Years Roll on By . . .

I recently came across a copy of the report of Public Consultations on the PEI Museum System conducted by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI - and the date struck me. Is is really 5 years since the report was completed ? And are we no further ahead ?

While 2014 has been held out as a hopeful year for a major "legacy project" to the commemoration of the  sesquicentennial marking the 150 years since the Charlottetown Conference led to Confederation of Canada colonies into a nation - there are still no clear plans to move ahead on museum development, and with the expectation that someone else will pay - there seems to be a limited vision which is restricting the effort to raise funds locally along with the provincial government committing itself to play their appropriate role in funding the operation on an ongoing basis.

The mandate has clearly been given in legislation in 1983 to the PEI Museum & Heritage Foundation to be the provincial museum system of the province - but how can they move beyond the role of managing a series of historic sites and theme museums (which they do very well) - to tackle the role of operating a full provincial museum system. The mandate is wide covering all of human and natural history, but without ever having hired curatorial staff in the broad areas of natural history the mandate remains dormant decades after it was granted to the organization,

Birthplace squabble sets tone for 2014

Second Opinion by Paul MacNeill, publisher West Prince Graphic
as posted at PEICanada.com

There is a battle brewing in Charlottetown that would make John A. MacDonald reach for his whiskey flask.
On paper it sounds much a do about nothing. What’s the Birthplace of Confederation? Oh come on you moan. Any Islander with half a brain can answer that in a nano second. Charlottetown is the Birthplace of Confederation, you say with a hint of intellectual superiority.

If you are an Islander that concept is fully engrained. We are taught that John A. MacDonald and his crew of fellow nation builders used the Charlottetown meetings of 1864 as a springboard to the creation of Canada in 1867.

Charlottetown takes great pride in its place in history - sometimes to an annoying level.

But history in the hands of modern politicians is often a fickle thing. No need to look at it in context or with an eye to accuracy, especially when history gets in the way of a political pot of gold.

Premier Robert Ghiz and PEI’s lady at the federal cabinet table, Gail Shea, have taken to a little historical revisionism. Charlottetown The Birthplace of Confederation has become Prince Edward Island the Birthplace of Confederation. It’s a subtle change but one that has the City of Charlottetown hopping mad, although city officials are hesitant to publicly criticize.
So what is the big deal you say?

Well a lot if there is potentially $100 million at stake. That is how much the provincial government is asking from Ottawa to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown meetings. PEI figures if the feds can funnel $400 million to Quebec for 400th anniversary celebrations, we deserve a quarter as much.

Charlottetown fears that the subtle but important shift to Prince Edward Island Birthplace of Confederation is a strategic attempt to see 2014 funding flow out of the city and across all of PEI. And the city doesn’t like that because it has big plans itself.

A few weeks ago Mayor Clifford Lee floated the idea of replacing the Civic Centre with a new arena/provincial museum combination. No one will argue with the need to demolish the Civic Centre. It is a terrible venue; too small with obstructed sight lines. The city, and the province, need an arena where spectators walk down to their seat rather than up.

Adding a provincial museum is a novel idea but one with little merit, other than it affords the opportunity to tap into a bigger pot of federal cash.

If a provincial museum is needed – and that has yet to be shown – the site should be very carefully selected, something often ignored by city officials. Take for example the convention centre. It is being built on the wrong site, wasting for decades a prime piece of waterfront that would be far better served by other uses, including potentially a provincial museum.

Charlottetown should not simply assume it has a divine right for a museum. If rural PEI is too far for museum elites to drive, as they have repeatedly said, what about Stratford? A modern building on the waterfront would create a dynamic welcoming to the greater city area, similar to the Musuem of Civilization in Hull, Quebec across the river from Ottawa.

The spoils of 2014 should be spread, at least to some extent, across the Island. PEI supplied five fathers of confederation and not all of them came from Charlottetown. It’s easy to envision, for instance, programming in Georgetown, home to one of those five, AA MacDonald.

What is galling is the blatant attempt by Island politicians to rewrite history. It’s silly. It’s petty. And it sends a terrible message to our kids about the crassness of manipulating history to achieve an advantage.

Charlottetown is the Birthplace of Confederation. That is history Robert Ghiz and Gail Shea simply cannot change. It’s a history Islanders accept. Let’s not leave greed and petty infighting as the legacy of 2014. The Fathers of Confederation would not be amused.

Paul MacNeill is Publisher of Island Press Limited. He can be contacted at paul@peicanada.com

Plans for P.E.I. museum gathering dust

Published by The Guardian Oct 27, 2011

Nancy MacPhee

Members of the board of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation listen to a question from the crowd during Tuesday night’s annual meeting. From left are chair, Harry Kielly, vice-chair, Jesse Francis, and executive director, Dr. David Keenlyside.

© Nancy MacPhee/Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE – Plans for a provincial museum are at a standstill and the Province isn’t saying whether money for the project is in the upcoming capital budget.

The issue was at the forefront at Tuesday night’s annual meeting of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation, the group lobbying for a facility to house and showcase artifacts now stored at its collections facility in Charlottetown.

That facility, known as the artifactory, is bursting at the seams. The foundation has recently had to rent a 3,000-square-foot space at a cost of $27,000 a year.

Newly minted Tourism and Culture Minister Robert Henderson said his government is committed to the concept of a provincial museum.

“We’re struggling with trying to come up with the resources to try and make this a reality,” said Henderson following the meeting. “It is more than just displaying of the artifacts; it’s also the storage of artifacts.”

The foundation’s executive director, Dr. David Keenylside, said more than 80,000 artifacts are currently being stored at its collections facility and 20,000 are on loan to its seven sites throughout the province.

He admitted the artifactory has its limitations, space being the main one. In the past there’s also been minor flooding at the facility.

Keenlyside said the holding facility is only open to the public by appointment.

“You want it to be accessible but at the same time you want it to be secure and environmentally sound and well organized so you can find things.”

The ideal scenario would be to have one building to house artifacts and include a museum where collections could be displayed.

“Right now there is no place on the Island for kids or adults or visitors to go and see what the Island story is,” said Keenlyside. “They see it in bits and pieces. It’s something that really needs to be here.”

He said the foundation has come up with various options, including using existing space for the museum, and building a new facility, ranging in cost from $10 million to $55 million.

“We don’t know in the final analysis if we will get all, or some, or part.”

Henderson admitted that it all comes down to money and is hopeful his government can at least come up with a short-term solution.

“We’re hoping we can find some possible partners for the provincial museum concept,” he said. “It’s important to the preservation of a lot of our Island artifacts and history.

“We’re hoping to bring down a capital budget in the legislature this fall. At this point in time I can’t divulge if it is or isn’t going to be in it.”

Provincial museum needs some action

Published by The Guardian on September 13, 2011

 Editor:

Now is the time to seek a commitment to establish a provincial museum in the capital city.
During the last provincial election campaign, a promise was made to begin planning for a provincial museum, but no decision has been made. I believe very strongly that the museum should be established and have long advocated it should be located in Charlottetown. I am very disappointed that the city has not pursued this matter with the provincial government.
The city administration has an important role to play in ensuring the museum is located in Charlottetown, but I see no evidence that it has committed to the project.

As the provincial capital, as the Birthplace of Canada and as a city noted for its heritage and culture, Charlottetown is the only logical choice for a project that would have provincewide benefits. The establishment of a provincial museum should be a priority for all Islanders, and I hope this issue will be addressed during the current provincial election campaign.

During my campaign for mayor in 2010, I pledged to work with the provincial government to establish the museum in Charlottetown because of the economic and educational benefits it would provide to Islanders and visitors. We have a distinctive history and culture in this province, and we need to tell our stories. Now is the time to make a decision and move forward for the benefit of present and future generations.

Philip Brown,
Charlottetown

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.

David MacKenzie to lead 2014 celebrations

David MacKenzie, right, outgoing CEO of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, with Wayne Hambley, chairman of the board of the Confederation Centre of the Arts. MacKenzie will be heading 2014 celebrations for the province. His new post starts in August. Guardian file photo

July 18, 201

As published by The Guardian -

The man who has been at the helm of the Confederation Centre of the Arts for the past 10 years has a new role leading celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the historic meeting of the Fathers of Confederation.

David MacKenzie, the outgoing CEO of the Confederation Centre, will begin his new assignment 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.

“We need to ensure 2014 fits into a broader national celebration leading to 2017 and to hear from Islanders about a shared plan for this celebration,” MacKenzie said.

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

That legacy is expected to be a provincial museum.

“We are delighted that a person of David’s background and skills has agreed to take on this important role,” said Premier Robert Ghiz.

“We believe that 2014 will be an important and special year not only for Islanders, but Canadians alike as we build towards 2017 which will mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of Canada.”

MacKenzie has served as the CEO of the Confederation Centre for the past 10 years. Prior to that he served as the founding executive director of the P.E.I. Capital Commission, which focused on developing and celebrating the Birthplace theme. He also managed Atlantic Canada House at the recent 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

“We need to ensure 2014 fits into a broader national celebration leading to 2017 and to hear from Islanders about a shared plan for this celebration,”- David MacKenzie

He has been an industry leader having served on the P.E.I. Tourism Advisory Council, the City of Charlottetown’s task force on arts and culture, the Canadian Arts Summit and the board of directors for Tourism Charlottetown.

MacKenzie’s gig with the province is a full-time, paid position. He’ll stay on with the province through to 2014.

Following work with federal partners, the provincial government will begin an extensive public engagement in the planning of the 2014 celebrations.

“To have a successful 150th celebration requires planning, vision and execution,” Ghiz added.

“It also requires being able to mobilize all of the key partners including the federal government, the community and industry to work together towards this goal. I look forward to working with others to make 2014 a special year as a lead up to 2017.”

Provincial Museum in Top Twelve Policy Resolutions

When the Provincial Liberal Party of PEI met for their annual general meeting on Saturday - it was a chance for policy initiatives to come forward and the goal of working to establish the Provincial Museum made it to the list.

According to The Guardian,

The resolutions focused on 12 areas, including agriculture, education, economic development, health care and energy, although it was not the party’s official policy booklet and some may change before the election.

Some of the resolutions included continuing to work on a poverty reduction strategy, working to establish a provincial museum and taking measures to preserve the inshore fishing fleet.

While this topic has been of keen interest across the Island, it is good news that the party policy mechanism that generates policy initiatives from a grass roots level has also recognized that the establishment of a provincial museum is worth of action.