A rallying cry to save the Keewatin

BARRIE, ONT -

A team of volunteers is fighting to keep a centennial ship from being sold and re-located out of Port McNicoll.

The S.S. Keewatin is the only Edwardian passenger ship in existence and has been docked in its home berth in Port McNicoll for over nine years.

Skyline Investments, the ship owners, have been looking to sell it and move it to another location or possibly sell it off in pieces.

A local group running the Keep Keewatin Home Campaign have a new rallying cry to gain attention and support to pressure the owners to keep the ship in the community.

Dan Travers is the campaign chair of Keep Keewatin Home.

"She's unique in the entire world," Travers says of the ship. "She's very important to Canada, but she's also very important to the residents in the community here."

Town criers from across Ontario have been working together on a video asking the government to step in and ensure the ship stays in Port McNicoll to save a piece of the town's heritage.

"It's the ship that built this community," says Travers. "It's part of Port's past and it should be part of Port's future as well."

So far, the petition has over 12,000 signatures. Anyone interested in finding out more about the campaign or sign the petition can click here.

 

With files from Jayne Pritchard.