YELLOWKNIFE (January 23, 2012) – The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC) reopened its doors to the public on Saturday. A chimney fire damaged a small area inside the building on Boxing Day.

“Our fire recovery teams and the Department of Public Works and Services technical services teams worked diligently to ensure we identified and cleaned all of the affected areas to the highest safety standards before we reopened to the public,” said Barb Cameron, Director of PWNHC.  “We are extremely pleased with the thorough job everyone has done during this whole process, and invite people to come for a visit.”

The Museum Café was the area most affected by the chimney fire, and is still under construction.  The Café kitchen has a new wall and door separating the construction area from the rest of the museum, and will remain closed until further notice.

The first step towards normal operation began January 5, with the reopening of the NWT Archives, and this past weekend’s opening marks a return to regular hours for the public to visit the galleries and exhibits.  The Museum is open daily from 10:30 to 5:00pm.

Visit the Museum website and Facebook page for regular updates.

For more information, contact:

Jacqueline McKinnon
Manager, Public Affairs
Education, Culture and Employment
P. (867)920-6222    E.  jacqueline_mckinnon@gov.nt.ca