sunrunner_pei
06-10-2005, 09:42 AM
For those that live on or visit PEI, this may interest you:
As most of you know, Rainbow Valley has been sold to Parks Canada, and 2005 is slated to be the last summer for its operation. A website and petition have been started to try to save the famous theme park. If you're interested, please visit the site and sign the petition at http://saverainbowvalley.com/
As you are probably aware, Parks Canada has purchased Rainbow Valley. Island residents were shocked by this development and we have started an initiative to prevent the closure of this Island icon. The sale is a done deal... what happens to Rainbow Valley now is not.
Rainbow Valley has been in existence for 39 years and represents one of the cornerstones of tourism on Prince Edward Island. It has become part of our culture and heritage. It represents a tremendous tourism generator and its closure could devastate an already fragile industry.
We have looked at the mandate under which Parks operates and our reading of it indicates that one of the primary thrusts of the process, that of public consultation, has been completely ignored. Parks is mandated to hold public meetings for input. They held the meetings, but at none of the six meetings were the words Rainbow Valley ever uttered! Deadline for written submissions was April 22nd and the official announcement was April 26th or 27th .... less than a week after the cutoff date!
The entire process was incredibly deceitful and, most likely, illegal as this process is mandated by an Act of Parliament! It was not until the sale and closure was announced that Parks Canada came clean and informed the public what they had done! How do we feel about Parks handling this whole affair? Go to your thesaurus, look up a word like "deceit” and all of the words you find could be applied to Parks Canada's handling of this affair.
The decision to buy and close Rainbow Valley appears to be a local initiative by the Parks Canada office on Prince Edward Island and not an informed decision from the top. The approval of the scheme was most likely based on a jaded presentation which glossed over, or ignored, the economic impact on the local area and the Island as a whole. The local unit of Parks Canada kept the entire Island out of the picture until the deal was complete. They ignored the mandated requirement of public consultation on the matter until the time limit had passed!
Important: Ottawa probably has no idea that the process has been compromised. Ottawa should be on our side.
How do we keep Rainbow Valley from closing?
(The Solution)
Rainbow Valley, like most businesses, has a finite life. It will eventually close. To do it now while it is still a productive and important citizen in our Island community is beyond belief. It still has many long years of useful life and we should milk every year we can out of it until it is really over.
Parks Canada has acquired an important piece of property for its overall land acquisition plan but why shut down the existing business? Parks Canada already has a hotel (Dalvay), an attraction (Green Gables), considerable farm land that is still farmed, and a golf course. All of these properties are managed by someone other than Parks Canada so why not find a corporation to improve and manage Rainbow Valley?
What Rainbow Valley needs is someone with the skills to operate, upgrade and manage it and we have personally learned of such a party and there are probably others waiting in the wings. All we need now is a formal commitment from both sides as to rental, upgrades etc and a mutually agreeable length of the lease. (Probably 15 to 25 years)
Is there an immediate need for Parks Canada to develop this piece of property for its own use? NO! From the statements made by Parks Canada, it is pretty well obvious that their plan lacks substance. If it really has a plan, why not develop its own land? Parks Canada owns land on either side of Rainbow Valley which would adequately satisfy their needs, and hundreds of acres elsewhere. This seems as if the main reason for acquiring Rainbow Valley is to secure a block of land much like the driving force of the board game Monopoly... but this is not a game! We are fooling with peoples lives, their livelihoods and the entire Tourism industry of Prince Edward Island.
If Nova Scotia or New Brunswick approached me and asked what to do to inflict the maximum damage possible to Island tourism... with my military background and marketing training I would suggest.... “Take out Rainbow Valley!” Rainbow Valley is too important to let go and every effort should be made to find a solution.
We will continue to attack this incredibly stupid decision. Please visit our website often for updates on our efforts as well as for ways that you can help in our efforts to Save Rainbow Valley from becoming a fading memory.
Thank you for your support and caring.
Warmest Regards,
Bart and Jeff
As most of you know, Rainbow Valley has been sold to Parks Canada, and 2005 is slated to be the last summer for its operation. A website and petition have been started to try to save the famous theme park. If you're interested, please visit the site and sign the petition at http://saverainbowvalley.com/
As you are probably aware, Parks Canada has purchased Rainbow Valley. Island residents were shocked by this development and we have started an initiative to prevent the closure of this Island icon. The sale is a done deal... what happens to Rainbow Valley now is not.
Rainbow Valley has been in existence for 39 years and represents one of the cornerstones of tourism on Prince Edward Island. It has become part of our culture and heritage. It represents a tremendous tourism generator and its closure could devastate an already fragile industry.
We have looked at the mandate under which Parks operates and our reading of it indicates that one of the primary thrusts of the process, that of public consultation, has been completely ignored. Parks is mandated to hold public meetings for input. They held the meetings, but at none of the six meetings were the words Rainbow Valley ever uttered! Deadline for written submissions was April 22nd and the official announcement was April 26th or 27th .... less than a week after the cutoff date!
The entire process was incredibly deceitful and, most likely, illegal as this process is mandated by an Act of Parliament! It was not until the sale and closure was announced that Parks Canada came clean and informed the public what they had done! How do we feel about Parks handling this whole affair? Go to your thesaurus, look up a word like "deceit” and all of the words you find could be applied to Parks Canada's handling of this affair.
The decision to buy and close Rainbow Valley appears to be a local initiative by the Parks Canada office on Prince Edward Island and not an informed decision from the top. The approval of the scheme was most likely based on a jaded presentation which glossed over, or ignored, the economic impact on the local area and the Island as a whole. The local unit of Parks Canada kept the entire Island out of the picture until the deal was complete. They ignored the mandated requirement of public consultation on the matter until the time limit had passed!
Important: Ottawa probably has no idea that the process has been compromised. Ottawa should be on our side.
How do we keep Rainbow Valley from closing?
(The Solution)
Rainbow Valley, like most businesses, has a finite life. It will eventually close. To do it now while it is still a productive and important citizen in our Island community is beyond belief. It still has many long years of useful life and we should milk every year we can out of it until it is really over.
Parks Canada has acquired an important piece of property for its overall land acquisition plan but why shut down the existing business? Parks Canada already has a hotel (Dalvay), an attraction (Green Gables), considerable farm land that is still farmed, and a golf course. All of these properties are managed by someone other than Parks Canada so why not find a corporation to improve and manage Rainbow Valley?
What Rainbow Valley needs is someone with the skills to operate, upgrade and manage it and we have personally learned of such a party and there are probably others waiting in the wings. All we need now is a formal commitment from both sides as to rental, upgrades etc and a mutually agreeable length of the lease. (Probably 15 to 25 years)
Is there an immediate need for Parks Canada to develop this piece of property for its own use? NO! From the statements made by Parks Canada, it is pretty well obvious that their plan lacks substance. If it really has a plan, why not develop its own land? Parks Canada owns land on either side of Rainbow Valley which would adequately satisfy their needs, and hundreds of acres elsewhere. This seems as if the main reason for acquiring Rainbow Valley is to secure a block of land much like the driving force of the board game Monopoly... but this is not a game! We are fooling with peoples lives, their livelihoods and the entire Tourism industry of Prince Edward Island.
If Nova Scotia or New Brunswick approached me and asked what to do to inflict the maximum damage possible to Island tourism... with my military background and marketing training I would suggest.... “Take out Rainbow Valley!” Rainbow Valley is too important to let go and every effort should be made to find a solution.
We will continue to attack this incredibly stupid decision. Please visit our website often for updates on our efforts as well as for ways that you can help in our efforts to Save Rainbow Valley from becoming a fading memory.
Thank you for your support and caring.
Warmest Regards,
Bart and Jeff