PROVINCE PRESERVES HERITAGE PROPERTIES

Saskatchewan's participation in the federal-provincial/territorial Historic Places Initiative will help to preserve heritage properties in the province and foster a 'culture of conservation'.

"Saskatchewan alone possesses 36 provincial heritage properties and over 700 municipal heritage properties," Culture, Youth and Recreation Minister Joanne Crofford said today at the historic Strathdee building in Regina. "The Historic Places Initiative demonstrates the wide open potential of heritage resources in the province."

The initiative has three principal components. It will create a Canadian Register of Historic Places (CHRP) that will serve as an inventory of all significant heritage resources in Canada. It will establish standards and guidelines for the conservation of historic places in Canada, and it will develop a certification process to provide incentives for commercial or cultural development of properties listed on the register.

Saskatchewan's contribution will be to catalogue all of Saskatchewan's heritage properties and prepare them for inclusion on a web site. In addition, the province will assist in the development of standards and guidelines and a certification process. The guidelines will be particularly useful to organizations, businesses and individuals who want to develop heritage buildings and sites for modern use.

"The Strathdee building houses retail shops and offices, residential condominium units, and a restaurant/brewery operation - making it a great example of how heritage buildings can be adapted for contemporary use," building tenant, owner of The Bushwakker Brew Pub and President of the Strathdee Condominium Corporation Bev Robertson said. "It certainly demonstrates the long term commercial viability of heritage properties."

The program is designed to provide communities with opportunities to preserve their heritage properties and develop their commercial and cultural potentials.

"The Historic Places Initiative is one of the most important heritage programs in Canada, and Saskatchewan is excited to be a part of it," Crofford said. "It is exceptionally good timing that this initiative is coming on stream as we begin planning for Saskatchewan's Centennial in 2005."

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For More Information, Contact:

Sandhya Padmanabh Culture, Youth and Recreation Regina Phone: (306)787-4967 Email: spadmanabh@cyr.gov.sk.ca Cell: (306)533-4909