GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR THE MUSEUM OF HEALTH CARE AT KINGSTON

KINGSTON, September 17, 2004 – The Honourable Member Peter Milliken, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, welcomed the announcement from the Honourable Liza Frulla, Minister of Canadian Heritage, of $35,000 in funding for the Museum of Health Care in Kingston. The funds will help the Museum better preserve its collection and share it with Canadians.

"The Museum of Health Care houses more than 27 000 artifacts in a historical building. It is a treasure of our country and this region’s heritage, said Mr. Milliken. “I am pleased that the Federal Government supports this institution, which allows local residents and visitors to learn more about the evolution of health care in Canada.”

“Cultural institutions like the Museum of Health Care are places of endless discovery and learning for Canadians,” said Minister Frulla. “They preserve and highlight our history and our heritage, and represent a valuable part of the legacy we will leave for our children.”

Funding from the Cultural Spaces Canada Program will help the Museum of Health Care at Kingston finance its renovation project. The project will increase exhibition spaces by 25 percent, increase collection storage space by 75 percent, and upgrade the building’s air handling system.

This program supports cultural infrastructure projects that increase access for Canadians to visual, performing, and media arts, and also improves physical conditions for artistic creativity and innovation. Funding is also provided for the construction and renovation of arts and heritage facilities, for the purchase of specialized equipment, and for feasibility studies and projects to transform buildings into arts or heritage facilities. This program is part of the Tomorrow Starts Today initiative, which has been renewed for a fourth year with $207 million in funding.

Funding for this initiative was provided for in the March 2004 federal budget.

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