Local residents concerned about the SS Keewatin’s future can breathe a sigh of relief knowing it's in good hands.
That’s according to former Friends of Keewatin head Eric Conroy and Chris West, chair of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston where the iconic Edwardian-era vessel will move to later this year.
West says ship will be moving out in spring, but an exact date hasn’t yet been set.
“There will be an announcement and everyone will have a chance to say goodbye,” explains West, who noted a great deal of work at a Welland shipyard needs to be completed before it continues its journey to Kingston.
West says the funnel (smokestack), cowl vents, davits and the two masts all have to be sandblasted down to bare metal and then repainted. The promenade deck will be stripped down, any structural work required addressed, a waterproof membrane applied, and new three-inch Douglas fir planking laid, from one end to the other.
As well, there are other needed repairs, including leaky skylights and portholes requiring the installations of new gaskets.
“As you can see, most of this is heavy work that can only be done in a shipyard,” West explains. “The good news is that the hull has been surveyed for the tow by a marine surveyor and is in remarkably good condition. It has been greenlighted for safe towing as is.”
Adds Conroy: “The only requirements are to make some changes to the wooden bumpers on the ships sides so it can go through the automated Welland Canal. This is being done by local Port McNicoll contractors.”
West says the shipyard repairs at Heddle Shipyards will probably be in the $2-million range with towing charges on top of that amount.
“We see this all as in the best interests of preserving this remarkable vessel for future generations,” says West, who referred questions regarding the tax deduction Skyline will receive for its decision to part with the ship to the investment company.
When asked about how much Skyline will receive as a charitable tax receipt with its donation, CEO Blake Lyon told MidlandToday “we are not at liberty to disclose this, nor has it been determined.”
As for Conroy, he was involved with the acquisition and 2012 return to Canada of the passenger steamship and, up until 2020, served as CEO and president of the non-profit Friends of Keewatin.
“In the process to work on the tax receipt, which would cover Skyline’s investment, there was full disclosure of the volunteer hours invested by the Friends of Keewatin,” Conroy explains. “No secrets here.”
Conroy says the ship is expected to arrive in Kingston this October 2023 and be open to the public by Victoria Day, 2024.
And while some haven’t given up hope the ship will leave, Conroy says “there is no home in Port McNicoll for Keewatin.”
Conroy points out that the land where the Keewatin is docked is now owned by a Chinese developer, who wants to put homes on the proposed park as it was never handed over to the Township of Tay by the previous owners.
“Volunteers from The Friends of Keewatin are helping to get the ship ready to leave," says Conroy, who once worked onboard the ship as a waiter as it travelled from Port McNicoll to Fort William (now Thunder Bay).
"A contingent from Kingston met with a Friends of Keewatin management committee in Midland last month. There it was unanimously resolved that this move is in the best long-term interests of Keewatin to preserve her for several more centuries.”
He says that when Skyline changed ownership and became an investment company as opposed to a development company, it sold the Port McNicoll property and, therefore, had no reason to keep the ship.
“In 2018, Skyline offered Keewatin to the Town of Midland at a council meeting with a $1 million dollar cash gift and a guarantee it would be profitable for five years,” he says. “Midland declined.
“The ship was offered to Oshawa, Owen Sound and several other Great Lakes locations and it was rejected. There were many ideas put forward and tried to keep Keewatin (in the area). All failed mostly for lack of funds.”
Conroy says the Kingston museum has a proven track record, is well financed and professionally run.
“The Kingston museum owns an historic bricks and mortar building beside which is a dry-dock that was opened by Sir John A MacDonald as he laid the last brick in its wall,” Conroy says.
“It was Sir John A. as prime minister that arranged for Canadian Pacific Railway to go into the steamship business in 1883. The Keewatin location will be right in the city centre where over 50,000 tourists gather between June and September.”
That said, Conroy says it’s unfortunate that the Keewatin couldn’t find a permanent home in Port McNicoll.
“I started on Keewatin at 17 and 18 as a waiter,” he says. “I am 77 now and have spent 26 years on her preservation. I am sad that this is the reality, but I’m realistic enough to stay on the right side of history.”
