New BrunswickTourism Minister Isabelle Thériault drove to Saint Andrews to meet with Ministers Island board about the future of the historic site.Tourism minister confirms action plans are in works for other historic sites owned by governmentIan Curran · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesMinisters Island sits on the Passamaquoddy Bay beside the southwestern New Brunswick town of Saint Andrews. (Roger Cosman/CBC News)The New Brunswick Tourism Department plans to turn over ownership of Ministers Island to the charity that’s been running the Saint Andrews-area tourist attraction.Tourism Minister Isabelle Thériault said the details of the transfer from the province to the board of the Van Horne Estate on Ministers Island are still being worked out.In July, the board sent a formal letter to the province, saying it was no longer able to financially sustain operations on the island with the $100,000 in annual funding it got from the department. The board gave six months’ notice before it would be dissolved and the province would have to take over.Board chair John Kershaw learned of the planned change in ownership when Theriault drove to Saint Andrews last week and met with the board. “We’re growing as an organization and their budget is simply unable to keep pace with that growth,” Kershaw said. “Before the meeting, we talked to the deputy minister about a pathway forward that will look like community ownership with an endowment fund option and funding from donors in the community.”When asked why the island couldn’t get community funding with provincial ownership, Kershaw said, “there’s a feeling in the community that because this island is owned by the province, the province should be paying for it.”Board chair John Kershaw is hopeful about the future of Ministers Island. (Ian Curran/CBC News)The department has owned and supported the historic tourist attraction for almost 50 years. The Island was once owned by Sir William Van Horne, a pioneer of the Canadian Pacific Railway who built a summer home there.“We’re hoping this works, but if the money doesn’t materialize, obviously we would have to be right back to where we started,” Kershaw said.According to Kershaw, if unable to come to an agreement with the province, the board will send another six-months notice. He also said that he is not worried about support after ownership is transferred, given the legislation that protects historical and cultural assets such as Minister’s Island“We would basically sign a side agreement that would form some sort of a collaborative arrangement that we would continue to work together,” said Kershaw.Kershaw said Thériault was the first tourism minister in the board’s 17-year history to make the trip to visit the island in person.“We want to do what’s best for the island and it was [agreed] that the board would continue to operate the site while we explore what an endowment fund management style could be like,” said Thrériault.Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Isabelle Thériault is working to identify problems that provincially owned historic sites are facing. (Ed Hunter/CBC)While the board tables these potential solutions with the province, it was agreed that they will continue to operate the island for another year.“We’re only at the beginning of this process and we’re exploring these options with the board to see how we can move forward better,” said Thériault. “Obviously, we’re not in the same situation as the 1970s or 1980s when the province bought some heritage properties. We’re in 2025 and we have to adapt and we have to see what is the best option possible for the island.”Visits to the island rose from 24,000 last year to 27,000 this year.Kings Landing, a historic site that receives about $3.7 million annually from the province, saw 34,000 visitors last year.Kershaw’s main questions when the board sent its initial letter to the province were about why there was such a large gap in funding.“These are the questions that I asked when I became a minister,” Thériault said. “The way it is structured is all different. King’s Landing is a Crown corporation and Ministers Island is a heritage property owned by the Province of New Brunswick.”As for the other heritage properties owned by the province, Thériault said her department is working on an action plan.“It’s a reflection that we would need to have to see how we can move forward and either support these sites or see how the community can be involved in those sites,” Thériault said. “We’re thinking of all this and we’re going to identify some options and how to move better forward.”Kershaw said he believes that having a community-based ownership is the best way forward for this historic site.ABOUT THE AUTHORIan Curran is working with the Fredericton bureau at CBC News. You can contact him with story ideas at ian.curran@cbc.ca.
Ministers Island board to take ownership of island from the province
