Friday, November 14, 2008

A Much Better Plan....

I'm really pleased to see the Ghiz Government going in the direction of a Provincial Museum as it is probably a bigger priority than an Artifactory. One of the first things the Ghiz Government did when they got into office was to cancel the contract our Company had been awarded (from the previous Government) to build the new Artifactory in Murray River. We had spent a lot of time and money on winning the bid but the project didn't really seem to make a lot of sense and was more politically motivated than it was good planning... it certainly makes a lot more sense to have a Provincial Museum centrally located where tourists, students, researchers, etc... from all over the Island can easily access this valuable resource as opposed to putting it at either end of the Island. The Government took their time and listened to the stakeholders and it certainly looks like the way to go. Some people may think that in tough times we should hold back on our capital projects like this but it is really going to be very quiet in the private sector so I think it's important for Government to step up the capital plan to help keep people working during these hard times. I think PEI is the only Province in Canada without a Provincial Museum and it is certainly long overdue….. Great decision and good news from Mr. Ghiz and Ms. Bertram… keep it up….
P.E.I. to build central museum
Friday, November 14, 2008
CBC News
Prince Edward Island will build a new provincial museum, Heritage Minister Carolyn Bertram announced Friday.
During the May 2007 election campaign, the Liberals promised to give the idea of a central heritage museum serious consideration. Currently, the provincial museum operates seven sites across the province, but each has a narrow focus, such as fisheries, railways, agriculture and shipbuilding.
The decision to build a central museum came in response to a report the government commissioned on the idea, also released Friday.
Heritage on P.E.I. is lacking co-ordinated vision and planning, says the 143-page report. What is being presented is fragmented and weakly connected.
The report notes the current piecemeal approach excludes many subject areas such as natural history, Aboriginal heritage, women's history, archaeological sites, and Island customs, stories, and languages.
"Some of the areas covered in the report, such as greater involvement of the aboriginal community and investment in the Museum and Heritage Foundation sites, are already being addressed," said Bertram in a news release.
The report recommends the new facility be operational within five years.
"Other recommendations may be implemented over a longer term," said Bertram.
The study was prepared by the Iris Group of Stratford in association with A.L. Arbic Consulting of Nova Scotia.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe they can put the museum in that empty eyesore on Granville Street?

Tim Banks said...

Actually, that's not a bad idea. Even thought we have close to a million dollars invested in the site I would consider "giving it back free" to the Province if they moved the Provincial Muesum to this site in my Home Town. It would be great so maybe "anonymous" should come forward with the idea as some small minded people would think I was trying to get something out of it if I donated it...

Anonymous said...

Dominion Building on Queen St., next to Confed. Centre, the historic legislature, historic Great George St., in the heart of downtown, occupying an entire City block is the best site for a provincial facility.

Other development opportunity exists on the site for the south/west facing portion on Pownal St. and the Square. A stand alone multi-res /office combo would be appropriate for this 'back block' facing Pownal/Sydney.

And it's for sale.