CONCERNED FRIENDS OF HURONIA MUSEUM

November 22, 2007

Dear Huronia Museum Member:

I have been asked to write to you by a group of people who are concerned about the direction in which the Huronia Museum is going and, in particular, the rumors that are circulating in our community that the current curator (director) James Hunter is being terminated. Many of us have questioned the Board as to the rationale for this change in direction and what, in fact, the change in direction is. We could not get an answer as to what the plans are, the reasons for this rumored termination, how it is to be financed, who is to replace Mr. Hunter (and at what salary!). From information gleaned at a recent board meeting, we understand that time is of the essence and it is our considered view that a special meeting of the membership should be held before any of these drastic steps have been finalized.

Our plan is to attend before the next board meeting on December 17^th with sufficient support from the membership that a special meeting of the membership will be called. It is our hope that, at that special meeting, the full future of the Museum, with or without Mr. Hunter, can be debated.

It is discouraging that drastic changes in the Museum’s direction are planned to occur at a time when we should be celebrating the proposed expansion and the successful recovery from the devastating 2007 fire. As one of us has commented, any problems that need to be addressed in the management or direction of our Museum, are problems of success, not failure.

I do not wish to be an alarmist, but we have recently gone through an instance with another of our community institutions – the hospital – where an annual meeting was held at which no whisper of dramatic changes that were planned by the board was made. A week later, most of us who are members of the hospital corporation found out about it in the newspaper. I remind the members that, at the annual May meeting of the Huronia Museum, Mr. Hunter was spoken of in laudatory terms and received commendation for his work in the past year.

In fairness to all, but especially in the interests of the Museum, this development should be debated by the entire membership and not left to a secretive agenda, the details of which remain completely unknown.

If you agree with the need for a general meeting of the Huronia Museum members, would you please sign the attached form and deliver it to me at my office, 531 King Street, or fax it to 705-526-1067, or e-mail a message of like import to rod.ferguson@fergusonbarristers.ca. Make sure that you give your full name and address and phone number so that we can attach those documents to the request we will be making to the Board.

Yours in the interest of the Museum,

Rod Ferguson