Push to find city archives proper home drags into new year

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This article was published 02/01/2021 (1741 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg is being urged to mark the new year with a commitment to better protect its past.

Tom Nesmith, a member of the Association for Manitoba Archives, is lobbying the city to commit to a new and improved home for its municipal archives as soon as possible in 2021.

Nesmith said the extensive collection of irreplaceable photographs, blueprints and various other government records, some of which date to 1870, require more protection.

“While I want to be open-minded, I think we want to stress the urgency of dealing with the city archives situation, which has festered now for eight years,” he said.

The archives were housed in the former Carnegie Library at 380 William Ave. until rainstorms damaged the building in 2013 and forced the materials to be relocated.

The collection was then moved to 50 Myrtle St. It lacks the temperature and humidity controls best suited to protect historical materials, he said.

“It’s a bleak, industrial warehouse… You’d hardly know there was the city archives in there, unless you walk right up to the door and happened to notice a small sign,” said Nesmith.

The association has actively lobbied council members to move the archives since the 2018 election.

“Things have kind of dragged since then and we still do not have a formal commitment. We still have not seen budgetary commitments in any of the city budgets for the city archives program to be put on a proper footing,” said Nesmith.

He said the city hired a consultant to study the issue, and officials told him a report on that effort will be released in 2021. However, Nesmith said, the city refused to release the consultant’s work earlier, which he believes it received in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the need to relocate the materials was highlighted once again in May, he said, when a warehouse fire reached within 30 metres of the Myrtle Street facility.

The association has suggested the city could consider moving its archives to former Bay flagship store downtown or a renovated 380 William Ave. structure, but remains “open-minded” about the ideal location.

Nesmith said the archives can’t simply be digitized, since the process would take too long to be a practical option.

In an email, city spokeswoman Tamara Forlanski said the city is still working on a report with options for the future of its archival collection, which will include cost estimates and the consultant’s study.

“As work is still being done on the strategic development plan, we are unable to provide a timeline for this report,” wrote Forlanski.

“The city is exploring facility options to address the storage and preservation needs for its growing archival collection, to allow enough space for its programming and to create an accessible space that allows Winnipeggers to continue to have access to records and conduct research.”

The city estimates it would cost more than $9.2 million to redevelop 380 William Ave. to house the archives.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga