DARTMOUTH, NS, OCT 10, 2012 – Members of Parliament Robert Chisholm and Megan Leslie have backed a coalition fighting the closure of Parks Canada’s Regional Archeological Facility in Dartmouth. The MPs will tour the federal lab Friday morning and be available to media for comment directly afterwards alongside representatives from labour and Maritime Aboriginal Peoples and Acadian communities.
The coalition, consisting of user groups, stakeholders and the union that represents workers who stand to lose their jobs, are calling on the federal government to keep the facility open and the artifacts in the region. The state of the art laboratory was built in 2009 at a cost of $6 million dollars. 17 years remain on a lease that costs $400,000/year. The laboratory houses over 2 million artifacts whose shipment and relocation will also cost dearly.
The parties are concerned the closure will not only waste tax dollars, but will seriously limit access to the objects’ by their rightful owners and by all Canadians. The coalition believes the government is putting Acadian and First Nations culture in a coma while cutting invaluable jobs and public services.
Representatives present will provide brief statements to media and will be available for questions.
When: Friday, October 12, 2012, 10 am.
Where: 50 Neptune Crescent, Dartmouth, NS
Who: Robert Chisholm, MP, Dartmouth-Cole Harbour
Megan Leslie, MP, Halifax, Environment Critic
Roger Hunka, Maritime Aboriginal Peoples Council
Mike LeBlanc, Assistant Vice-President Atlantic, Union of National Employees/PSAC
Robert Comeau, Acadian representative
Contact: Alex Stuit 902 877 0800
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