The Garden of the Gulf Museum in Montague has begun an expansion thanks to support provided by the federal and provincial governments.
“Our Government is pleased to support infrastructure that build upon local strengths,” said the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue on behalf of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunites Agency (ACOA) and La Francophone. “The Garden of the Gulf Museum expansion will benefit the residents of Prince Edward Island and visitors by maintaining the Island’s history and culture.”
The Government of Canada, the Province of Prince Edward Island, the Town of Montague and the Garden of the Gulf Museum have shared the cost of this project totalling $283,600. Through this investment, a new 3,600 square foot building will be built, designed and equipped to store artifacts. The museum’s current storage space will be renovated for public access, allowing visitors more of the museum to enjoy.
“The Garden of the Gulf Museum is one of the Island’s finest cultural and historical venues,” said Stratford-Kinlock MLA Cynthia Dunsford on behalf of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Ron MacKinley. “This new expansion will preserve important artifacts and will allow residents and visitors alike the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of Kings County for years to come.”
Montague is among the many communities across Prince Edward Island to have received funding from the Building Canada Fund – Community Component infrastructure program. The Communities Component focuses on projects in communities with populations of less than 100,000, helping these smaller communities face their unique challenges.
“The Garden of the Gulf Museum (oldest museum in Prince Edward Island) is delighted to be expanding its community outreach with a new storage facility to care for its growing collection, and subsequently to maximize the use of its 1888 heritage museum building,” said Edgar Dewar, representative of the Garden of the Gulf Museum.
“The ultimate benefits go to the community in preserving PEI heritage in education and in visitor attraction to the area. We thank the Government of Canada, the Government of PEI and the Town of Montague for making this possible. This project also opens the door to potential exciting museum expansion in the future.”
For more information on Infrastructure Canada Programs, visit http://www.infc.gc.ca and for more information on capital projects in Prince Edward Island, visit www.buildpei.ca.