Advocacy Alert - City of Regina

Letter from Association of Canadian Archivists

Dear Mayor Fiacco and members of the Regina City Council,

I am writing you on behalf of the Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) to formally register our apprehension over the future of the City of Regina Archives caused by a proposed $60 000 cut to the budget of the City Clerk's office. Established in 1975, the ACA is the national professional association representing English-speaking archivists across Canada. With headquarters in Ottawa, the ACA's mandate is to provide the archival profession leadership and to facilitate an understanding and appreciation of archival heritage across the country.

We are greatly distressed over the proposed cuts and feel that such a significant cut in funding can only negatively impact services provided by an already understaffed facility. As the capital of Saskatchewan, the former capital of the Northwest Territories and one of the oldest cities on the Canadian prairies, Regina is a city of major historical significance to the development of the Canadian west. The City of Regina Archives offers a wealth of archival records that are of invaluable use to the civic corporation, historians, genealogists, property owners, and other stakeholders of the city's archives. In addition to in-person visitors, the City of Regina Archives has greatly enhanced access to the city's history through its on-line virtual display Regina: The Early Years.

From a national perspective, potential cuts to the City of Regina Archives are perplexing. Across Canada, municipalities are recognising the vital role archives play in the democratic process and expanding and entrenching the role of archives and records management in municipal governance. In 2006, and due to member demand, the Association of Canadian Archivists created a special interest section devoted solely to archivists working in municipal archives.

While we recognize that there will be always be funding difficulties for municipalities, we urge the City of Regina to consider the funding of the City Clerk's office and the City of Regina Archives a core service that provides for an essential civic asset- that being the timely access to the archivally preserved and described records of the civic corporation as well as to the private papers of historical significance held in the archives.

Best Regards,