Province House future being debated

Public hearings began Wednesday in P.E.I. on the future of Province House, a national historic site in Charlottetown.

The standing committee on legislative management is reviewing a 36-year-old lease between the province and Parks Canada that gives the federal agencycontrol over the historic building for 99 years.

The province still owns Province House but Parks Canada is responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the building, which was the site of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference that led to Confederation.

The committee meeting in Province House heard Wednesday that there are numerous structural issues with the building, including a sandstone foundation that's crumbling.

"Parts of the [facade] fell off this summer and lucky it didn't hit somebody, it could have seriously injured someone," said committee member Jim Bagnall, an opposition MLA.

"There's structural repairs that have to be done, the building leaks."

A Parks Canada representative said a full restoration would be expensive, and there are no plans to come up with extra money.

"There's no plan at this time to do another restoration like we did in the 1970s and early 80s," said Jewel Cunningham, a P.E.I. field unit superintendent.

"There isn't a pile of money to do restoration all in one single year."

In addition to issues with the ongoing maintenance of the building, the committee also heard from people who believe the province should renegotiate the lease, and take back Province House completely.

"It's a symbol of our province so it's critically important for the province to have our landmark building of our government and our democracy," Harry Baglole, a historian, told the committee Wednesday.

"It's absolutely essential that it be a landmark and a showplace for the province."

The public hearings will continue over the fall. The committee is expected to review the existing agreement and report back to the legislature.