(no title)

[Date]

Dear [name],

I am supporting candidates who share my deep concern over the lack of a proper building for the preservation, physical security, and public accessibility of our valuable municipal archives. I ask for your support and to know your position on this issue.

Since a rainstorm in 2013 damaged the former home of the archives in the Carnegie Library building on William Ave., the archival records previously contained in the building and the staff who care for those records, have been housed most unsuitably in what the Winnipeg Free Press says is “accurately denigrated as a ‘metal shed’” on Myrtle Street.

The city’s own 2016 assessment of the Myrtle warehouse notes it has “limited administrative office space and public access space, hard to find location, sub-standard storage for archival materials, limited space for appraisal/description projects, no space for conservation/preservation work critical to facilitate access to and long-term preservation of core archival materials, no space for outreach programming.” Myrtle Street was only to be a temporary location but now more than 5 years later, nothing has been done to provide an appropriate facility for our community’s archives.

Under the City of Winnipeg Charter and the Records Management By-law No. 166/2003 as well as the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, our City Archives are legally responsible for the management, preservation and accessibility of vast amounts of documentation created by city officials and other citizens over the long course of our history. I do not believe that the important value of our archives is currently safeguarded sufficiently by our city government.

As we approach Winnipeg’s 150^th birthday, I believe that it would be a fitting project for the City to promote, support and celebrate our history by providing a safe and accessible home for our archives.

Sincerely,

[name]

[address]

 

A Word document is attached Sample letter to candidates

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