Museum’s future in jeopardy

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/02/2018 (2941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Due to growing frustration with the City of Winnipeg, the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) says it no longer wants anything to do with the Ross House Museum.

Citing frozen funding, vandalism, staff safety concerns and a city liaison that ignores them, the MHS has given the city 60 days’ notice it is terminating its agreement to manage the Winnipeg site.

A city spokeswoman confirmed Monday the MHS informed civic officials of the decision last week.

Unless the city takes over management, or finds someone willing to, it appears the museum — located in the Point Douglas neighbourhood’s Joe Zuken Heritage Park — will remain shuttered this summer. (The museum usually operates in the summer months only.)

Details of dissatisfaction with the city were provided to the Free Press by an organization insider who asked not to be named. The source claims the city’s perceived indifference to the group’s concerns has left it frustrated to the point of washing its hands of the situation.

The source claims the MHS has effectively been subsidizing the museum for years due to a city funding freeze. In 2017, administrative costs exceeded the city’s grant by $1,700, they said.

In addition, they said letters detailing vandalism, harassment of staff, needles found on the property and people defecating and urinating against the museum have been ignored by the group’s city contact for several years.

“The staff have not felt safe and a number of summer students have quit before the summer was over due to these reasons. Why should anyone have to put up with this?” the source wrote in an email to the Free Press.

“These concerns have been brought to the city contact in a number of letters over the past few years, but these letters have not been replied to or even has it been acknowledged that these letters have been received. This is inexcusable.”

The Civic officials had little to say on the matter Monday.

“The City of Winnipeg values its historic properties and their importance to the community. We are currently reviewing the Manitoba Historical Society’s letter and considering next steps regarding the maintenance and operation of Ross House,” a city spokeswoman wrote in an email.

Sel Burrows, a Point Douglas community activist, expressed frustration and disappointment in the MHS decision.

Burrows believes it has less to do with the outlined reasons, and more to do with the historical group not wanting to deal with the reality of an inner-city neighbourhood.

While he admits lack of funding and apparent lack of a response from a city contact are legitimate concerns, Burrows said the community would have been more than willing to help find solutions had they been notified.

He also stressed neighbourhood efforts to help take care of, and keep an eye on, the property. And while once a legitimate problem, vandalism and drug use around the museum have dropped significantly over the past decade, he said.

“To hold a major part of our community ransom like this, at least they could use a decent argument. The arguments presented, other than the funding issue, are specious. This would have been a decent thing to contact us about. We would have been more than happy to support them,” Burrows said.

“They’re a bunch of middle-class snobs who don’t want to be involved with the reality of Winnipeg. It makes me angry they want to dump it. How can they call themselves the historical society if their commitment to Winnipeg’s history doesn’t seem to involve a commitment to history in a slightly rougher neighbourhood?”

Built on the shore of the Red River at the foot of Market Avenue, the Ross House served as Western Canada’s first post office (other than those run by the Hudson’s Bay Company) beginning in 1855. It is one of the last remaining examples of Red River architecture in Winnipeg.

When the city took ownership of the home in 1949, it was moved it to Higgins Avenue. The building was again moved in 1984, this time to its current location. The MHS has managed the building since the city took ownership.

Burrows said he was concerned for the future of the site and hopes something can be done before the MHS walks away for good.

“I think the people of Winnipeg have to stand up and say, ‘Hey, you don’t treat a community like this. We expect to be treated with a little respect.’ This will be very harmful to the neighbourhood. It will just be closed. It’ll become an abandoned building,” he said.

“Instead of being a positive resource, it’ll become a negative one.”

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @rk_thorpe