PE: Communities still vying for provincial museum

City of Summerside

As published on July 29, 2011 by The Journal Pioneer

by Mike Carson

Deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall said Summerside made its presentation to the Province last year promoting the city as the logical location for a provincial museum.

In the 2010 throne speech, the Prince Edward Island government promised a celebration that would reach out to all Canadians and develop a legacy for the future.

That legacy is expected to be a provincial museum.

Since that announcement communities across the province, including the City of Summerside have been vying to be the home of the provincial museum.

Deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall said the city made its presentation to the Province last year promoting Summerside as the logical location for a provincial museum.

"If there's going to be a new provincial museum on P.E.I. we'd like to see it located in Summerside," MacDougall said. "We haven't heard anything... concerning the new museum."

There has been some suggestion that the Province break up the museum and have regional facilities reflecting that area's culture and heritage.

"We're looking for the whole thing," added MacDougall.

After the plan was announced, the Province did send out for proposals for the new museum but the projected costs were high, in excess of $50 million.

Harry Holman, director of culture, heritage and libraries with the Department of Tourism and Culture, said the plan is still in place.

"We're still looking," he said. "We did have a very productive meeting with the City of Summerside last year, but there's been no decisions or advances from where we were at that time.

"We're considering the approach. The Province remains committed to a provincial museum, but it has to fit in with the other plans and priorities of the province."

The Province is looking at putting forward a proposal to the federal government to make the provincial museum part of the legacy for the 150th anniversary of the Confederation Conference.

"That's certainly a possibility as the planning for the 150th moves forward that is one of the areas where there will be some discussion," Holman said. "David MacKenzie has just been appointed, but the role that he's playing is with the activities rather than the legacy.

MacKenzie, the outgoing CEO of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, will begin his new assignment on the anniversary celebration in early August. His early priorities will be to work closely with various levels of government to draft a vision framework and business plan for the 150th celebrations.

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.”

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR COMPREHENSIVE HERITAGE STUDY

A request for proposals for a comprehensive heritage study is now underway on PEI.
Details of the RFP are outlined on the Province of PEI procurement website.

1. Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to review the heritage sector of the province and to make recommendations to the Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour as to the appropriate role to be played by the Government of Prince Edward Island in responding to the needs of the sector.

2. Introduction

The Prince Edward Island Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour is seeking a consultant to undertake a comprehensive heritage study for the province.

The study will be one of the foundations of a heritage strategy which will be developed. The role of government with regard to the heritage of Prince Edward Island has developed over a number of years without a comprehensive framework. Capitalizing on specific initiatives and opportunities, the present institutions, programs and activities of government cover a wide range of heritage areas but lack cohesion and policy foundation. While the province has many institutions, organizations and activities of which it is proud, there are some heritage areas which are not addressed well or, in some cases, not addressed at all. Faced with significant needs for capital development, programing assistance and other heritage activity, the province is seeking to develop a more rational approach to management of heritage and heritage resources in the
province.

For the purpose of this study, “heritage” is defined to include the following:

Tangible cultural heritage - including, but not limited to, artifacts, buildings, cultural landscape and records;

Intangible cultural heritage - including, but not limited to, folklore, language, oral history and customs; and

Natural heritage - the land, sea, air, and flora and fauna of the province.

The Government of Prince Edward Island has a shared responsibility for heritage. It shares obligations with other levels of government and discharges some of its responsibilities in partnership with voluntary organizations. It operates heritage institutions itself and through arms-length crown agencies. It provides support for specific initiatives, as well as assistance directly and indirectly to organizations and institutions through such programs as grants, Jobs for Youth and other employment opportunities, and shared cost initiatives. While this study should recognize the role that other players have in the heritage area, the primary thrust of the study is to explore the role that is, can, and should be played by the Government of Prince Edward Island in the management of historic resources.

3. Project Management

A Heritage Study Steering Committee consisting of representatives from a number of province-wide organizations with heritage interests has been appointed to oversee the study. This committee should be considered a resource by the consultant. The groups include:

• Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society
• Community Museums Association of Prince Edward Island
• Prince Edward Island Natural History Society Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation
• Archives Council of Prince Edward Island
• Mi’kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I.
• Acadian Museum Association of P.E.I.
• University of Prince Edward Island History Department

4. Process Expectations
The consultant is expected to undertake, at a minimum, the following:

• An initial meeting with the Heritage Study steering committee to obtain information and additional direction, as required.

• A comprehensive public consultation process which will afford the opportunity for Islanders to provide input, ideas and discussion related to heritage issues. This will normally include public meetings across the province, opportunities to present briefs or reports by groups or individuals, focus groups, and other participation opportunities. In accordance with provincial policy, an appropriate mechanism or mechanisms must be provided to allow for participation in the process by those whose primary language is French.

• A strategy to notify the public of opportunities to participate in the process.

• A review of recent relevant documentation and legislation concerning heritage in Prince Edward Island and adjacent provinces.

• Meetings with organizations, institutions, heritage professionals and interest groups in the heritage area.

• Identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the current system of heritage institutions, organizations and programs.

• Identification of gaps in the current system of heritage institutions, organizations and programs.

• Development of recommendations to address issues raised.

For more details see the full document