[URBAN NOTE] On the eviction of the Canadian Air and Space Museum

[rfmcdonald]

I'm glad I visited the Canadian Air and Space Museum (official site, Wikipedia) last September. Canada's record in air and space technology is notable--in the 1960s Canada produced many of the aerospace engineers who helped enable NASA's missions, via the cancelled Avro Arrow program--and the museum does a very good job presenting this, with everything from a scale model of the Arrow to collections of space-themed toys from the 1960s.



My enjoyment there makes it all the sadder for me the museum's eviction from its premises.

Second World War pilot Philip Gray says it is "immoral" that Downsview Park is evicting the Canadian Air and Space Museum.

"This is a terrible way to repay young 21-year-old boys who went to war and never turned 22. I am disgusted that their heritage can be just wiped out," the 89-year-old Gray said Tuesday as the museum was packing up artifacts.

"I got the shock of my life when I heard this. We could lose all this history. It makes you wonder what these boys died for "¦ a government that doesn't care about heritage."

Downsview Park -- which gave the eviction notice on Tuesday -- is a federal park.

There was no notice given for the eviction, museum CEO Robert Cohen said.

"They didn't come over here like men. They hid behind their board room. This is how federal employees want to preserve history. This is a black eye for Canadian history," said Cohen, who admits the museum is behind on its rent.

Although the museum receives some government funding, 80% of its revenue comes from the public.

"We get 10,000 schoolkids here a year and seniors love it here. We have 3,000 artifacts and half a million digital images. I don't know where we are going to put them," Cohen said.

Davis Soknacki, chairman of the board of directors for the park, said Downsview will store the artifacts at its own expense for the museum,

"We are building a four-pad ice complex which will be open in two years and we need to get vacant possession in order to get the investment going," said Soknacki, who issued eviction notices to seven tenants at the park.

"The (museum) building is falling down and isn't up to code," he said, adding, "There is a great need for skating and hockey."

What will happen to the museum's wonderful collection? The dispersion of the wonderful collection is a shame.