Commercial Center Not Part of Project

Patrick Faber

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Patrick Faber hit back with a reminder that both Liberty Hall and the Supreme Court were in some disrepair years ago. He countered the allegation that the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) was all about cocktail parties and not about advancing living culture, pointing to efforts across the country to build up Houses of Culture and promoting cultural activities. Faber also distinguished the City Council’s work with the Commercial Center from the work of NICH.

Patrick Faber, Area Rep., Collet

“I wonder if he believes in this country forgot that he was Prime Minister and Minister of Finance for ten years; when he was Minister of Finance, wasn’t the Liberty Hall already in disrepair? Why didn’t he do something about Liberty Hall; why didn’t he do something about the Court House? But I don’t want to make it seem that it is all negative and I do value the contributions of the Right Honorable former Prime Minister and member for Fort George. And in fact when I was asked by the media about his son’s comments – I had not heard the comments and I could only go by what the interviewer was saying that his son had said. And I agree with him – I agreed on my interview with the media that preservation of culture has a lot to do with the dead, yes, and infrastructure, but it also to do with the living. The Commercial Center and the City Council’s renovation of the Commercial Center has nothing to do with the ICDF loan; that has to do with the City Council, I believe, the Mayor indicated that they have received a loan from the Heritage Bank to do that, if I am not mistaken. It has nothing to do – so that’s misinformation and maybe, again, he’s not doing it intentionally. The project that the ICDF loan indeed covers those main streets of Albert Street and Regent Street and in fact the monies are not that much as he would have you believe.”