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JOCELYNE LLOYD: Was restoring Province House worth the cost

Last weekend I was among the gawpers and gawkers who crowded into Province House to see how the site of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference came through its almost 12 years of renovations.

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The building, originally constructed in 1843-47 under prominent P.E.I. architect Isaac Smith, had been the seat of the Prince Edward Island legislative assembly since its opening until the closing of the fall session in 2014.

That year, the building was the focus of sesquicentennial events marking 150 years since the Founding Fathers met in Charlottetown to begin negotiations for the formation of Canada. But in preparing the heritage property for its international spotlight (including a visit by the future King Charles and future Queen Camilla), Parks Canada confirmed that the then 175-year-old structure needed more than a spit and a polish. In fact it was becoming dangerous.

At the time, I was The Guardian’s digital editor and one of my duties was to attend question period daily, live tweet the proceedings and do a quick roundup for the web before the legislative reporters returned with their coverage of meatier topics.

One of the things I loved about crossing the threshold into the historic structure was the sense of belonging to a long history, one that was literally etched into the stones that so many people had trodden upon that there were discernible depressions in the stones. I would feel at one with all of them, and........

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