It gives me great pleasure to inform you that this morning the conceptual design of "The Rooms" was unveiled.

As you know, last December 13th, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced its decision to proceed with the development of a new home for our provincial museum, archives and art gallery.

Since then, our architectural team has proceeded with the development of the conceptual design which we have reviewed with the various stakeholder groups and the arts and heritage communities. Today, the final design was unveiled.

The design for "The Rooms" is home-grown. It reflects our heritage and the traditional structures of the province. As such, this building will not only contain our heritage treasures, but will be symbolic of the structures that used to cover the entire shoreline of the province. This is particularly important because, at a time when our fishery is undergoing one of the most radical transformations in its history, most of the architecture which is associated with the old fishery is rapidly disappearing. It is therefore fitting that one of our main cultural buildings will keep its memory alive and serve continually to remind us of our important historical roots.

Secondly, "The Rooms" embodies the cultural values of our society and, as such, is expected to make an artistic as well as an architectural statement. The building will be a major addition to the skyline, without dominating it. It will fit in well with the other institutional and religious buildings in the neighbourhood, while standing out and making a statement about the value we place on our cultural heritage.

I am pleased to report that the cost of constructing "The Rooms" remains within our established budget of $40 million. We will continue to monitor the project closely, to ensure that it stays that way.

Soon you will be seeing some activity at the Fort Townshend site. Archeological work will begin this spring, construction will begin this coming September and we are still on schedule to open the building to the public by March 2003.

We will be soliciting the further advice of the arts and cultural communities as we proceed with the fabrication of the museum exhibits for "The Rooms". The construction of "The Rooms" presents an unequalled opportunity for us to review the historical themes that have traditionally been interpreted at the Newfoundland Museum, and to see how these can be improved. We intend to consult with experts and ordinary citizens on this topic, to ensure that the stories we tell are those which truly reflect who we are as a society. We will providing the public with more information in the near future as to how they can make their contribution to this process.

I would like to congratulate the PHB Group for the excellence of their design and they were greatly assisted by the staff of the three institutions, who contributed their expertise and many hours of hard work to ensure that the building will be state-of-the-art. I would also like to thank the representatives of the arts and heritage groups who provided their advice on the design of the building during a session last February.

Finally, I would like to reiterate today what was said at the December 13th announcement: "Through �The Rooms� the province is renewing its commitment to preserving and promoting our cultural heritage, a heritage unlike any other in the world and one of which we are justly proud. The cultural artifacts, natural history specimens, archival documents and works of art which have been accumulated over the years in these three provincial institutions are resources of global significance. They exist nowhere else and in "The Rooms" they will preserved and exhibited in the best possible manner.

"The Rooms," will become a common link to our heritage, reinforcing the connection between those living today and those who came before.

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