Latest news with #SaintAndrews
CBC
7 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Ministers Island is latest tourist site planning to hand keys back to province
Ministers Island is the only tourist attraction in New Brunswick where visitors can drive across the ocean floor, but the tides of change threaten to overtake the historic site in Saint Andrews. The board of the charity that runs Ministers Island says it is unable to keep the popular attraction going with the $100,000 it receives for from the province for its operations budget. "We've tried everything and we've tried everything for 17 years," said John Kershaw, chair of the board of the Van Horne Estate on Ministers Island. "We've decided as a board that unless we get additional investment from the province, we are going to, in August, give six months' notice that we will not operate next year." Ministers Island, accessible only at low tide, was once owned by Sir William Van Horne, who was famous for getting the Canadian Pacific Railway built. With an admission ticket, visitors get to explore the island Van Horne once called his summer home. Popular attractions include the mansion, bathhouse, livestock barn, windmill and walking trails that cross the island from shore to shore. It is one of many historic attractions in Saint Andrews. Kershaw argues that similar historic sites in the province, including Kings Landing, receive significantly more provincial funding even though they attract comparable numbers of visitors. According to its annual report, Kings Landing gets $3.7 million as a provincial operating grant on top of other non-recurring grants from the province. "We just feel that that level of difference is just not fair," Kershaw said. These historic sites are both owned by the province and operated by external boards. Kings landing saw 34,000 visitors last year and Ministers Island saw 24,000. Does 10,000 more visitors justify millions more in funding? The New Brunswick government bought Ministers Island in 1977, and the island was declared a national historic site about 20 years later. Ever since the Van Horne Estate on Ministers Island was set up this century, every chair of the board "has been calling on the government to enhance our level of funding," Kershaw said. The board functions as a custodian for the island, overseeing operations for the province. Operational funding to the island increased to $130,000 from $33,000 in the 2019-2020 fiscal year, then moved down to $100,000 in 2020-2021, where it has stayed each year since. Funding for the island also comes from various donations and non-recurring grants. WATCH | 'We're not fiscally sustainable' Uncertain future for Ministers Island 35 minutes ago The board is only able to hire one full-time paid employee to oversee operations on the island. The rest of the work is stretched among volunteer board members and seasonal employees. Kershaw said this is not enough help to sustain the island. The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture did not allow CBC News to interview Tourism Minister Isabelle Theriault and sent a statement instead. Despite the board's concerns, the statement said, the department is "committed to ensuring the continued conservation and public enjoyment of Ministers Island." "We renewed the funding that had been provided in previous years that Ministers Island received in the past," Premier Susan Holt said at a recent news when asked about the site's predicament. "At this point in time, the government doesn't have additional money to put more money into those heritage sites." Holt said that "the cost to operate is going up and that's leaving them with shortfalls. About $900,000 was cut from the provincial tourism budget in March. Not the first historical site to speak out The island's board is not the first to speak out about a lack of funding in New Brunswick. MacDonald Farm in Miramichi had to close because it didn't have the money to stay open. This historical site is also owned by the government but run by the Highland Society of New Brunswick at Miramichi. "We are a completely volunteer committee that operates this site and we just felt that having to fight to keep this site open is not something that we have the energy to do anymore," said society president Dawn Lamkey MacDonald. Impact on Saint Andrews tourism The lack of funding isn't just a worry for the Ministers Island board but also for the Explore Saint Andrews, the town's tourism marketing board. "Heritage and tourism is a big part of what draws people to Saint Andrews," said Explore Saint Andrews board member James Geneau. "I would argue that Minister's Island is an attraction that has lots of opportunity with a huge audience." Ganeau said that closing the island to tourists would have a significant impact on tourism that Saint Andrew's economy desperately depends on. "Losing that is going to be significant in terms of the overall offering that Saint Andrews can provide to tourists," Geneau said. "It's part of a broader offering which makes the area a destination for not just a night, but multiple days." Saint Andrews tourism works as a collective cluster with neighbouring sites such as the Huntsman Marine Science Center, Algonquin Golf Course, and the Blockhouse supporting each other, drawing visitors to stay in town for longer.
CBC
7 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Uncertain future for Ministers Island
The board that runs Ministers Island, just off Saint Andrews, says it isn't getting enough provincial funding to keep the tourist attraction going.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Future of two N.B. historic sites in the air over lack of provincial funding
A thick Friday fog covered Ministers Island in Saint Andrews, N.B., for much of the day. According to Van Horne Estate on Ministers Island (VHEMI) board chair John Kershaw, it's an ominous sign of what could be on the horizon for the island. 'We've been lobbying for additional funds for a number of years,' says Kershaw. 'The board has decided that in the absence of getting the additional money we need, we're going to have to relinquish the lease that we have with the province and eventually dissolve the organization itself.' While the island itself is owned by the province, VHEMI is in the midst of a 25-year lease which began in 2008 to operate the heritage site. Since the 2020-2021operating season, New Brunswick's Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture has provided a $100,000 operating grant to the island operators. Kershaw says they are lobbying for a boost to a $500,000 grant. He says other historical sites like King's Landing, which Kershaw says has a comparable number of visitors, gets $3.7 million yearly from the province. 'That money would be used to invest in new attractions,' says Kershaw. 'Right now, part of our challenge is that people come to the island, see the buildings, and then why would they come back?' While Kershaw points out some events that bring in both locals and tourists annually, he says the island can't just be a property people visit once. The board chair also notes the unique challenge of sporadic operating hours caused by the Bay of Fundy tides. The island is only accessible by foot or car during low tide when the seabed road is exposed. 'In comparison to the other venues we have, we can operate about 40 per cent of the time,' Kershaw says. The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture failed to acknowledge CTV Atlantic's request for an interview, but it did send an emailed statement. 'The Department will continue to work with VHEMI through any and all decision making process on their continued stewardship of Minister's Island and to ensure the continued conservation of Ministers Island as a meaningful place for New Brunswickers,' the statement reads. Barn doors closed for 2025 While the future for Ministers Island remains shrouded in the Bay of Fundy fog, the barn doors have closed for another historic site in the province. Earlier this week, the Highland Society of New Brunswick at Miramichi announced the MacDonald Farm Provincial Heritage Site would not be operating this year due to 'inadequate funding support' from the province. 'What's going to happen to these important heritage sites for the province?' questions Dawn MacDonald, president of the Highland Society of New Brunswick at Miramichi. 'It's a huge question that people have on their minds.' MacDonald Farm The MacDonald Farm Provincial Heritage Place will not be open this summer. (Source: Facebook/MacDonald Farm Provincial Heritage Place) Since 2012, the Highland Society has rented the farm with a provincial grant that was provided annually. MacDonald says each year they had been given $60,000 to cover costs, which include paying staff, general maintenance, caring for the animals and more. Last year the two sides agreed to a grant of $100,000 for the year. In March, MacDonald says she reached out to the province in March to arrange a meeting to shore up this year's grant, but she didn't receive a meeting date until the end of May. By that point she says it was too late to start arranging plans for the tourist season. The decision was then made to end the partnership with the province and return the keys to them. 'The grass has grown up, the buildings are sitting idle, there's no animals there, there's no children running around enjoying the site,' MacDonald says. 'It's just abandoned now.' MacDonald says the decision is even more disappointing considering the geo-political climate with many Canadians electing to take there summer vacations within the country. 'It's sad to know that people are driving by, seeing the sign that we have at the road that says closed due to inadequate funding support,' MacDonald says. The Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture told CTV News over email they respect the society's decision to cease operations at historic site. They say they will now review and determine a path forward for MacDonald Farm. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Saint Andrews property owners speak out against wharf refurbishment plan
Some property owners in Saint Andrews are speaking out against a plan to refurbish the Market Wharf, although the design was chosen by the public in a community vote. The wharf, long overdue for repairs, is central to both tourism and industry in the area. Two years ago, the town voted on a design they felt would best reinforce the existing structure. But property owners near the wharf are fearful the chosen design may cause damage to their own properties and are awaiting the results of a study to assess the environmental impact of the project. Cindy Kohler lives just a few coastal properties away from the wharf and is concerned about erosion and sediment damage from the refurbishment. WATCH | 'There's pros and cons on both sides,' acting mayor says: "It's really frustrating," Kohler said. "They're just looking into the environmental study but it's very late in the game and it's something that should have been done in the beginning." Kohler is worried about the amount of infill for the wharf extensions, which will add a significant chunk of solid rock and steel on the existing mudflat. She said severe storms cause water levels to rise significantly on her property and thinks the infill would only worsen flooding in the future. "The former mayor said that we own waterfront property and we should be taking care of it in our own way, that erosion is going to happen regardless," said Kohler. "We do have a good seawall here and we have taken care of it." Kohler is not alone in her concerns. Matt Abbott, the Fundy Bay Keeper with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, said the concerns are legitimate and bring a whole new set of challenges to this coastal community. "When we build hard infrastructure like infill for a wharf and we change where the energy from the tides are flowing, we can have an impact on that coast," said Abbott. The Conservation Council is concerned that not enough has been done to get an accurate prediction of the consequences of this chosen design. "Wharves are long lasting infrastructure, so you only get to make that design decision once," said Abbott. "I know they're in a tricky situation so I think it's wise to take some time." The design of the refurbishment was selected using a community voting process, but the final decision to go ahead with this project still lies with town council. The town recently hired an engineering firm to assess the concerns of property owners. "We hope that doing this mitigation and the Gemtec study we will know whether or not that will impact the people who have come forward," saysKate Akagi the acting mayor of Saint Andrews. "Right now, we don't know whether it will or it won't." Gemtec is a New Brunswick-founded multi-engineering firm that specializes in areas such as environmental engineering. "[The property owners] are allowed to voice their opinion and we're going to listen," Akagi said. "They just need to know that holding it back, we are going to miss another tourist season which is not good for our community." The town received $5.4 million from the federal and provincial governments for the refurbishment. The town will cover the remainder of the estimated $7 million price tag. "We need to be doing the wharf, we hope, before 2026 or we lose our funding," Akagi said. "Not that we won't get it again but we will have to reapply, so it will be a long process once again."
CTV News
09-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Environmental study delays decision on NB wharf
Atlantic Watch An environmental study has delayed the final decision on the future of the wharf in Saint Andrews, N.B.
