Province House closure raising concerns

The president of the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. has some concerns about the length of time Province House will be closed for repairs.

On Thursday, it was announced work on the historic building will begin in January and that the building will be closed for three to five years.

Kevin Mouflier said the Tourism Association recognizes the work needs to be done, but hopes it won't take the fulltime period.

"The concern I have is the five year period," said Mouflier. "I think it's vital that we get some details on what's planned and working towards 2017 as well being a big year for Canada [for its 150th anniversary]. It seems to be quite an extensive period of time."

Parks Canada says a multimedia production about Province House will be offered to tourists while the building is closed.Moufliersaidthe association wants to work with Parks Canada to ensure that production is a quality experience thatwill continue to draw tourists.

He also hopes there will be extra promotion of some of Parks Canada's other sites across P.E.I. during this time period, such as Greenwich and Green Gables.