Canadain Air & Space Museumj Evicted - Disgraceful Decision

[LancRestorer]

The Canadian Air & Space Museum (CASM) has been issued an eviction Notice by a Canadian Crown Corporation. The museum has been housed in a designated historic aviation building and is on the verge of becoming a casualty if people supportive of Aviation and reverence of our veterans do not speak out.
The Crown Corporation known as Parc Downsview Park (PDP) who are tasked with redeveloping part of the former Canadian Forces Base Downsview in Toronto , Ontario have judged it is better to tear down a historic building and toss CASM out on the street to make way for and recreational ice rink complex. This seems incredible but in addition to their provocative eviction action they or someone(?) have also started to remove all online acknowledgement of the historic designation of the building(s). PDP used the excuse that CASM was behind in its rent and this has some truth but the excuse was exposed to be little more than a diversionary tactic as it has been shown the money was not the real issue. CASM had attempted to repay a significant portion of the arrears and tabled a viable plan for full restitution however both presentations were rejected. It simply appears that history, heiritage, and respect of veterans has become a trivial nuisance/inconvenience to PDP.
We need people with a value of aviation heritage and respect for veterans to speak out. We need your support and ask that you visit the museum site online and write letters to express your disproval of what is happening here. For non-Canadians your voice is important to show how universal this value is.
Following is a message from Andrew Walz the Project manager of our Lancaster ( FM104) Restoration Project who has worked tirelessly for over a decade to preserve a piece of aviation history. I too am a volunteer on the project and the son of a WWII Lancaster pilot and POW.
Current information on our plight can be found at: http://casmuseum.org/
All:

The federal government intends to allow demolition of the historic buildings that are home to the Canadian Air & Space Museum at Downsview Park. These irreplaceable buildings are to be destroyed to make way for a skating complex.

The federal minister responsible, Rona Ambrose, has washed her hands of the issue, calling it a mere "business decision".

The federal minister responsible for heritage, James Moore, seems unaware of exactly where these buildings are.

Other MPs of the Harper government are now declining all comment.


Years ago, these buildings were recognized federally as having significant historical importance and worth for preservation.

Now all references to this have been quietly removed from government websites. This is not accidental.


If you care about Canadian history, achievements, heritage and veterans, please contact the following people and let them know that these buildings must be saved for present and future generations.

Also, please circulate this notice as widely as possible to anyone who shares these values and encourage them to write as well. Your help is desperately needed now:


The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada

Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

Rona Ambrose, MP
Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women
6801 170 St. Edmonton, AB T5T 4W4
Phone: (780) 495-7705
rona.ambrose.c1a@parl.gc.ca


Rona Ambrose, MP
Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women
Room 163 East Block
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 996-9778
Ambror@parl.gc.ca

James Moore, MP
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
2603 St. John's Street
Port Moody, BC, V3H 2B5
604.937.5650
James.Moore@parl.gc.ca
James Moore MP
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A5
613.992.9650
E-mail: James.Moore@parl.gc.ca

Mark Adler, MP
638A Sheppard Ave. W. Suite 210
Toronto, ON M3H 2S1
Phone: (416) 638-3700
Fax: (416) 638-1407
E-mail: mark.adler@parl.gc.ca

Mark Adler MP
Room 601, Justice Building
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 941-6339
Fax: (613) 941-2421
E-mail: mark.adler@parl.gc.ca

Stephen Blaney
steven.blaney@parl.gc.ca,

Monte Kwinter
mkwinter.mpp@liberal.ola.org,

Maria Augimeri
Councillor_Augimeri@toronto.ca


Regards,

Andrew Walz
Lancaster FM104
Canadian Air & Space Museum

[PropsRule]

Thank you very much for taking the time to find all of those addresses. I will write to all of them. The price of postage is small compared to what will be lost if this decision is seen through.
I encourage our friends from other countries to write in, too. Whenever I travel, one of the first things I look into is the location of any air museums in the area...big or small. I've lost count of how many times I had a, "Holy crap, all that happened HERE??" moment. The hangars in Downsview are also such a place.
Toronto is a hockey town, but Downsview park is huge. They can build the arenas elsewhere.

[Dave Hadfield]

Done.

The local Councilor sent me an email regretting the whole thing, was quite against the closing, but used it as an opportunity to roast the federal conservatives.

The MP sent me an email saying that they will do their best to house the collection of artifacts, and that they recently upgraded William Barker's gravestone. I pointed out that it's the site -- the building -- that matters, not the collection, and got no further reply.

The MPP made no reply.

Why can't they build the skating rink on some other part of the property? There's a lot of grass there.

Dave

[LancRestorer]

Prop.. and Dave.. Thanks for your interest and reply. I really believe the decision is very short sighted and regretably the deomlition might go through if public pressure does is not heard. Please keep the pressure on our political representatives. They should be ashamed to be associated with such a flagrant disrespect of our aviation heritage and memory of our veterans.

[kalamazookid]

I don't know what good it will do coming from someone who isn't from the area or even a Canadian citizen, but I did send a emails to a couple of the people listed and plan on following up with letters. I don't know what difference it will make, but hopefully something can be worked out. It's a sad situation. Hopefully some sort of pressure on the politicians will help them see the error of their ways.

[LancRestorer]

Kalamazoo... -- Thanks for the effort. There is a growing following of supporters who have an appreciation of history and heritage. The Museum however is up against the Federal Government via a Crown Corporation and how they have interpreted their mandate. In spite of what is believed to be an error in judgement, the two Federal Ministries with apparent conflicting interests in this situation have not taken action to come to a compromize. Those who recognize the importance of our heritage are the ones that are in jeopardy of loosing the most.

[darrenvox]

also sign the petition as well

http://www.petitiononlinecanada.com/pet ... l-road/355

[Cherrybomber13]

I posted a link to the petition on the Connecticut Air & Space Centers Facebook page. I signed as well. Our Museum is under the same kind of threat so we appreciate their plight.