Unfortunately York University is unaccessible by good public transit and
the drive would be ridiculous the traffic is outrageous to get there. 
This will mean that less and less people will be able to get there.  Now I
can use the train and then use the subway, but up there it would be a
round trip of 4 hours I think it would be far better to have regional
archives spread around the province now as travel into the city is too
dificult now.

Dan Walker

> Members of the archival community may have missed this announcement from
> late December (a plogies for cross posting)
>
> December 18, 2006
>
> York University provides new home for the Archives of Ontario
> Ontario government and university work together to improve access to
> province’s documentary heritage
> http://www.gov.on.ca/MGS/en/News/108293.html
>
>
> TORONTO – The Ontario government is partnering with York University to
> create a new home for the Archives of Ontario, Minister of Government
> Services Gerry Phillips announced today.
>
> A new and modern facility for the Archives will be built on the main
> York University campus, at 4700 Keele Street, in Toronto.  Over the next
> two years the Ontario government, in partnership with York University,
> will oversee the construction of a new archival facility that will
> provide better public services and enhance access to the province’s
> history.
>
> “Partnering with an educational institution of international renown such
> as York University to build a new archival facility is an innovative and
> cost-effective way of protecting our province’s information legacy,”
> said Phillips.  “Our government recognizes the importance of protecting
> Ontario’s documentary heritage and the need to provide easier access to
> the province’s largest information asset.”
>
> The new building, about 98,000 square feet in the heart of the York
> University main campus, will more than double the size of the current
> public reference area.  The new, self-contained facility will meet
> international archival standards and make it easier to showcase some of
> the Archives’ most valuable collections by serving a broader clientele,
> including school groups and delegations.
>
> As part of the government’s commitment to creating and promoting a
> culture of conservation in Ontario, the new archives building will meet
> the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) silver
> certification, a nationally accepted benchmark for the design,
> construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
>
> “I am looking forward to working with York University to create a new
> home for the Archives of Ontario.  This partnership will go a long way
> to ensure our collections are properly preserved so we can leave a more
> secure and prosperous legacy for future generations,” said Archivist of
> Ontario Miriam McTiernan.
>
> The Archives of Ontario, which entered a long-term lease agreement with
> York University, is the largest provincial archives in Canada, with a
> collection valued at more than $400 million.  It is responsible for
> preserving the documentary history of the province and is an important
> source of research for the police, courts, historians and genealogists.
>
> “We are very excited to be able to work with the Ontario government to
> create a custom-designed building that will protect important public
> assets and have opportunities for collaboration on educational, research
> and related activities,” said York University President and
> Vice-Chancellor Lorna Marsden.
>
> The project has been proceeding under ReNew Ontario, the government’s
> five-year, $30-billion infrastructure renewal plan to build strong and
> prosperous communities.  It was implemented according to the principles
> of the Building a Better Tomorrow Framework for planning, financing and
> procuring public infrastructure, which protect the public interest and
> ensure that processes are fair, transparent and efficient.
>
> The new Archives facility is expected to open in 2009.
>
> Contacts:
>
> Paul de Zara
> Minister’s Office
> 416-327-3072 - office
> 647-388-9671 - cell
>
> Jason Wesley
> Ministry of Government Services
> 416-325-8659
>
>
> http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.asp?Release=1186
>
> New Archives of Ontario building to be located at York University's
> Keele campus
>
> TORONTO, December 18, 2006 -- York University President and
> Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden enthusiastically welcomed today’s
> decision by the Ontario government and the Ontario Realty Corporation to
> locate its new Archives of Ontario building at York University’s Keele
> campus.
>
>   This move is a part of a larger project that will bring together two
> significant provincial infrastructure investments – the other being the
> extension of the York-Spadina subway line – into a single project, as
> well as expanding and connecting to the existing York Lanes building.
>
> “We are absolutely delighted by the decision which will provide a
> first-class home for the Archives at the heart of an expanding GTA,”
> said Marsden. “The addition of the new subway line through the
> University to York Region will make this location even more convenient
> for Ontarians. This new ‘green’ building is also a perfect complement to
> our academic mission and adds much-needed research and academic space.”
>
> The new Archives of Ontario is an integrated, multi-use three-storey
> 290,000-square-foot podium building picking up on the scale of York’s
> inner core buildings. It will contain the archives and an expansion of
> existing retail, as well as incorporate access to the new subway. A
> seven-storey “research tower” will be set back on the podium, containing
> an additional 120,000 square feet of academic and research space.
>
>   The archives themselves require secure and environmentally sensitive
> vaults to keep them in their optimum state.  As such, the archives
> design will meet LEED Silver Certification (Leadership in Energy and
> Environmental Design Green Building Rating System TM) specifications,
> the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and
> operation of high-performance green buildings.
>
>   “This project is unique and forward-thinking in both its design and
> sustainability,” said York University’s Vice-President of Finance and
> Administration Gary Brewer.  “Having secured an independent consortium
> through an independent procurement process ensures a no-risk financial
> option for York to build the Archives facility.  At the same time, York
> is demonstrating an ahead-of-the-curve vision when it comes to future
> development of public transit and expanded academic possibilities for
> our University.”
>
> The estimated cost of the entire project will be $100 million. The new
> Archives of Ontario is scheduled to be completed in March 2009, which
> coincides with the University’s 50th anniversary.
>
> York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching
> university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the
> undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international
> city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a
> dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and
> staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 23
> research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is
> interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This
> distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the
> future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world
> challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
>
> -30-
>
> Contact:
> Alex Bilyk
> Director, Media Relations
> York University
> (416) 736-5603
>



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