Frequently asked questions
Province House National Historic Site
National historic sites reflect the rich and varied heritage of our nation and provide an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about our diverse history. The Government of Canada is proudly investing in the conservation of this historic building.
Parks Canada appreciates the interest expressed by the general public, local residents and stakeholders in our work to preserve Province House for future generations. We invite you to continue sending us your questions to pnipe-peinp@pc.gc.ca so that we can provide you with clear and precise information about the details surrounding this extensive conservation project taking place in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
On this page
- Conservation project overview
- Interesting facts and figures
- Project timelines
- Project budget
- Community collaborations
- Project completion
CONSERVATION PROJECT OVERVIEW
Who owns Province House?
Province House is owned by the Province of Prince Edward Island and operated and maintained as a national historic site by the Parks Canada Agency, through a 1974 Memorandum of Agreement.
Why is this project happening?
In 2012, Parks Canada conducted a National Asset Review - an assessment of its assets across the country - to evaluate their overall condition and long-term sustainability. As part of this review, it was determined that Province House National Historic Site required investment because of its deteriorating condition. Through the Federal Investment Infrastructure (FII) Program, Province House National Historic Site received the necessary funding to ensure the long-term preservation of this iconic building.
Why is this project so important to Islanders, Canadians and the Canadian government?
Province House is a national treasure and a source of shared pride for Canadians. It is best known for hosting the Charlottetown Conference in 1864 where delegates gathered to discuss the merits of a formal union. These discussions, as well as the more formal conversations held later in Quebec and London, England, ultimately led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.
Parks Canada is committed to ensuring Canadians have the opportunity to learn about our history and to provide visitors with a high quality and meaningful visitor experience. Through this infrastructure investment by the Government of Canada, Parks Canada is protecting and conserving this national treasure for future generations, while supporting local economies and contributing to the growth in the tourism sector.
Who is doing the conservation work?
The Province House conservation project is being managed by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), on behalf of Parks Canada. The work happening at Province House involves highly skilled engineers, architects, consultants, project managers and tradespeople. They formulate and carry out intricate and complex methods and practices to preserve the building’s unique character-defining elements. In addition, Holland College students in the Heritage Retrofit Carpentry Program have gained valuable experience working on aspects of the project.
The Initial Design Contract was awarded on March 24, 2015. This contract assessed, analyzed and recommended implementation of a comprehensive building envelope conservation as well as structural repair.
Phase One of the Construction Contract was awarded on March 24, 2015. The scope of the work included hazardous material abatement and selective removal of interior finishes, wood windows and doors, mechanical and electrical systems and the implementation of the shoring and scaffolding systems in preparation for Phase Two of the construction process. This phase was completed May 7, 2018.
Phase Two and Phase Three of the Construction Management Contract was awarded on Oct. 6, 2017, with an overlapping of these two phases. The scope of the work includes the conservation of the masonry, replacement of the copper and slate roof, repairs to the historic windows and rebuilding the portico foundations. Several follow-on trade and support packages include masonry, mechanical, electrical, reinforced concrete, shoring, scaffolding, interior finishes, carpentry, painting and landscaping. Phase Two was completed in 2022. The Construction Management Contract decided to leave the project once Phase 2 was fully complete. At that time, the team had to re-tender the Phase 3 contract. The contract for Phase 3 was awarded in December of 2023.
Phase Four, which encompasses the new visitor experience, was awarded in November 2022. This contract will focus on the design and installation of our renewed exhibits and broadened visitor offer. Phase Three and Phase Four are ongoing.
What phases of work are included in the Province House conservation project?
Phase One: Began in May 2017 and involved extensive work to protect and stabilize the building. This included the protection and, in some cases, the temporary removal of the historic features that form part of the character-defining elements. Outside the building, a steel exoskeleton was constructed and the foundation of the building was excavated. Phase One was completed in May 2018.
Phase Two: Began in May 2018. A contract for construction management services for Phase Two and Phase Three of the project was awarded in October 2017. This phase focuses on the building envelope, essentially the structural parts of the building, including the conservation of the exterior walls, and work related to the foundation, structural interior walls, porticos, floors, and roof.
Phase Three: The first part of this phase occurred simultaneously with the end of Phase Two. Upgrades are being carried out on fire and safety systems, information technology, audio visual, plumbing, and electrical systems, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. There will also be numerous improvements to universal accessibility at Province House, including exterior building access, universally accessible washrooms, and improvements to lighting and signage to assist the visually impaired. For Phase Three, the first step was to complete the design work, followed by construction, the majority of which began in 2023.
Now that the stone walls are completed, the interior finishes can be re-instated. This includes traditional plaster, moldings, trim, windows, doors and flooring. Protective coverings will be removed from the stairs and other elements which remained in the building throughout the project. Elements that were removed from the Confederation Chamber in Phase One, such as stoves, period carpeting, chandeliers and light fixtures, plaster medallion and coat of arms, will be carefully re-instated. Once these more permanent elements are back in place, furniture, curtains and other artifacts will also be returned to the building.
Phase Four: The final phase of the project involves the development of Parks Canada’s new visitor experience offer for Province House as well as the design, development and installation of new interpretive exhibits. Planning work started in 2019 and the exhibit has been developed in collaboration with a range of stakeholders. Following initial brainstorming sessions with stakeholders, the writing and design teams have carefully crafted exhibit content and design. The exhibits will look at three topics: Canadian Confederation, The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island and the construction and conservation of the building. While these themes will remain the cornerstones of the exhibits, the stories chosen and how they are told will be broadened to include many narratives and voices which have not previously been heard. One primary theme that will be explored is Canadian Confederation and the impact it had, and continues to have, on generations of Canadians from various backgrounds. A multi-tier exhibit review process is underway-- including feedback from members of the Mi’kmaw, Acadian, Scottish, Black, and other cultural communities, as well as expert historians, and representatives of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island and Parks Canada. Once this process is completed, the design will be finalized and the physical interpretive display and accompanying audio-visual technology will be installed.
What are some of the modern features or upgrades that bring Province House into the 21st Century?
Several of the key modern upgrades involve reducing the carbon footprint of the building and making it universally accessible. Below you’ll find a few examples.
Geothermal heating and cooling system: The project to conserve Province House will not only preserve the heritage of the iconic building, but will also incorporate some new technology to increase the energy efficiency of the structure.
A new feature of Province House will be a geothermal heating and cooling system. This system will supplement the existing climate control. Currently, heating needs of the building use Charlottetown’s district heating system for winter months. In summer, there has been no centralized air conditioning. With the new geothermal system, overall energy consumption will be greatly reduced. The added efficiency will save about $10,000 annually. A big plus side of the new system will be the ability to control heat and humidity year-round.
The heart of the system will be a dozen 500ft deep wells which access the ground water aquifer beneath the historic site. Water will not be extracted from the wells, but rather the aquifer will serve as a heat sink to store heat in the summer and keep the building cooler and humidity balanced. In the winter, the process reverses and heat is taken from the ground water and brought into the building.
Climate control within the 175-year-old building is not just about maintaining comfortable temperatures and improved air quality, but it ensures the building and its contents are better protected and preserved and not subjected to damaging fluctuations of temperature and humidity.
Universal accessibility: When Province House re-opens, visitors will find many changes that make the building more accessible. Some of these include universally accessible washrooms, an elevator to access all levels, ramps, braille signage, and audio and visual guides to the interpretive display. During every stage of the restoration process, the building itself and the interpretive visitor experience have been carefully assessed by people living with various disabilities and other subject matter experts to ensure the most accessible outcomes. This has been an exciting part of the revisioning of Province House – bringing it into the 21st Century while respecting its character-defining heritage elements.
What is the difference between an in situ and a dismantle/reassemble approach for the masonry work?
Province House is a historic and complex building. Parks Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada are approaching the project with careful consideration of the best and most appropriate methods to preserve the iconic building’s character-defining elements.
An in situ approach means that, where possible, the damaged walls are being repaired in place, rather than complete removal and reassembly. This approach is less invasive, protects more of the heritage fabric of the building, and is more cost-efficient. In some cases, where the stone is noted to be in particularly poor condition, the dismantle/reassemble approach is being used.
This combined approach appropriately addresses Province House’s conservation needs, and is supported by best practices in the conservation of heritage buildings. Locally-sourced structural Prince Edward Island sandstone is being used for the building’s structural interior walls.
How many stones needed to be repaired or replaced?
In addition to repairing approximately 3,800 of the original exterior stones, approximately 1,300 of them were replaced. Because they are new stones, there is a slight difference in colouration between them and the older stones. Over time, the stone will weather through a process called oxidation and blend in with the original stone.
Have any unforeseen issues been encountered, and what innovative solutions has Parks Canada had to find?
Our goal is to maintain and conserve this building in its most original form. Where possible, we are sourcing materials from the same locations as when Province House was originally built or had major past upgrades conducted. This approach proved to be challenging at times and in some instances we had to source some of the materials from overseas.
We received an initial shipment of interior stone from a well-established quarry in the UK, however since then, we’ve been successful in finding a local source of Island sandstone from Kellys Cross. This stone has been used to repair the interior walls of the building.
The current slate roof, which originally came from a quarry in Vermont, was installed in the 1980s. Since the quarry was unable to supply replacement materials, we had to search for similar slate material elsewhere. After a fair bit of research, Parks Canada was able to source slate material from Northern Ireland to complete the roof work. The new roof features copper cladding, thermal insulation and new slate shingles. This combination of traditional materials and modern day components/high-quality design, has not only restored the roof, but improved it which means less on-going maintenance and repairs will be required going forward.
One of the most technically challenging aspects of this conservation project has been the portico work. The portico work was originally slated to be completed in Phase One, but this work was subsequently moved to Phase Two as it proved challenging to identify an appropriately skilled contractor for this specialized work. Portico work is a difficult and intricate process as it involves suspending each column in the air for a period of 1.5 to 2 weeks at a time to pull out the old foundation and to pour a new foundation in its place. Each column weighs approximately 42,000 kg. The contractor had to reset eight columns on the north and south sides of the building. This whole process took nine months to complete.
Where did Parks Canada source the stones to repair Province House?
An initial shipment of interior stone was purchased from a well-established quarry in the UK; however, a local source of red sandstone from Kellys Cross was found which was used for the remainder of the interior.
The material used to replace select exterior sandstone came from Wallace, Nova Scotia. This material is from the same vein of stone that was originally used to build Province House in the early 1840s.
Tell me more about the Island sandstone that was used within Province House National Historic Site...
When Province House was first built, a quarry in Prince Edward Island supplied the building’s inner walls or “wythe”. This red Island sandstone was also used throughout the province in the foundations of buildings constructed during the 1800s. As the interior walls of Province House National Historic Site were conserved, the majority of the original Island stones were reused, with some new material needed to replace what had deteriorated.
The project team had to determine where to find new sandstone for the interior walls. Crushed red sandstone for road construction in Prince Edward Island is readily available, but no stone quarries for structural building purposes were known to exist. In addition, any new stone needed to be compatible with what is already in place - meaning it can’t be significantly harder or softer than the existing stone, and has to have similar mineral content and texture as the original.
The project team located suitable stone in the hills of Kellys Cross, near Crapaud, Prince Edward Island, in 2018. Petrographic testing has confirmed the stone’s qualities, proving it a suitable source for this important work. The Government of Canada is very pleased that locally sourced sandstone from Prince Edward Island was used as part of the conservation project. This ensures that the heritage character of this iconic building is respected and benefits the local economy.
The repair and replacement of interior above-grade sandstone was completed in April 2022. Approximately 108 cubic metres of interior stone was replaced.
For more on this topic, see the video, ‘The search for Island stone’ here: https://parks.canada.ca/ph-videos
From where is the exterior stone sourced?
In the 1840s, a quarry in Pictou, Nova Scotia provided the exterior stones for the building. This quarry was exhausted many decades ago, but fortunately, a nearby quarry in Wallace, Nova Scotia has been able to provide a very similar sandstone for the project. This stone is similar in colour and texture, allowing it to be tooled and finished to fit with the original blocks.
Tell me more about the differences in the stone colour between the new and the old external stones.
The masons replaced approximately 1,300 exterior Pictou sandstones with sandstones from the Wallace quarry and, because they are new stones, there will be a slight difference in colouration between them and the older stones. Over time, the stone will weather through a process called oxidation and blend in with the original stone. This also tells the on-going history of the building, as looking at old photographs which also show differences in colouration, you can tell over time which stones were previously replaced.
How many windows were restored?
In total, 101 windows were restored for Province House National Historic Site. Ninety-nine of these were shipped to a specialized facility in Ontario, but two were restored here in Charlottetown in an exciting partnership with Holland College Heritage Retrofit Carpentry program. This video shows details of the process and what is meant to the students and teacher involved in this exciting project: https://parks.canada.ca/ph-videos
I heard that the porticos (the structures on the north and south faces, each with four columns) were actually suspended in the air during one stage of restoration…tell me more!
One of the first project milestones to be completed was the stabilization of the porticos, the “front and back porch” like structures of Province House. The stability of the portico foundations had become compromised over the years and replacing these foundations became a priority in the conservation project. This work began in April 2019 and was completed in January 2020. It took over 15 months to design, plan, and prepare for the construction drawings and specifications by a team of dedicated professionals and builders.
Using a computerized jacking system complete with movement sensors, each one of the columns had to be hoisted less than 1mm and suspended, unmoving, for a period of approximately a week and a half to two weeks. During that time the old foundation stone was pulled out and a new foundation with rebar was poured underneath the column. Each new foundation (and jacking structure) was structurally designed to support a load of 100 000 lbs -- the equivalent of eight adult elephants!
The portico conservation was possibly the most technically challenging part of this project: https://parks.canada.ca/ph-videos
How and why was the cellar floor lowered?
The basement of Province House will become a useable space for the first time in the building’s more than 175-year history. This entailed installing concrete underpinning and lowering the cellar floor by one metre to create enough headroom so the basement could accommodate accessible and inclusive washroom facilities, a lunchroom, storage facility and a mechanical and electrical service room.
This work began in the fall of 2022 and took about 6 months to complete. The team could only underpin small sections of a wall at one time otherwise the excavation could potentially affect the integrity of the wall and its ability to support the weight of the building. The basement was done in 130 sections – spaced away from one another and carefully sequenced -- with an average of two sections completed per day.
The process involved digging a hole about a metre long and a metre deep under the interior foundation walls. Thankfully, modern-day technology made this process slightly easier with the use of pneumatic shovels to loosen up the soil and a giant vacuum was used to remove the debris, rather than shovels, buckets, picks and wheelbarrows. A total of 90 tandem loads of soil and rock were removed from the basement during the process. After each hole was dug, a footing with reinforcing steel was poured, followed by vertical formwork to the underside of the existing masonry wall. A bottom stone in the masonry wall was removed so the crew had access to pour concrete into the forms before moving on to an adjacent section. It took about 3 days for a section of concrete to cure. Once cured, a light sand blasting of the concrete was completed for consistency of appearance.
The most challenging aspect of the basement was the elevator shaft as it had to be lowered by three metres. The team couldn’t employ the same techniques that were used for the other sections of the basement because of something called the soils angle of repose, which means the steepest angle a pile of soil can tolerate before collapsing. The challenge with the elevator pit was that they couldn’t stay three metres away from the load bearing wall while digging three metres down. Tim Chandler, Senior Project Manager with Public Services and Procurement Canada, solved the issue – coming up with the idea during a brainstorm session -- by proposing the use of steel box to support the pressure of the soil that would occur when excavating the elevator pit. The process involved bolting steel panels together and installing anchors into the ground. The team would excavate about 30 centimetres at a time and then activate pneumatic jacks attached to the anchors, pulling the box into the ground, and taking the pressure of the adjacent soil, while avoiding vibrations that would affect the masonry. The anchors had to be brought down incrementally and at the same speed, otherwise the box could twist and jam in the excavation. Aside from the portico foundation work, this was the most technically challenging aspect of the conservation project.
When will construction be complete and when will Province House re-open to the public?
National historic sites reflect the rich and varied heritage of our nation and provide an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about our diverse history. The Government of Canada is proudly investing in the conservation of this historic building.
As the proud stewards of this iconic building, Parks Canada looks forward to welcoming Islanders, Canadians and visitors from around the world back into Province House when it re-opens. The site is scheduled to reopen to the public in 2025.
Why is the conservation project taking so long?
Province House is a historic and complex building. The conservation project presents the unique challenge of rehabilitating the structure with modern features, while also respecting the heritage character of this historic building.
Built between 1843 and 1847, Province House has stood the test of time, and the harsh, damp climate found on Prince Edward Island, has taken its toll. Many of the issues and much of the deterioration were hidden from view. As a result, project engineers and architects had to continually adapt the design plans for the preservation and restoration work as new information was uncovered. The intricacies of the masonry work, the unforeseen interior/exterior condition, matching roof work, finding specialized masons to meet the needs of this project, carrying out portico work and sourcing stones are a few examples of some of the challenges faced during this conservation project.
Parks Canada and Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC) are approaching the project with careful consideration of the best and most appropriate methods and practices to preserve the building’s unique character-defining elements. Together, our departments are taking the time to ensure the long-term preservation of this important heritage site.
Additionally, the timeline was set back by the fact that two firms involved in separate aspect of the project went into receivership; in both cases, this required a new tendering process to find a firm to continue the work.
As with all infrastructure projects, nationally and internationally, the COVID 19 pandemic also slowed work and interrupted supply chains.
Did the COVID 19 pandemic delay the project?
The health and safety of Canadians, visitors, and Parks Canada team members is of the utmost importance to Parks Canada. During the COVID 19 pandemic, Parks Canada followed the advice of public health experts and implemented measures to support Canada’s efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 and reduce risks to Canadians, visitors, and employees.
During this time, Parks Canada continued to deliver a number of critical functions, following the applicable workplace health and safety precautions. Parks Canada construction projects were considered critical services to the public. Most scheduled construction activities proceeded as planned, but were subject to change due to the constantly evolving situation related to COVID-19.
Conservation work continued at Province House. We initially saw a reduction in the number of people working on site as many of the skilled tradespeople from other provinces returned home. Work slowly ramped up again as more workers returned to the site. New enhanced procedures for those working on site were implemented to ensure the utmost safety of our workers. Some of the changes on site included expanded use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, respirators and face shields; additional hand washing stations and portable toilets; staggered lunch breaks to keep the workers physically distanced; and deep cleaning of washrooms and common areas every evening.
COVID-19 affected timelines for the Province House conservation project, as Parks Canada worked closely with applicable industry partners, including colleagues at Public Services and Procurement Canada who are contracted to manage the conservation project on behalf of Parks Canada, to ensure work progressed in the safest and most efficient manner possible throughout the pandemic. Additionally, the timeline was set back by the fact that two firms involved in separate aspect of the project went into receivership; in both cases, this required a new tendering process to find a firm to continue the work.
As with all infrastructure projects, nationally and internationally, the COVID 19 pandemic also slowed work and interrupted supply chains.
What is the total budget for the Province House conservation project?
The Government of Canada has committed $138 million for the preservation and conservation of Province House National Historic Site, which includes renewed elements for visitor experience and interpretation. The conservation project budget has been allocated incrementally. This approach has been taken to ensure that estimates and funding investments are made only after layers of the building have been removed or assessed and there is a full knowledge of the building’s condition.
Is the Province House conservation project over budget?
Due to the size and complexity of this project, funding for the Province House conservation project has been announced incrementally. This ensures that investments are made with a full knowledge of the building’s condition, after layers have been removed or assessed, and there is a full understanding of the scope of the project at each phase.
The funding of $61 million announced from 2014-2018 for Province House was to complete the first two phases of the project, which included project mobilization and much of the structural restoration work required on the interior and exterior of the building.
In February 2020, the Government of Canada announced an additional $30.7 million which was expected to be the final budget allotment for the project. This additional funding was for Phase Three and Phase Four of the project, which include refitting the building for occupation and public access, addressing fire safety and universal accessibility requirements and renewing the visitor experience and interpretation media for the site. However, the COVID-19 pandemic which began immediately following this announcement created workforce and supply chain challenges, and material cost increases that could not have been anticipated when the project began.
On November 15, 2023, an additional $46 million was announced to complete the final two phases of the Province House conservation project.
This brings the total investment for the long-term preservation of Province House to $138 million.
Why is the project costing so much?
The roof has been the source of chronic problems for this historic building. Over the years, water infiltration through the roof near the eaves and the annual freeze/thaw cycle have been the greatest enemy of the building’s interior and exterior stone walls. As a result, many of the issues and much of the deterioration found in Province House were hidden from view. Until we were able to remove the interior finishes, we did not have a full understanding of the building’s condition.
Parks Canada learned about some of the issues and deterioration during renovations in advance of the 2014 celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference. During the investigation conducted by Taylor Hazell Architects, conditions were found to be much worse than expected when the wall finishes were removed. Additionally, some restoration processes such as restoring the porticos and the basement consolidation turned out to be more complex and labour-intensive that anticipated.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic created workforce and supply chain challenges, and material cost increases that could not have been predicted when the project began.
Throughout the conservation project, our goal has been to protect the heritage defining elements of the building as much as possible by sourcing materials from the same locations when Province House was originally built or had major past upgrades conducted.
Parks Canada is committed to ensuring that all infrastructure projects are cost efficient and make the best use of taxpayer dollars.
Can you tell me about some of the community collaborations this project has brought about?
The Government of Canada is pleased to work with local communities and academic institutions for the Province House conservation project.
“Province House: Virtual Reality” was an immersive and interactive experience that provided a glimpse into Province House National Historic Site as it stood before conservation work began and after the building had been emptied of its furnishings. It allowed users to interact with the heritage landmark during the early stages of the restoration project. This unique program was designed and produced in collaboration with students from the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering and animation students from The University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Students from Holland College’s Heritage Retrofit Carpentry program have left their mark on Province House National Historic Site. Several cohorts of students worked on conservation of two of the original windows, beginning in fall 2019 and culminating in their re-installation in May 2022. Additionally, several graduating students from the Holland College Heritage Retrofit Carpentry program were hired to assist with re-installing the remaining windows in Province House. Collaborative work with Parks Canada PEI is an important ongoing part of this program. For more information on this collaboration, watch the Province House Conservation video series here: https://parks.canada.ca/ph-videos
Parks Canada was pleased to collaborate with Confederation Centre of the Arts in presenting “The Stories of Confederation”: a program that offered a variety of heritage experiences presenting the stories of Province House and the Charlottetown Conference.
Has there been any collaboration with Indigenous communities?
Parks Canada and Indigenous communities work together closely in conserving Canada’s natural and cultural heritage and sharing the stories of these treasured places. Parks Canada is committed to pursuing opportunities to engage Indigenous people in this project by providing employment and training opportunities for members of the local Indigenous community. For example, the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island (MCPEI) and a Province House contractor worked together to create a cost-shared Indigenous apprenticeship position.
The project team responsible for developing the new interpretive exhibits at Province House worked together collaboratively with L’nuey and members of the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq community as well as with members of Parks Canada’s Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council (ICHAC) to better understand and present Indigenous experiences - both historical and contemporary - of Canadian Confederation. With L’nuey, the project team also facilitated a more expansive engagement process that included sessions with Indigenous cultural heritage experts across Canada to ensure a wide range of Indigenous voices were contributing to development of the interpretive exhibits.
Has the public been involved in developing the new exhibits and visitor experience?
Throughout the exhibit development process, multiple stakeholder and advisory groups have been involved, collaborating with Parks Canada about design, messaging, and visitor experience.
The new visitor experience will provide an opportunity for Canadians and other visitors to connect with history and learn more about Canada’s rich heritage.
Will the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island still be located at Province House?
Yes, the legislature plans on moving back into Province House once the conservation project is complete. The exact dates won’t be confirmed until closer to the reopening date.
When it reopens, will I still be able to tour the site?
Yes, in fact Parks Canada is actively working on a renewed visitor experience offer as part of this exciting project. When the building reopens, visitors can look forward to the new interpretive exhibits, as well as enhanced accessibility, so all Canadians can experience this historic site.
What will be the most noticeable changes next time I visit Province House?
Some of the more noticeable changes include the exterior stone (approximately 1,300 replaced stones), renovated windows and improved accessibility. In addition, the basement will be a functional space, including universally accessible washrooms. We will also be offering a renewed visitor experience with new interpretive exhibits which will convey the stories of Province House. These new exhibits will provide Canadians an opportunity to experience and engage in the rich history of Province House in a new and meaningful way.
What will the new visitor experience look like?
Since fall of 2020, Parks Canada has been developing a new visitor experience offer for Province House. Throughout this process, Parks Canada has considered what visitors will do at the site once it is reopened, what themes and messages will be presented, what stories need to be told, and how.
As before, the Province House exhibits will present three primary themes: Canadian Confederation, The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island and the construction and conservation of the building. While these themes remain the cornerstones of the exhibits, the stories chosen and how they are told have been broadened to include many narratives and voices which have not previously been heard.
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