The Van Horne Estate on Ministers Island (VHEMI) is under pressure due to a lack of funding from the provincial government.
John Kershaw, chair of the board for the Van Horne Estate on Ministers Island, said it could shut down the business which operates the historical site.
The operating grant the VHEMI received for the 2024 season was $100,000, according to the New Brunswick Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture (THC).
“When we were first established in 2008, the government gave us $33,000, even though a report said they should give us a million,” he said. “Since then, it’s gone up to $100,000, but it has stayed there for a number of years despite rising costs,” said Kershaw.
Another site under the department’s funding model, Kings Landing – with just 11,000 more visitors in 2024 – was funded to the tune of $3.639M.
Ministers Island saw 23,937 visitors, while Kings Landing had 35,275.
Kershaw explained many of the island’s visitors are only coming over once, and not returning.
One of its sister corporations under The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, MacDonald Farm in the Miramichi area, has shut down under the same amount of funding.
MacDonald Farm had 2309 visitors during the 2024 tourism season.
“It is with deep regret that the Highland Society of New Brunswick at Miramichi announces that MacDonald Farm Heritage Site will not be operating for the 2025 season due to inadequate funding support from the provincial government,” said the Highland Society at Miramichi which runs MacDonald Farm in a post on Facebook.
The reason that Ministers Island can run under VHEMI is its high number of visitors and the money it charges to get onto the island.
“The lack of funding means that we can’t invest in the island,” Kershaw said. “We can’t switch up our exhibits. So, what that means is that visitors come to the island, they see what’s here, and why would they come back?”
Even without new investments in the island, some visitors still find enjoyment in returning.
“So far we’ve just been in the house and we just completed the entire house tour, and I really think it’s a great spot. I was also here last year with my husband,” said Faye Clowe, a visitor on Ministers Island.
Still, though, she hoped for more.
“I thought that we actually would have more access to parts of the island,” said Clowe.
Kershaw would like to use other parts of the island through re-establishing their apple orchard, opening a corn maze, and kayak rentals.
With more funding, he believes the business would be able to afford more marketing and be able to operate more of the island with more staffing.
He would also like to change the exhibits around in the museum, switching between Indigenous, Loyalist, and Van Horne centric themes.
VHEMI received a private donation of $100,000 to restore the Minister’s house, which the government provided the remaining $200,000 needed for the restoration.
The Minister’s house was the first building on the island, which has not been operational for at least 25 years according to Kershaw.
VHEMI would like to bring the house back to its former glory at some point later this year, turning it into a living showcase for the loyalist era.
Kershaw said that the restoration of the house will happen whether their business goes under or not.
“The Minister’s house will be restored,” he said.
Kershaw said if the business closes, the island would likely be taken over by the provincial government.
“The difference is that our organization is community based, so we have a lot of community members involved in the government and the management of the island, so we have a direct community voice,” said Kershaw. “If it’s run out of Fredericton for example, then you potentially lose the opportunity for the local community to have input on the decisions for the island.”
Kershaw said that the fact that we even have to talk about the possibility of the community-run business going under is a shame.
“We like to say we’re the voice of the community and without us, the province might run it without the voice of the community.”
