Ravenwood Update

In the past few years, there has been little outward change at the Charlottetown Experimental Farm (Ravenwood). However, many plans and proposals for the future use of this property have been put forward, and it is small wonder that the general public and even members of the Friends of the Farm are confused about its current status. In 2002, Agriculture Canada put the Charlottetown Experimental Farm on its surplus lands list, resulting in much public concern. The Friends of the Farm and other such groups whose objective was to keep the Farm green and public led a public awareness campaign to inform Islanders about the possibility that the Farm would be developed for profit. Agriculture Canada has since removed the Farm from the surplus list. Nevertheless, the future of the Farm remains in question as Agriculture Canada plans to move the Charlottetown Research Station to its Harrington site. At present, minimal research is carried out at Ravenwood.

Because of the high cost of maintaining the buildings at Ravenwood and the liability associated with property ownership, Agriculture Canada has begun a process of disposal of certain buildings deemed to be no longer useful or beyond repair. The Friends of the Farm have identified several buildings that have a historic or functional value and to date Agriculture Canada has agreed to remove them from the list.

Over the years, the Friends of the Farm have approached the various levels of government about preserving the Farm. Government's question has always been the same: what is your vision for the property? In order to answer that question, the Friends have hosted public brain-storming meetings. With funding from ACOA and the City of Charlottetown, the Friends contracted Daniel Glen, landscape architect and park planner, to incorporate the ideas presented at those meetings into a conceptual plan for the Farm. Of course, this plan is not set in stone. It would certainly evolve should the Farm become available to Islanders. The Friends of the Farm envision working with the Province, the City of Charlottetown, the First Nations, the University of Prince Edward Island, and any other groups interested in preserving and protecting this beautiful property for future generations.

The City of Charlottetown has designated the farm as a cultural and historic park in its master plan for the future of parks and recreation in the city. The city is to be congratulated on its foresight in developing this plan. However, the Ravenwood Experimental Farm remains the property of Agriculture Canada and ultimately it will be Agriculture Canada's decision as to how and when the Farm is transfered to its future owners. It is the opinion of the Friends of the Farm that the rightful owners of this property are the taxpayers of P.E.I. Our organisation continues to act as a watchdog for the Experimental Farm and to lobby government to keep the Farm green and publicly owned.