North Pacific Fishing Village to benefit from 20,000 dollar cash injection

As part of the provinces BC150 Years pride in our communities program, the Port Edward heritage site and museum will be able to expand some of the exhibits to one of the main tourist attractions on the North Coast.

BC released details of the provincial program and Port Edward explained what the plan for the Cannery Museum is going to feature. Andrew Minnigan who is the new manager of the site, is set to expand the on site exhibits to show more of the cannery workers and those that lived in the village.

He explained his plans in an article in Tuesday’s Daily News.

Cannery wants to put face on past
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Pages one and three

Ever since Andrew Minnigan arrived at his new post as manager of the North Pacific Fishing Village in Port Edward, he has been wanting to give the cannery a more personal feel.

Well now, as of Oct. 30, he will at least have $20,000 to work with to make that wish a reality, as the provincial Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts announced that 39 museums all over B.C. will receive funding through the BC150 Years Pride in Our Communities local museums program.

In the grant, Port Edward has been promised $10,000 while the district pays the other 50 per cent, also $10,000. The money will be put towards the "Life on the Line" evolutionary look at fishing in Port Edward through the decades.

"The story needs to be told and preserved," said Chief Administrative Officer Ron Bedard. "It's great that they gave us this ... it's awesome."

Since Minnigan took over as manager this past June, he has been wanting to expand the current displays.

“Right now, it’s just the mechanics of the fishing line,” he said. “But there’s nothing about the workers.”

We need to really upgrade out exhibit and add that human element,” said Minnigan.

Minnigan had initially thought of completely replacing the current exhibit, but said that endeavour would be rather difficult, and likely costly. Instead, he is simply adding to it and enhancing the overall experience for tourists.

“The space we were envisioning is already packed,” he said. “But with the funding, it’s more feasible to upgrade the existing exhibit at North Pacific.

“It’ll be an exhibit within an exhibit.”

Stan Hagen, minister for Tourism Sport and the Arts, said the funding available to the 39 museums across B. C. will help various local heritage organizations tell their respective community’s unique stories.

“The focus of BC150 Years is to celebrate, at the community level, the many people, places, events and achievements that have made British Columbia the great province it is today,” he said.

The BC150Years initiative is a celebration of the 150th anniversary of B. C.’s history when it was founded as a Crown Colony in 1858. In all, the funding allocated to the 39 museums to help communities tell their historic stories is worth more than 1.6 million, according to Hagen.
Other Northern B. C. communities that were awarded the grants include Prince George (the Railway and Forestry Museum and The Exploration Place) and Tumbler Ridge (The Tumbler Ridge Museum)