Members of the Board of the Friends of the Motherwell Homestead Inc handed over a petition to MP Ralph Goodale on Monday.
The petition is to be presented to the House of Commons and asks the government to review their cuts to Parks Canada.
The Motherwell Homestead is located just outside of the town of Abernethy and museum replicates life in Saskatchewan as it was 100 years ago.
Under the current Parks Canada cutbacks, the living history program at the homestead is being cancelled. The program involves live demonstrations of how agriculture was carried out at the turn of the century when W.R. Motherwell his farm. Costumed interpreters and live animals brought the history of Motherwell to life.
“It’s a very important site for Saskatchewan,” Ralph Goodale said. “The Motherwell Homestead is being downsized almost to the point of irrelevance and there are new historic sites that the government is opening.”
The cuts also mean school tours, day camps, and winter maintenance will all be cancelled and the homestead will be turned into a self-guided facility by 2013.
“Truthfully, I’m mad about it,” Brian Wilkes, a town councilor for Abernethy, said. “We had a site manager who lost her job. She’s now moved to Winnipeg. Abernethy is a small community and we’re having a hard time keeping our heads above water.”
The petition will be given to Andrew Sheer at his Fort Qu’Appelle office at a later date
