Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Vancouver (Apr 17/00) - The six-month voyage of the St. Roch II, which was scheduled to visit the Arctic this summer, faces cancellation if organizers don't come up with more money by April 24.

The journey, dubbed the Voyage of Rediscovery, was scheduled to leave Vancouver on July 1 to recreate the St. Roch's original voyage through the Northwest Passage with five crew of RCMP on board.

"The project is in jeopardy due to widespread perception that it is entirely government funded when it is not," stated a Vancouver Maritime Museum (VMM) press release. "While large numbers of corporate and private sponsors have come forward with goods, supplies, equipment and services, the hard cash to complete the project has not been forthcoming despite two years of negotiations with Canadian corporations and firms."

The VMM, which is organizing the voyage along with the RCMP, wants to draw attention to the funding they need to take care of the historic vessel.

The ship was taken in by the VMM in 1954 after serving in the Arctic Ocean for 20 years, twice sailing the Northwest Passage during the Second World War.

But now money to finance the voyage that intends to draw attention to the museum's lack of funding to care for the artifact is in jeopardy.

"If $500,000 in cash cannot be raised by April 24, VMM officials will reluctantly pull the plug on the project," stated the release.

"It's ironic that we face cancellation due to indifference," said VMM executive director James Delgado. "The original Northwest Passage voyages of St. Roch were mounted to reinforce Canada's sovereignty in the North, particulary during the Second World War."

The VMM said it needs corporate funding in order to meet costs such as insurance, food and fuel. But even if those costs are met, the point of the voyage -- to raise money for the preservation of the original St. Roch -- is non-existent.

The St. Roch National Historic Site was funded by Parks Canada until 1995. Since then, the non-profit VMM reopened the site in Vancouver with support from the City of Vancouver but faces closure as early as January 2001.

The publicity voyage had scheduled visits to nine Arctic communities in the NWT and Nunavut in order to honour veterans of Arctic RCMP outposts. It was also planned to have the St. Roch II -- a catamaran RCMP vessel formerly known as the Nadon -- circumnavigate North America just as the St. Roch did in 1950. The coast guard ship Simon Fraser is also scheduled to take part in the voyage.