scientific data yet without basic data on many aspects of Island ecology these decisions are made without a complete understanding of their impact.

To grant a mandate without appropriate funding of the organization charged with fulfilling the mandate can only lead to frustration for staff and board members faced with the impossibly of moving forward. Museum development requires a clear, well-thought-out plan. It is only appropriate that government works with the Board of Governors of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation, to ensure that a workable plan is in place.

Nature P.E.I. involves members from across the Island with an interest in natural history and is prepared to assist both parties in moving ahead with this planning process. Sitting on the fence is not a viable position when it is time for action in living up to promises that have been made. The time has come to address the real needs of our provincial museum system; there is a compelling story to be told and all Islanders deserve a chance to hear that story.

Ian Scott,

President,
Nature P.E.I.: The Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island

Heritage Blues Back on Agenda

Letters to the Editor (The Guardian) as Published on December 02, 2013

Editor: As a former board member and chair of the Museum and Heritage Foundation I was saddened but not surprised by the frustration expressed by current chair Harry Kielly over the total lack of progress in the continuing saga of a possible provincial museum for the Island.

P.E.I. remains the only province without such a provincial resource, which is massively ironic coming on the heels of the burst of heritage projects under the 2014 celebration boondoggle. Surely in a province where our natural and human history is billed a core value and attraction for visitors, this makes little sense. We will be left after 2014 with a bad taste in our mouths and a stack of receipts for less than memorable events with no lasting legacy. How sad.

It did not have to be this way. Back before 2001 when Founders Hall was being funded with $4 million in public money, many of us argued that “Flounders Hall” would have a short shelf life and become a cultural white elephant in a few years. Of course this proved to be the case.

Fewer than 8,000 visitors paid the $9.50 admission fee and the place lost $50,000 for the Harbour Authority which inherited the faded attraction. It’s a cheap but irresistible shot to say “We told you so.”

We were left with a beautifully restored and refurbished building, the 1906 CN rail car shop in what is probably the premier location in the province. At least that legacy was lasting. It is now up for grabs, looking for a new owner and purpose. It is not a perfect building for a provincial museum, but it is very, very good one. With some careful and creative thought, it could be a wonderful and real legacy post 2014.

Of course money is tight and one can’t argue really with updating hospitals and computer software to at least get into this century technologically, but could we not commit in 2014 to seeing this beautiful building as part of the solution in the future? It was a plank in the government’s platform, if anyone has a memory. Let’s see if we can get it back on the agenda.

Andy Robb,

Mermaid

Museum foundation frustrated by lack of progress

As published by CBC News Posted: Nov 27, 2013 11:45 AM AT

The museum foundation operates several small sites around the Island, including the Yeo House Shipbuilding Museum in Green Park near Tyne Valley. (P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation)

The P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation is looking for a firm commitment from the government to build a central museum for the province.

The foundation currently operates seven small sites across the province, but holds a huge inventory of artifacts in storage. Talk of a central museum predates the current Liberal administration, going back more than a decade, but no government has come forward to build one.

Board members recently wrote government asking for a firm commitment.

"We look at it as a line in the sand," said board chair Harry Kielly.

"If government is not prepared to move in direction that the board recommends, and is not prepared to put some emphasis on the things that the board is committed to, we have to question why have a board."

Kielly said some board members are considering resigning if no action is taken.

The board is suggesting Founders Hall as a good site. Government hasn't responded to the board officially but Heritage and Tourism Minster Rob Henderson told CBC there is no money for such a project at this time.

Museum sites had a banner year on P.E.I., with visitation up 23 per cent