Heritage Organizations Better Equipped to Develop Resources

Investment in the preservation and development of the province�s heritage resources is an important priority, noted the Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, as he announced the approval of various projects of provincial heritage organizations through the Cultural Economic Development Program (CEDP).

The latest investment of just over $85,000 is part of a total $2 million investment by government this year to help develop arts and heritage projects across the province. The heritage sector will receive support to assist with conservation, presentation and interpretation of heritage resources, as well as professional development for heritage professionals.

�The preservation and promotion of the wonderful heritage of this province are important on many levels,� said Minister Hedderson. �Valuable pieces of our past are protected and developed for the benefit of our residents and future generations. As well, this development adds to our tourism products and enhances our ability to effectively compete with other tourism destinations.�

Applicants seeking funding through the CEDP for heritage projects must be individuals in the heritage industries, private companies, not-for-profit organizations, partnerships, cooperatives, or provincially-based sectoral organizations whose principal activity is in the heritage sector. Projects are selected on the strength of business plans, use of best practices and potential for development.

One of the 13 heritage projects approved in this round of funding is the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the province�s cottage hospital system by the Newfoundland and Labrador Health and Community Services Archive and Museum. �Our mandate is to collect, preserve and promote the history of health services in our province,� said Erin Russell, manager of the archive and museum. �Given the vital role that cottage hospitals played within our communities and the province as a whole, it was important that this project be realized. Our approval for funding under the CEDP allowed us to create the exhibit, which included commissioning an artist and having interpretive panels painted and framed. It will also enable us to bring the exhibit to communities throughout the province.� The exhibit is in place at The Rooms until January 28, with plans to begin a tour of the province in 2007.

�The variety of the projects approved reflects the valuable asset we have in our rich heritage,� added Minister Hedderson. �Our investment is one that will benefit the people and the communities of this province, while also supporting economic development within our tourism and cultural industries.�

Further information on the Cultural Economic Development Program is available at //www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/services_programs/CEDP/ .

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Media contact:
Glenda Power
Communications Manager
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 728-7762
glendapower@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER
Heritage Projects Approved Through the Cultural Economic Development Program

Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador - $3,000 to research farms designated by the Century Farm Project; this will enable the development of panels for use at industry and public fairs and exhibitions.

Cow Head Conservation and Heritage Committee - $3,000 to preserve the traditional set dance in Western Newfoundland.

French Shore Historical Society - $5,500 to complete the cataloguing of all artifacts and documents at the French Shore Interpretation Centre in Conche.

Friends of Salmonier - $10,000 to conduct research and create a 500 sq. ft. interactive exhibit of the early naturalists in Newfoundland and Labrador (prior to 1949) who mapped and recorded the natural history. The exhibit will present the roles that these scientists and naturalists played, and still play, in explaining and creating knowledge of the elements of cultural development, the natural resources and their usages.

Memorial University�s Centre for Material Culture Studies - $3,000 to hire a curatorial intern to develop a temporary exhibit on the St. John�s neighbourhood of The Battery. The exhibit will open in May 2007 at The Rooms.

Mushuau Innu First Nation - $7,500 for heritage planning sessions and workshops in Natuashish on the traditions and cultural heritage of Mushuau Innu First Nation.

NL Health and Community Services Archive and Museum - $7,550 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the cottage hospital system in Newfoundland and Labrador with an exhibit of the history at The Rooms, running September 26 to January 28. The exhibit will tour the province in 2007 in Cottage Hospital communities. The Newfoundland and Labrador Health and Community Services Archive and Museum (NLHCSAM) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established to document and preserve the historical record of health care in the province.

Railway Coastal Museum - $9,000 for phase one of a three-phase project exhibit on the evolution of the St. John�s Dockyard.

Sir William Ford Coaker Foundation - $9,000 for a collections management project cataloguing and photographing artifacts in the Fishermen�s Advocate. The records will be accessible on the Artefacts Canada web site.

Tourism Elliston - $8,100 to complete a heritage inventory for the Community of Elliston, to conduct research and to gather community input into purposes and uses of heritage assets. Tourism Elliston Inc. formed in 1997 as a group of volunteers promoting the economic sustainability of the community through the advancement of its cultural and natural attractions.

Town of Conception Bay South - $3,000 to complete research for the Heritage Buildings and Structures Inventory and to develop heritage walks.

Town of Tilting - $10,000 for the development of interpretative panels and a community map as part of a heritage viewpark at Sandy Cove Hill.

Trinity Historical Society - $7,200 to increase the archival collection of intangible heritage and to improve the inter-generational knowledge through the collection of an oral history of the Trinity area and surrounding resettled communities. The Trinity Historical Society is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to promote and preserve the history and heritage of the community of Trinity.

2006 12 19                                      10:50 a.m.