On Mon, 18 Dec 1995, Doug Kendall wrote:

> Is the new Harris government planning to close other provincial
> museums?  And since it now appears the Canadian federal government
> intends to out-Newt Congress in budget-cutting, what are the
> near-term prospects for Parks Canada historic sites and
> federally-funded museums? Being as we're all part of one brave new
> NAFTA-driven world, inquiring minds south of the border want to
> know.
>
> Doug Kendall
>
The Harris government is severely reducing the operational grants to all
museums and everything else which has anything to do with heritage,
culture, and the arts.  The Royal Ontario Museum has permanently closed
the McLaughlin Planetarium as a result.  Many other museums are laying
off staff and cutting back on hours of operation.  It seems probable that
some smaller community museums will be forced to close altogether.  The
agricultural museum is owned and operated by the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Affairs, which is closing it down in order to save costs.

As well, the province is cutting off all provincial funding to
Conservation authorities over the next two years while also depriving
them of their ability to levy municipalities.  As a result, the
operations of public parks and museums such as Black Creek Pioneer
Village will inevitably come under considerable pressure.

Finally, cuts to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Parks Ontario has
already led to the privatization of some provincial parks, and more are
undoubtedly to follow.

Federally, cuts to Parks Canada's budgets, along with a major
restructuring, will almost certainly have profoundly negative effects on
the operation of National Parks and Historic Sites, though the exact
nature of these effects is not yet clear (to me anyway - contact Parks
Canada for more info).

While the Canadian federal government has also been cutting way back, the
Ontario government under Harris makes Newt Gingrich look like a
spendthrift, bleeding-heart liberal by comparison.

Chris J-A