December 16, 2001

Feds present $10 million to crumbling Fort Henry

Kingston Whig Standard article (Arthur Milnes)

OTTAWA - Fort Henry has received a multi-million-dollar Christmas present from Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps.

With a smiling Kingston and the Islands MP Peter Milliken at her side, Copps announced yesterday she is contributing $10 million to repair the crumbling fortress that is eastern Ontario's most important tourist attraction.

"We have worked very hard and worked through a number of processes to secure an additional $5 million to add to the $5 million we will be taking out of [the Fort Henry endowment fund] for a total of $10 million which will be an investment by the Government of Canada that will be necessary to carry out the restorations," Copps told The Whig-Standard, in an exclusive interview in the Speaker's office after question period in the House.

'CHRISTMAS PRESENT'

"We want to get this issue put to bed before Christmas and we think it would be a wonderful Christmas present to have Fort Henry given the restoration attention that it deserves."

Copps also said she hopes her counterpart at Queen's Park, provincial Tourism Minister Tim Hudak, will match Ottawa's contribution.

"We will be encouraging them to come to the table with the additional $5 million, particularly since they operate [the fort] and assume the legal liability," she said.

"We're doing our part and we hope Mr. Hudak will do his," she said.

Earlier this year, Hudak announced that the provincial government is willing to chip in $5 million for repairs to the fort.

For more than a year, Ottawa, which owns Fort Henry, and Queen's Park, which operates the attraction through the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, have been locked in a political battle over the fort, which was built before Confederation.

Estimates of the cost of repairing it range from $25 million to $35 million.

Copps said it's time Ottawa and Queen's Park improve their strained relations over Fort Henry.

"To date, I think we've been trying to find solutions and they've been more confrontational," she said.

"This is the time to put the past behind us and, in the Christmas spirit, we will hand out the olive branch, the holly branch and the mistletoe to Mr. Hudak, in the hope [that] we might have a little kiss under the mistletoe [and] kiss and make up."

Copps said the federal government has nothing to learn from Queen's Park about preserving historic sites in Ontario and Canada.

'TAKING RESPONSIBILITY'

"When it comes to the institutions for which the government of Canada is responsible, we are taking responsibility," she said.

"I know that in the province of Ontario a number of museums are in dire straits and they want them repaired through the infrastructure program, not through their direct investments."

Milliken said he was very happy about Copps's announcement.

"I'm very pleased the minister has chosen to do this," he said.

"I think this means a substantial volume of work can be done in 2002. I hope the work can be undertaken on a timely basis, over the summer months, [and] progress can be made so the fort's in better repair by 2003."

Copps said Milliken has served as a champion of the fort's interests in Ottawa.

"Peter's role was crucial. Not a day went by in Parliament without Peter raising the issue."

Kingston Whig Standard article