Ms.Carroll,
For exactly 14 months,the supporters of 96 Moore Street in St.Thomas have been trying in vain to obtain provincial heritage designation for this historic property,but have yet to get a response from the culture ministry since the horrific fire that completely destroyed Alma College in May of 2008.The property has 130 years of rich history behind it,and 2 of the original buildings (the chapel & music building) still remain standing,and are in need of protection from the Ontario government.
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From Bob Foster:

How ironic that Culture Minister Aileen Carroll would stand in the legislature and boast about the “doors open” program,when the one door that has never been open,is her own,in fact she has slammed it shut in the face of every heritage advocate fighting to save the 2 remaining buildings at 96 Moore Street in St.Thomas,Ontario.It’s hard to believe Ms.Carroll could say with a straight face,how proud she is of Ontario’s built heritage,and how the “doors open” program will allow people to enter buildings otherwise off limits to the public.If we allow Ms.Carroll to continue down this path of destruction,there will be no historic buildings left standing for her “doors open” program.96 Moore Street still sits abandoned & neglected some 11 months after the inferno,that brought down Alma College,and this minister still pretends she’s a fan of Ontario’s built heritage.When will Aileen Carroll stand up and defend 96 Moore Street,she claims Ontario’s built heritage is important to her,and she can convince Alma supporters that this is indeed true,by designating 96 Moore Street as “provincially significant”.For almost 130 years Alma College held it’s “doors open” for students far & wide,the college gave to the province of Ontario in spades,and though the main building has been lost forever,we can still save a small part of the great legacy of Alma College,by restoring the music building and the chapel.Will the minister end her silence and step to the plate,or will she slam the door shut yet again? We await an answer on 96 Moore Street

From Bob Foster

Dear Culture Minister Aileen Carroll,
On Monday May 4th,2009 I drove the 2 hours from my hometown of Brampton,Ont to the beautiful City of St.Thomas,Ont to see what,if any progress has been made on the property at 96 Moore Street.The rain was coming down lightly,thunder was rumbling off in the distance and from the looks of the property,it has remained untouched since the horrific fire that brought Alma College down on Wednesday May 28th,2008.The chapel and the music building have been left abandoned and neglected,further damaged after another brutal Ontario winter.The Alma supporters are asking the ministry of culture to designate the property and 2 remaining buildings as “provincially significant” to ensure the Alma legacy lives on in the City of St.Thomas.Both the chapel and the music building could easily be restored and incorporated into any further development at 96 Moore Street.We must do the right thing and honor the hard work of every person who built the college,and most of all the students and staff who created the Alma College legacy.All of these people have an emotional attachment to 96 Moore Street,that is second to none.Allowing this property to continue being abused is a crime,but if the culture ministry would now step in and help save what remains,we could have somewhat of a happy ending,knowing the chapel and the music building were spared,and will continue on for many more years.Standing in the rain,I envisioned the college as it once was,students enjoying the beautiful college grounds,the chapel and the music building full of life with laughter filling the air,now fast forward to 2009,the entire property is full of sadness,with no signs of life and the rain now symbolizes the tears of every person who ever walked through those granite gates and experienced the beauty that was Alma College.I ask that you please consider the possibility of designating 96 Moore Street,so the sun can once again shine,on this sacred ground.

Bob Foster
Brampton,Ontario

It has become evident that our premier is not keeping tabs on his cabinet ministers,in particular culture minister Aileen Carroll,the past few week Ms.Carroll has been handing out money likes she’s the head of the OLG,yet she has failed to set up a fund that would support built heritage in the province of Ontario.Owners of historic buildings need a place to turn,when they are in need of financial assistance to maintain these historic structures.Under Aileen Carroll’s “leadership” we are losing our built heritage at an alarming rate.Every historic building in this province deserves the full protection of our government,they were built with great pride,and should be maintained with that same pride,not the demolition by neglect that is being permitted by our current culture minister.In the City of St.Thomas,at the end of a quiet street,sits the property that was once home to historic Alma College,and for over 130 years 96 Moore Street was a magical place,that comes along but once in a persons lifetime and though the building had been neglected for the better part of 10 years,it still held its beauty,just waiting to be “re-born” but it was not to be,for Aileen Carroll failed to see the beauty in Alma College,and the end result was the college being set ablaze,on a warm & sunny May afternoon in 2008.On this sacred ground a part of Alma’s legacy remains standing,the chapel and the music building withstood the extreme heat from the inferno,and stand today as a reminder to all of us,that our past is precious and must be protected at all cost.Minister Carroll has remained all but invisible when it comes to taking a stand for built heritage,and the proof is on the property in St.Thomas,and though 2 buildings still need the governments protection,this minister ignores the pleas of thousands of Alma supporters who have asked the 2 remaining buildings be given provincial designation.We must protect historic buildings as a way of saying to future generations,we cared and we pass these magnificent structures onto you,and ask only one thing,that you maintain them properly,so that the next generation will also be able to enjoy the beauty of our past.As it stands today,we have more photographs of historic buildings,then the actual buildings themselves,which doesnt say a whole lot for our track record.We cant re-write history,but we can save it.

Robert F.Foster
Brampton,Ontario