'Keep it here. Keep it home': Rally to preserve 114-year-old Ontario steamship S.S. Keewatin
A group of volunteers in Port McNicoll, Ont., will be holding a rally this weekend to preserve a ship older than the Titanic.
More than 13,000 people have signed a petition to keep the S.S. Keewatin in its home berth in Port McNicoll, where it has been docked for the last nine years after decades spent as a maritime museum in Michigan.
One hundred people are expected to attend Saturday's rally, which organizers say they hope will send a message to the S.S. Keewatin's owners and the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
"Port McNicoll is where the S.S. Keewatin needs to stay," says Dan Travers, campaign chair of Keep Keewatin Home.
The ship's owner, Skyline Investments, wants to sell it off in pieces; something that organizers have been fighting to avoid in order to preserve a part of the town's heritage.
"I'm a big believer that historical artifacts should be where their history lives," Travers says. "Keep it here, keep it home."
The centennial ship is the only Edwardian passenger steamship in the world, with a rich history in the Simcoe County region. Travers says he's been contacted by people who served on the ship.
"I had one couple who emailed me and said they met on the ship in the '50s and have been married ever since," Travers says. "So there's that personal connection there."
People interested in watching the rally from home are encouraged to follow Keep Keewatin Home's Facebook page, where the event will be live streamed live at 2 p.m. Saturday.
To find out more about the campaign or to sign a petition in support, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.