TORONTO – Now in its ninth season, Doors Open Ontario 2010 kicks off April 24 with an event in Guelph. This year, visitors will have the chance to explore heritage buildings, natural spaces, architectural showpieces and community landmarks at 55 community events across the province.
Seven of the events in 2010 are new. Ajax, Burlington, Clarington, Georgina, Haliburton, Pembroke and SouthBrucePeninsula have all joined the program. Another highlight to watch for again this season is the binational event in Niagara, featuring sites in both Ontario and Western New York.
"Doors Open Ontario has grown significantly since its inception in 2002, with over three million visits made to heritage sites in every corner of the province," said Dr. Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust. "This year's theme – Our changing landscape – will enable participating communities to demonstrate how their built and natural environments have evolved over time."
Each year, hundreds of historic buildings, places of worship, museums and heritage gardens – some of which are rarely accessible to the public – open free of charge as part of Doors Open Ontario. Many of the participating sites offer special activities, such as tours, exhibitions and demonstrations. For more information, pick up a free Doors Open Ontario 2010 Guide – listing each event along with a selection of participating community sites. The Guide will be distributed in the Ontario edition of The Globe and Mail April 16; it is also available by calling 1-800-ONTARIO (668-2746). For a complete list of participating sites ...
"Doors Open Ontario provides a unique opportunity to discover some of the province's most fascinating heritage sites," said Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture. "This is a great initiative that supports our local economies and jobs by attracting new visitors to our communities."
Doors Open Ontario offers a variety of historic sites across the province to suit all interests. Some of the sites to explore this year include: the Hammond Radio Museum, founded in 1982, the museum showcases 2,000-plus items that capture the development of radio over the past 100 years (Guelph); the Cardno Music Hall, spanning the upper level of the 1877 Cardno Block, the hall has remained closed since the last performance was held there in 1952 (Seaforth and District); Prisoner of War Camp 30, built in 1925 as a training school for boys, this site is the last remaining intact Second World War prisoner of war camp in Canada (Clarington); the James Whalen Tug, built in 1906 to tow heavy steamers and to break ice 40 inches (102 centimetres) thick, the tug is a permanently moored feature of the Kaministiquia Riverfront Heritage Park (Thunder Bay); and, the Diefenbunker, built from 1959 to 1961 and once a secret bunker meant to house the government in the event of nuclear war, it is now Canada's Cold War Museum and a National Historic Site (Ottawa).
Doors Open Ontario is a program of the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Trust also coordinates Trails Open Ontario, with support from the Government of Ontario. Information on this year's Trails Open Ontario program is available here, and in the Doors Open Ontario 2010 Guide.
Sponsors of Doors Open Ontario 2010 include: The Globe and Mail, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and all the participating communities. This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.
The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage for present and future generations.
Quick facts:
From April to October, Doors Open Ontario invites residents and visitors to discover Ontario's hidden heritage treasures free of charge, some of which have never been open to the public.
Doors Open Ontario 2010 will feature hundreds of communities participating in 55 events across the province.
Approximately 78 per cent of Ontarians live in a community that will be hosting a Doors Open Ontario event in 2010.
