UPPER-CANADA-L Archives

From: "Kathie Orr" <>
Subject: Archives of Ontario
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 01:09:39 -0500

Have you written your letters regarding the Archives of Ontario – as you can
see from this exchange in Hansard on Mar 1st Minister Phillips is doing
nothing. His statement “It is going to take us probably a couple of years
before we find a permanent long-term solution” is costing the Archives and
people of Ontario.

The government has to make a decision, which they seem unable to do, and
then it will take time to build or refit a building so we are looking at a
delay of 2 to 5 years. According to the government’s own assessment they are
lose $13 million a year so by the time a new building is online we could
have lost $65 million of historical records that can not be replaced.

The money the Archives now spends fighting a losing battle with the mould
could be better spend on new equipment and microfilming records, increasing
the interloan collection, and digitizing records to go online.

Need more information you can read the article in OHS (Ontario Historical
Society) Bulletin issue 148 February 2005 written Ruth Burkholder and myself
and go to Global Gazette and read Rick Roberts article Help Save the
Archives of Ontario. You can also check the archives of this list for the
other messages I have posted.

http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/gazrr/gazrr112.htm
<http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/gazrr/gazrr112.htm>;

We need letters from groups and individuals – volume gets action. If you
have already written a letter, please write again, the minister needs to
know we will not let this issue die.

Could you also please keep me informed of what you have and will do? I need
to have an idea of the amount of mail the minister’s office is receiving.


ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO
Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York): My question is to the Chairman of the
Management Board of Cabinet. You don't get many questions. I'd like to give
you one today.
Minister Phillips, last October you killed a deal to move the Archives of
Ontario into a facility that would have protected the province's
irreplaceable historical records. At that time, you assured the people of
Ontario that you would work to protect those archives. Yet, as of today,
nothing has been accomplished.
The Archives of Ontario have been valued at approximately $250 million.
Every year they lose about $13 million of their value. But that's not the
question. The important thing is that this is our history. This is what the
people of Ontario want to preserve, and it is being degraded. I ask you,
Minister Phillips, would you please share with this House your plan to save
the Archives of Ontario from any more unnecessary decay?
Hon. Gerry Phillips (Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet): It's an
important question. We're doing two things. One is, I spent, I think, an
hour today with the chief archivist, reviewing with her and her staff all of
the things that we need to be doing to preserve the integrity of our
archives. I said to her, "Are we doing what's appropriate here? Should we be
doing any more? Are we protecting the archives in terms of fire and mould
and preservation?" I think we are doing, in the short term, all the things
that she would recommend.
In the long term, of course, we need a new facility. We need a new facility
that will be the facility for the next 50 years, or 100 years perhaps. What
we're doing there is -- I'm working with the Minister of Public
Infrastructure Renewal. We are looking at the best long-term solution. We're
working with the archives, and I expect over the next few months we will be
proceeding with a proposal to provide a permanent new long-term facility for
the archives.
So in the short term, I had a meeting today at noon for an hour dealing with
the short-term problems, and I'm working with PIR for the long-term
solution.
Mr. Prue: Minister, with the greatest of respect, since last October you
have been saying the same exact words. Since last October in this province,
we have lost many of our archives and the value of those archives. They
continue to decay. It is not good enough, I would suggest to you, that you
stand before this House today and say that all you're doing is studying it
some more and that in a couple of more months you're going to have an
answer. In the mere time of this question and your answer, we have lost some
$50 to $100 worth of archives in this province. That's the reality of every
minute: We lose $24.72 while you dither.
I say to you again, we cannot replace many of these resources. Do you have a
plan -- that's what I have to ask -- to save our history? Will you act to
preserve these archives, and will you share with this House today what your
plan is today and in two months' time?
Hon. Mr. Phillips: I guess you wrote the question before you heard my
answer. I repeat for the public, today at noon for perhaps an hour I met
with the chief of our archives and her staff to review all of the things
that we should be doing in the short term. It is going to take us probably a
couple of years before we find a permanent long-term solution. The member
wants to know what we are doing. I reviewed exactly what we are doing in
terms of dealing with the short-term problems. In terms of the long term --
and let's recognize that the public expects that we will provide a permanent
long-term solution, but we will do it in the most cost-effective manner.
They expect that of us. That's why I've asked the Minister of Public
Infrastructure Renewal to work with our ministry to find the best long-term
solution. I think those are both things that the public would expect: the
short-term solution and the long-term solution. Both of those things are
well underway and, in my opinion, are being done in the best interests of
the people of Ontario.
Legislative Assembly of Ontario – Hansard

Tuesday 1 March 2005 Mardi 1er mars 2005

http://www.ontla.on.ca/hansard/house_debates/38_parl/Session1/L113A.htm
<http://www.ontla.on.ca/hansard/house_debates/38_parl/Session1/L113A.htm>;

Regards
Kathie Orr


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• Archives of Ontario by "Kathie Orr" <>