Visiting historic places
History comes alive in city

Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 27/99) - City residents now have a three-month opportunity to visit 12 of Canada's most historic buildings -- without ever having to leave Yellowknife.

Put another way -- forget travelling all the way to Ottawa to see the sights on Parliament Hill or packing the kids into the mini-van for a trip to Victoria to see the B.C. legislature.

Thanks to legislative public relations officers from across Canada, these buildings are now on display right here in the city.

"Behind These Doors," an exhibition showcasing items and pictures from each provincial and territorial legislature, has now opened in the NWT Legislative Assembly's Great Hall.

"For people who have never seen the legislatures, it's an opportunity for them to come and get a small glimpse into other legislatures in the country," says the assembly's public relations officer, Ronna Bremer.

Each of Canada's legislatures contributed items in order to enrich the display. Highlights include a hat worn by the House of Commons speaker in Ottawa, a piece from Ontario's Queen's Park which will make viewers understand why the country's largest provincial legislature is sometimes called the Pink Palace, beautiful china from New Brunswick and numerous other things well worth the trip.

Outside of Ontario, NWT residents are the first in Canada to have had a chance to view the unique displays. It moves on to the Alberta legislative assembly in Edmonton next.

Bremer says the project had been under discussion by legislative public relations officers from across Canada for the past couple of years. Efforts were spearheaded by staff at Ontario's inter-parliamentary and public relations branch at Queen's Park in Toronto, she adds.

"They officially opened it at Queen's Park and it was there last summer," Bremer says.

Until March 31, this rare legislative offer is right here in Yellowknife.

Don't miss it.