"Alice's Restaurant:"

The Auroran is not Hansard  The editor does an excellent job of  news reporting but that's it.

Contrary to opinion,I do get tired of repeating arguments. It  happens when an issue keeps going round  in circles.

The town has thirty years experience in museum operation. It was a seamless part of municipal operations and among the best value received for tax dollars.

The  curator was also heritage planner. A position  now probably costing in excess of a hundred thousand dollars annually. We are on our third since the curator did the  dual function.

Any person  had access  to research  services into  town or family history. The service was cheerfully  provided for the asking.

The collection was displayed and cared for.  Church  Street School was shared with other groups.

Teachers brought classes to the museum  for  introduction to  meaning and respect for heritage.

Summer history camps were operated as part of  recreation services

Events were organised.  A Victorian tea party or a Victorian Christmas re-enacted  in keeping with the community's beginnings.

Fifty years ago, Aurora Historical Society was founded .Meetings were held in a  box room in  the old town hall. The  Collection  was assembled from donations.

When Local Architecture Conservation legislation was  passed, Aurora was first in Ontario to set up  and get going with research, one building at a time. I was proud to be part of that.

Annual  cost to the municipality was a  $50,000  annual grant to the Historical Society.

Eventually  the Society fund-raised to renovate the old School.The building was  re-named the Heritage and Culture Centre.

Almost a million  was raised and  much  of that expended for the purpose.

The community was kindly disposed.

Thousands of hours of physical labour  were donated  to gut the building.

Specialist architects were retained and  paid for by the Historical Society to design a state of the art
facility.

In 2006,  the hydro utility company  was sold under duress from the Province.

A resolution moved by myself seconded by Councillor Wallace was approved by Council  to provide  funds needed  to complete renovations and get with the program.

$2.3 million dollars  were  spent  from the hydro fund.

A grant of $750,000 was obtained for museum purposes.

When the facility was opened  several years and a new council later, no  mention was made of the museum.

Instead ,a Cultural Centre Board was created , the building washanded over, rent free, maintenance provided  and a  luxurious "purchase of culture agreement"  of $340,000 . plus  other goodies  was signed.

It has grown every year since with the space intended for the museum given away  rent free to a regional arts  organization.

So...we   have wrested  16% of the space back. None of the funding. 

Two members of Council sit on a board that self-selects and meets in secret. with  no requirement to 
report to Council.

Money is raised  by selling naming rights, funds kept secret while  continuing to receive ever more from the town. 

A bid for the contract  of operating museum service was made by the Culture Centre Board. Providing Heritage programming was part of the purchase of service agreement. 

Not  a person at the Council table , myself the exception , had the intestinal fortitude to reverse  what has become, in my opinion, a scandalous betrayal of  public interest. 

A motion was made to re-direct funds for museum service. and failed while a shudder  went round the table at the very idea  of withdrawing funds from the greedy maw of the vulture board.

Responsibility no longer rests with the past.

"We have seen the enemy. It is us. "