Canadian Air and Space Museum gets evicted—cue crying, conspiracy theories and Harrison Ford

We’ve been following the coverage of the Canadian Air and Space Museum’s eviction by Downsview Park on Tuesday for being over $120,000 behind on its rent, and frankly, we’re a little surprised by the inordinate amount of weeping and gnashing of teeth that’s transpired. Curator Rob Godwin argued he and his colleagues were “ambushed” and lied to, victims of a conspiracy to “just kick us out and knock this place down” to make way for an ice rink. Museum CEO Robert Cohen broke down, offering, “I’m camping here. They’re gonna have to throw me out,” while Carol Off berated the park’s chairman for his cruelty on the CBC’s As It Happens and local councillor Maria Augimeri took issue with the “careless” and “callous” eviction in a press release. For its part, the Downsview Park Corporation’s chairman David Soknacki has offered to help pay to move and store the museum’s planes and artifacts, plans to preserve the historic building and says he’s open to having the debtors set up elsewhere on the property. But whether Downsview Park acted shady or not, the museum simply couldn’t pay its bills, even with avid flier Harrison Ford urging people to donate. Unfortunate, sure, but hardly criminal. Read the entire story [National Post] »