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Dozens rally to keep S.S. Keewatin in Port McNicoll

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BARRIE, ONT. -

One hundred people rallied near the storied S.S. Keewatin in Port McNicoll Saturday to keep the 114-year-old steamship where it is.

"We want to send a powerful message today to...the federal government, the minister of Canadian heritage, and also Skyline Investments who owns the ship and wish to move it, that the community stands behind us," Dan Travers with Keep Keewatin Home told CTV News Saturday.

The S.S. Keewatin has been docked for the last nine years after decades as a maritime museum in Michigan. There has been talk of selling the ship off in pieces or moving it to a museum in Kingston.

While attendance at Saturday's rally was capped at 100 in respect of COVID-19 protocols, more than 13,000 people have signed a petition to keep the Keewatin where it is.

Travers said support has poured in from well beyond Simcoe County.

"We....have supporters from as far away as Australia, Scotland, and the United States. People who have been to the Keewatin. People who know about Keewatin. And they all say, keep the Keewatin home."

It's not clear when a final decision about the ship's future might be made.

With files from Amanda Hicks

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