Heritage Canada Foundation Marks World Heritage Day with Release of Short List of Historic Places of Worship At Risk

    OTTAWA, April 18 /CNW Telbec/ - To mark World Heritage Day and its theme,
religious heritage and sacred places, the Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) is
releasing a short list of four endangered religious heritage sites-a small
sampling of the many places of worship at risk in Canada.
    Short listed endangered places include the Heyfield Memorial United
Church in Heart's Content, Newfoundland, targeted for demolition;
St. Patrick's R.C. Church in Halifax, closing in June because of a collapsing
congregation; Toronto's All Saints' Church Community Centre, suffering from
severe neglect while its land value skyrockets; and the Church of the Holy
Cross in Skatin, B.C., a national historic site in desperate need of repair.

    For the backgrounder and photos click:
    http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/featured/endangeredchurches.html

    At least one of these sites will appear on HCF's 2008 Top Ten Endangered
Places List to be released on April 30, 2008.
    This year, an issue of Heritage magazine will explore conservation action
for Canada's historic places of worship, while HCF's 2008 annual conference
"Work That Endures: Power to the People Keeping Places Alive" includes a
roundtable on this emerging crisis.
    World Heritage Day, also known as International Day for Monuments and
Sites was created in 1982 by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and
Sites) and endorsed by UNESCO in 1983.

    The Heritage Canada Foundation is a national, membership-based,
non-profit organization with a mandate to promote the preservation of Canada's
historic buildings and places. www.heritagecanada.org

For further information: Carolyn Quinn, Director of Communications,
[phone] ext. 229, Cell: [phone], [e-mail]