Upper management hired at expense of artisans, interpreters

Letter to the Editor
Posted July 6, 2009
Cornwall Standard Freeholder

Our union feels it is necessary to respond to statements by Peter Watson, chair of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, by explaining the reality of staffing at Upper Canada Village. (Time to focus on the future, letter to the editor, June 29.)

Mr. Watson claims job cuts to artisans and interpreters were "necessary to meet fiscal obligations," presumably resulting from the $800,000 budgetary shortfall that he references earlier in the letter.

The reality is that instead of keeping the staff who interact with visitors and who earn modest wages of $15,000 or less a season, the Commission went ahead and filled three senior manager positions. They are directors of customer experience, finance and marketing, respectively, and they earn annual salaries of at least $120,000.

As well, the Commission added two more unit supervisors at Upper Canada Village so that it now, unbelievably, has more supervisors to manage fewer front-line staff!

We can only conclude that it wasn't budgetary pressures that cut the jobs of the very employees who make the visitor experience so engaging and educational at the Village.

It was the Commission's decision to move the focus away from heritage and toward developing commercial and entertainment ventures at the site.

Mr. Watson talks about how the Commission has listened to the feedback it has received and has made "adjustments" to its operations. He makes the claim that "our trades and houses at UCV are fully staffed . . ."

This is not true. The reality is that there are fewer front-line staff and they are working fewer hours.

About 10 student positions from last year have been left vacant. And eight interpreters and artisans who previously worked full-time are now reduced to part-time hours this season.

Staff are struggling to cover all the buildings all day. Halfdoors that keep visitors out of buildings are being used when employees need lunch and breaks.

Residents, heritage groups, MPPs Jim Brownell and Bob Runciman and our union have all expressed deep concern about the introduction of commercial and kitschy elements to Upper Canada Village.

It's clear from Mr. Watson's letter that the Commission and its senior management are not deviating from their plan which elicited such a strong public backlash, and likely contributed to declining visitor attendance as of June 15. (Village numbers dropping, Standard Freeholder, June 30.)

It's time for the McGuinty government to step in and ensure that there is a sincere public consultation which respects Upper Canada Village's heritage mandate and explores what can be done to keep this much loved living history site viable into the future.

Sincerely,

David Lundy
Regional Vice-president,
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Merrickville

MPP did right thing in opposing changes at Village

Letter to the Editor
Posted July 3
Re: Upper Canada Village

Once again, our MPP Jim Brownell has shown us that he is a man of integrity who listens to and stands up for the people in his riding. Thank you, Jim, for having the courage to speak out against the changes that have been taking place at UCV. Changes brought about by people who have never lived in this area and have little or no understanding of our history or former way of life.

UCV was given by the government to the people of the Lost Villages as a gift to compensate us in some small measure for the loss of our homes and villages. Those who did not live through this experience do not realize the heartbreak it caused to so many people, many of whom had lived their entire lives there and were forced to relocate in their latter years. We were robbed financially and also of our past. No longer able to revisit the scenes of our childhood or to show our children and grandchildren the places where we lived, played, attended school and church and grew into adulthood, or to hear how things were done in the old days. Now even these things are being jeopardized with the modernization of the Village and lack of interpretation.

So, thank you again Jim, for standing with us on the issues we are facing and fighting against. I share the opinion that our Heritage sites should be moved from the Ministry of tourism to the Ministry of Culture.

In closing, I quote from a small section of an article published in the Cornwall Seaway News on May 27, 1981, which says it all. "If it had not been for the construction of Upper Canada Village, all of the history would have been lost forever. If we cannot have the real thing, at least we have the next best, a village that leaves us with memories of a better time in many ways than to-day's hustle and bustle of a far too rapid life. Progress can be a great thing. But sometimes wonder if through it all we don't forget that there is more to life than huge concrete walls, faster than sound transportation and flowing money."

Mavis Nixon
Cornwall, ON

Village numbers dropping

ATTENDANCE FALLS

Posted By RON ZAJAC, SUN MEDIA
June 30, 2009
Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

The recent controversy over changes to Upper Canada Village has hurt attendance there so far this season, the historical attraction's manager said.

But officials at the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, who urged the public to focus on the positive, said broader economic factors have also contributed to the decline in attendance - which, paradoxically, is coupled with an increase in revenue.

And they stressed the real tourism season only began on the weekend.

A year-to-date report on visitor activity at the commission's sites found an 8.7 per cent drop in attendance. It notes the village attracted 32,989 visits as of June 15 this year, down from 36,148 as of the same date last year.

In his report to the parks commission's monthly meeting, held yesterday at the Quality Hotel Royal Brock, Upper Canada Village manager Dave Dobbie said the uproar over changes at the Morrisburg-area site has had a "negative effect" on visitor activity, especially among locals.

Negative press about the village has included a rebuke to the commission earlier this month by Cornwall-area MPP Jim Brownell over changes that he believes introduce "modernism and commercialism" to the 1860s-themed tourist attraction.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union has also spoken out against recent cuts that eliminated about 18 full-time jobs for interpreters and artisans.

Parks commission general manager Pat Macdonald has said the commission is trying to eliminate a $2-million deficit in 2008 and break even this year.

She has noted six full-time employees were hired, four in heritage trade positions and two unit supervisors who wear period costume, to help offset the loss of the other 18 workers. There are also more part-time employees on site.

Commission chairman Peter Watson acknowledged the last three months have been "extremely stressful" on staff.

Vice-chairman Ron Eamer, meanwhile, praised the "unbelievable staff dedicated to portraying life in the 1860s as best they could and to the ultimate possibilities of our budget."

 

'Shame on the commission': protesters

CANADA VILLAGE: Local history buffs angry over changes

Posted By KEVIN LAJOIE KLAJOIE@STANDARD-FREEHOLDER.COM
June 15, 2009
Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

Gail Beking could almost be considered a part-time resident of Upper Canada Village.

The 48-year-old from Oxford Station visits the village numerous times each year, often with a group of family and friends -- and spending money -- in tow. It's something she's done since her birth, but the tradition might not continue this year.

"Not unless we get some attention from the parks (commission) people to listen to us," she said.

Beking and her daughter Angela were among the roughly 70 people who gathered at the village entrance on Saturday morning to protest recent staffing and programming changes made to the 1860s heritage park.

On this day, their main target was the 2009 Medieval Festival which was taking place behind the village proper, in a field behind Loucks Farm. For the protesters, the festival was a case of wrong place, wrong time.

"It doesn't belong in a (1860s) heritage setting," said protester Allan Whorrall. "We didn't have any knights in shining armour here."

Lost Villages Historical Society president Jane Craig said they weren't consulted on the change in festival venue by the St. Lawrence Parks Commission. Instead, the local heritage groups were told of it afterwards "like a tourist," she added.

WANT CONSULTATION

"That (consultation) is the biggest thing," Craig said.

The protesters garnered the occasional honk of support from passing vehicles, but their presence didn't stop people from attending the festival.

A steady stream of cars made their way into the village, leading to pretty rare site -- a near-full parking lot and a huge lineup at the village admissions building. By 11 a. m., the lineup stretched into the parking lot.

Inside the festival gates, a large crowd was busy cheering on the jousting knights on horseback and checking out the various artisans and vendors.

Ottawa resident Mychajlo Wyroczanskyj was one of the many in line, preparing for his first-ever visit to the village along with his wife, three kids and neighbours.

Wyroczanskyj said he heard about the protest in the news and decided to come down to see what the "fuss and excitement" was all about.

The Ottawa resident said he understands both sides of the debate over the Medieval Festival and it's location, but at the same, it's only a once-a-year special event.

"I think it helps promote the park," he added.

Meanwhile, Kingston resident Kathy Pennock said she and her husband and child were already planning for their first-ever visit to the village when they learned the Medieval Festival was happening at the same time. For the Pennocks, the trip served as a nice family outing.

"It's something to do in the area," she added. Those visitor comments will likely come as

music to the ears of officials from the parks commission, the agency which oversees the village. Parks commission CEO Pat Macdonald has said the Medieval Festival is intended to draw new visitors--and revenues--to the village, and she doesn't believe the location jeoperdizes the historical integrity of the village.

To save costs, the festival was moved this year from its previous location west of the village near Crysler's Farm battlefield.

Attendance figures weren't immediately available, however one village official said the number of visits to the festival on Thursday and Friday was on par with last year's event, which drew a total of 7,340 visitors.

Still, Beking insists the event has nothing to do with the village, and she can't understand why the festival couldn't be held on one of the parks commission's many other properties.

"It's just too close to home," she said. Among other things, the protesters are

requesting that parks commission officials carry out meaningful consultation with local heritage groups. A large number of local history buffs -- including MPP Jim Brownell -- have criticized the parks commission in recent months for what they see as unnecessary modernization and commercialization of the village.

MPP blasts Village changes

'HISTORIC' SHOWDOWN: Brownell 'appalled and ashamed' by modernism movement at tourist attraction

Posted By KEVIN LAJOIE
June 11, 2009
Cornwall Standard Freeholder

Local MPP Jim Brownell said he's appalled and ashamed by the modernism and commercialism that's making its way into Upper Canada Village.

Brownell lashed out at officials from the St. Lawrence Parks Commission -- an agency of his own government -- during an open house at the village on Wednesday.

The MPP, who's also the parliamentary assistant to the minister of tourism, closed out a question-and-answer session in the village's Christ Church by saying he was appalled by the changes he noticed in the village. Specifically, he pointed to a new food stop known as Kettle Corner and the presence of modern patio stones and pressure-treated wood behind Cook's Tavern as the source of his frustration.

"I am absolutely frustrated that modernism and commercialism of that nature would be put in our village," Brownell told the officials before turning to the 100-plus residents in the church and telling them "I'll be with you."

Brownell's comments drew a round of applause from the residents in attendance, many of whom have voiced concerns over the recent staffing and programming changes at the village.

Afterwards, Brownell said he imagines he'll be getting a phone call from his superiors over his comments, but he said that doesn't concern him.

"I'm with the folks who are committed to the preservation of our heritage," he said. "I'll be with them until my last breath."

Village officials explained to Brownell the patio area behind Cook's -- which will house portable toilets to go along with a new liquor licence for the venue -- will be fully enclosed with wood that's consistent with the rest of the village. Still, Brownell wasn't backing down from his position.

"I know what's going on here and what's going on here is wrong," he told them. Parks commission CEO Pat Macdonald acknowledged 18 positions were eliminated at the village, however she said several new positions were created and more part-time help has been brought in.

That prompted a quip from someone in the audience who suggested some of the affected employees are being rehired in the new positions at a lower rate of pay.

Macdonald said the previous staffing model was developed at a time when the village was seeing 300,000 visitors annually. Last year, that number dropped to 129,000.

However, one woman noted the most valuable part of the village is the employees who have the first-hand knowledge.

"That's the treasure of the village. You're letting them go," she said.

The CEO shot down the rumour that they plan on introducing video technology in the village, and she said they have no desire to turn the village into a "theme park."

Macdonald said they're actually trying to enrich the visitor experience at the village while at the same time keeping the financial situation in mind. The village had a deficit of nearly $2 million last year, she added, and the province has made it clear the village must become "sustainable."

However, Brownell said the village has never made money, and it never will.

Local heritage groups will be gathering at the village on Saturday morning to protest the Medieval Festival, which runs today through Sunday. They see the festival as an infringement on the 1860s integrity of the village.

Macdonald defended the festival, saying special events help to attract more visitors -- and revenue--to the village.

"There are things we have to do to attract new markets out there that may not come (to the village) otherwise," she said.