New fund protects historical sites

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This article was published 24/06/2019 (2682 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Historic sites sometimes struggle to keep their structures preserved and available for generations, but new funding aims to help improve support for heritage and conservation activities in Manitoba.

On June 11, Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox was at the Historic Kildonan Church and Cemetery to announce a $15-million investment to create the Heritage Resources Fund, which will be managed by The Winnipeg Foundation. Cox explained the dividends earned from the funding will be used to replace the former Designated Building Grants program. 

Manitoba has more than 825 heritage structures that have been legally protected and are cared for, ranging from the Manitoba legislature, which will be 100 years old next year, to smaller gems such as the 120-year-old St. Michaels Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the RM of Stuartburn. 

“These structures are all physical reminders of the past and the people who shaped our province’s development,” Cox said.

This new provincial investment will also encourage the establishment of endowment funds for individual buildings or sites, leveraging private donation in support of ongoing care of heritage properties. 

Gordon Goldsborough from the Manitoba Historical Society said he receives daily calls from historic sites reporting their challenges, but resources are insufficient to reverse the situation. He said he has visited more than 7,000 historical places in Manitoba over the last decade and many of them have signs of active use and are degrading. Vandalism, leaking roofs, flaking paint, sagging beams, and missing hardware are just naming a few.

“These are just the challenges that our whole cohort of passionate volunteers work tirelessly to try to overcome. There are so many jobs to be done. The challenge of finding the necessary resources can sometimes lead to despair,” he said, adding he is excited about the new funding program.

“This is a permanent first step in what I think will reverse the decline of so many places around the province. It will help us save our dwindling historical resources and ultimately save them for the useful enjoyment of future generations.”

A similar grant helped build the Historical Kildonan Church and Cemetery in 1851. It was built after hard negotiations with the Hudson’s Bay Company and based on an initial grant from HBC of 150 pounds sterling which got the building constructed without debt.

Today the same will be one of many sites that will benefit from the Heritage Resources Fund.

“We are here today, of course, with challenges that other historical properties have across our province and those of us that are here today, as trustees and caregivers of this site, are looking forward to the next generations when this building will be here on site and be available to the public to enjoy our rich history which for the Presbyterians and Selkirk settlers really was focused and centered here as it is and written in our history books,” said George Fraser, who was representing Friends of Historic Kildonan Church.

“We like the model, we like the partnership…we hope that this leads to more funds, more dedication, more partnerships that will help us become keepers of the heritage of our province.”