Dear Prime Minister Harper

I am writing to you today to express my dismay, and that of the Board of Directors of Save Ontario Shipwrecks, at the proposed sale of the land housing the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario.

As a Provincial Heritage Organization, with a mandate to promote and preserve Ontario’s marine heritage, we are concerned about the fate of such a valuable resource. The Marine Museum’s unique collection of artifacts and reference material is perfectly suited to it’s current location: a site that has its own significance and is a National Historic Site in its own right.

We watched with pride as you announced the discovery of the Erebus and invoked the spirit of exploration that helped make Canada the Country it is today. The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes celebrates that same spirit: the drive and innovation that characterized the sailors, settlers, and shippers on our “inland seas”.
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The sale of such a small property would be of little benefit to the Government of Canada, especially when balanced against the loss of a valuable piece Canada’s maritime heritage.
Save Ontario Shipwrecks asks that the sale of this property be reconsidered before it’s too late. We urge that all possible steps be taken to ensure the survival of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes.

Sincerely,

Chris Phinney
President
Save Ontario Shipwrecks