Canadian History Museum Announcement
May 28, 2003
Greetings to OMA members:
On the heels of May is Museum Month, which has gathered much media attention for Ontario's museums and members across the province, the OMA is pleased to coordinate and join efforts with the CMA in response to the announcement of the $90 million dollars for the new Canadian History Museum.
Today the OMA and the CMA will share a broadcast platform on TVOntario (Tfo- French channel- 7-8 p.m.) to comment on the announcement. The OMA will also be on two other radio broadcasts to comment on Ontario's museums' needs in light of this announcement on Thursday and Friday (times TBA).
The OMA supports the need for a national Heritage policy which recognizes the vital contribution of museums across the country (with the greatest number in Ontario) in telling the "Canadian story" in towns and cities across the province, reflecting the history of our communities large and small.
Additional and sustained funding support is seriously needed at the local level for the museum community so that the artifacts of national and provincial significance are properly preserved and presented for generations to come. Our collections need care and resources and the capital needs are also great.
We join others in the museum community in suggesting that the creation of an additional museum in Ottawa may not be the most effective way to ensure that the Canadian story is told; and that a more integrated approach involving consultations with all stakeholders, including the Ontario museum and heritage community, could bring about a more efficient use of public resources within the heritage sector.
The OMA welcomes a more comprehensive public discussion prior to the creation of another Ottawa National museum, in a city where there are many museums national, large and small, already striving to survive in the wake of the impact of SARS and the war on Iraq, in addition to the many challenges museums have faced in recent years.
Marie Lalonde
Executive Director
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